SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for “Christmas in the Park – A Drive-Thru Holiday” at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
In a year that’s seen more than its share of tragedy and disaster, at least Christmas in the Park found a way to hold on to its magic.
Now, the beloved San Jose holiday tradition, which opens Friday at 4 p.m. and runs through Jan. 3, has undergone a lot of change this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To begin with, it’s a drive-thru event at History Park on Senter Road. You’ll need to make reservations in advance, you can’t visit in person with Santa, and there’s an admission charge for the first time. But the ride through the park, which takes about 30 minutes, is an experience like Christmas in the Park has never seen.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light tunnel display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Hudson Martinez, 2, stands up in the sunroof of his families truck during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Santa waves at a car during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A minivan drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Cars drive through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Santa waves and talks to a car as it drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Santa waves and talks to a car as it drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A minivan drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives past decorated Christmas trees, about 300 of trees are on display, during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Jason Minsky, executive director of Christmas in the Park, directs traffic during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A minivan drives through a light tunnel display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Signage at the entrance to "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" during a preview at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A car drives through a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A truck drives past a display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A truck drives through the beginning of a light display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: A sign on display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: The moon can be seen during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: An oversized ornament on display during a preview for "Christmas in the Park - A Drive-Thru Holiday" at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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That’s largely because of the addition of more than 150,000 colorful lights, which illuminate displays, guide drivers along their way and bring a festive atmosphere to the historic buildings and structures around the park. While there’s some similarity to the Fantasy of Lights show at Vasona Lake County Park, it’s set apart by History Park’s 100-foot light tower and Christmas in the Park’s 300-plus decorated trees and charming animatronic scenes.
“This is a new type of show that no one has ever seen before,” said J.R. Mattos, who was hired this year as Christmas in the Park’s exhibit engineer. “The drive-thru was created as a way to help deal with the COVID-19 situation, while still bringing Christmas in the Park cheer, but it will be much more than that.”
He’s not kidding. The show actually starts in History Park’s huge parking lot on Phelan Avenue, where many traditional and familiar animatronic scenes are on display, including the Jazz Trolley Car, Bear Pond Ice Rink, the Christmas Ornament Mine, Penguin Flight School and Happy Hollow’s Danny the Dragon. There’s some new stuff, too, like LED candy canes and illuminated archways decorated with snowflakes and leaping reindeer.
The lighting is programmed to change in sync with Christmas music you can play in your car (tune the radio to 93.1 FM), an effect that’s really impressive as you drive through a 325-foot-long tunnel of lights. And that’s just getting out of the parking lot.
Inside History Park, several buildings including the blacksmith’s shop, the print shop and Dashaway Stables — repurposed for Santa’s reindeer, of course — are decorated in holiday lights. Be sure to look in the windows of the Pacific Hotel and O’Brien’s Candy Shop, which are filled with Christmas decor. A pair of 96-foot-long lighted “curtains” keep people going in the right direction toward the replica of the San Jose Light Tower, where New Ballet has created a new installation — a scene from “The San Jose Nutcracker” with a huge Queen of Snow statue made by artist Lacey Bryant. Dancers from the ballet will also be there on select nights, so keep your eyes peeled for Mousima or the Nutcracker Prince.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas in the Park without Santa Claus, and the jolly old elf is there waving to people in cars from his giant sleigh as they pass by. Here’s a tip: Santa will be on your left side, so make sure the little ones know to start watching for him after you go through the light tower. The last part of the trip is highlighted by the hundreds of Christmas trees — decorated by community organizations and businesses — that line the narrow streets inside the park. At a speed of 2.5 mph (or less), passengers can get a pretty good look at their favorites.
Reservations are available from 4 to 10 p.m. every day, with a $20 charge per vehicle, at www.christmasinthepark.com. It’s only $10 if you go between 4 and 5 p.m., and while you lose some of the lighting effects because of the fading daylight, some displays and tree decorations are easier to see.
“We know that people are used to our event having free admission, but due to lost revenue, having a pre-paid ticketed event is necessary,” Christmas in the Park Executive Director Jason Minsky said, adding that it was the “best one-year solution for us.”
The thousands of families like ours who have made Christmas in the Park a tradition during the 40 years it was downtown at Plaza de Cesar Chavez will no doubt miss walking around the park with hot chocolate and churros, enjoying the nightly entertainment and soaking in the sights and sounds of Downtown Ice and the Winter Wonderland carnival rides — both canceled this year. But this year, just having Christmas in the Park in any form feels like a gift. And, it turns out, this is an even cooler gift than we expected.
