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Santa Clara Community gathers to bring in the new holiday season with tree lighting


Photos by Jovanni Arroyo-Camberos



It’s that time of the year again, from Santa’s little helpers to Santa himself, crowds of Christmas enthusiasts from the community gathered at Santana Row to witness the 12th annual tree lighting ceremony last Tuesday.


With the holiday season now in effect, people not only saw the start of the Christmas season but also watched performances, special guests and the tree lighting ceremony.


“Really it’s to kick off the holiday season for our community, we want to invite the community, our family and friends out to Santana Row, to kickoff the holiday season together,” said Santana Row Marketing Director Collette Navarrette.


The ceremony began with a moment of silence for those affected by the Paris attacks that occurred Nov. 13.


“I enjoyed that (moment of silence) I think that it’s a good thing to do out of respect for other people who are not as fortunate as we are and I’m glad they incorporated that tonight,” attendee Monica Martinez said.


Santana Row also partnered with Make-A-Wish Foundation and celebrated Lili, a 14 year old who is battling with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Her wish is to go to Paris.


“It was so exciting to grant a wish to Lili on behalf of Make-A-Wish and Santana Row,” Navarrette said. “We were so excited to grant her the wish of going to Paris, it was such a great thing that we were able to provide and so it was a great addition to our tree lighting ceremony.”
As Lili went onstage, her father and a group of her friends joined her to celebrate her wish.


The crowd also came together to celebrate and cheer on Lili as she prepares to make her trip to Paris.  
“That was a great thing to have and share it with everyone here to let us know that they really are doing something wonderful for those kids who are going through really hard times,” attendee Tiffany Jones said.


Her wish was granted when representatives from Make-A-Wish gave her the ticket to go to France during the tree lighting ceremony.


The tree lighting illuminated the night after performances from schools across Santa Clara County united to provide holiday cheer for the community.


Navarrette said performers included the Children’s Musical Theater, The Harker School, Action Day Primary Plus and Willow Glen Middle School.


Just before the tree was lit, special guests and “America’s Got Talent” semifinalist Academy of Villains displayed their jaw dropping hip-hop moves onstage.  
“We spent about three months planning the Santana Row tree lighting ceremony,” Navarrette said. “It takes a bit of time because we have to get all the community groups and school groups organized and we have to get them lined up for the show.”
Also present at the event was the Silicon Valley Ballet company, which displayed its latest performance, “The Nutcracker.”
After the final performances from the Silicon Valley Ballet company and Academy of Villains the tree was finally lit and the crowd awed in excitement as the holiday season began.
“I think it makes people thankful for their community, thankful for the environment that they have and just the opportunity to come and enjoy the outside and Christmas and the spirit of everything,” Jones said.
As many came to witness the beginning of the holiday season, they left with “Jingle Bells” echoing through their ears.

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