WATSONVILLE—Jolly old St. Nicholas won’t be squeezing down the chimney and bringing gifts and holiday cheer for weeks.
But he made an early visit to Watsonville on Sunday for the city’s Holiday in the Plaza celebration, an annual event that kicks off the city’s end-of-year festivities.
The celebration typically takes place on the first Sunday of December, but this year that fell on Thanksgiving weekend, a time of year where many might be traveling to visit friends, family and other loved ones.
The Parks and Community Services (PCS) department instead chose to move the event up a week to give the community a headstart to the holidays.
“We thought, let’s go earlier this year and kickoff the holiday season the right way,” PCS Director Nick Calubaquib said. “A lot of people might have family in town visiting this weekend, so it seemed like a good move.”
Droves of kids lined up to climb, slide and bask in manufactured snow inside the designated play area, a feature of the event the PCS department brought back last year after an extended hiatus.
This year, however, the first wave of kids allowed inside were those with special needs and disabilities. That idea came about while PCS staff debriefed following last year’s event.
“We’re trying to build that capacity with all our parks around the city,” said Calubaquib, who explained that his department is trying to incorporate an all-abilities playground in its upcoming rebuild of Ramsay Park.
The holiday train—a mini engine with small cabooses ready to be packed with kids and parents—also made a return to the celebration and had a line that flowed through Peck Street and around its intersection with of Union Street.
The event was capped off with the tree lighting, and also featured musical performances.
Calubaquib said the structure of the event could be changed in the coming year.
“We’ll see what changes we want to make,” Calubaquib said. “Making some tweaks here and there is a good way to spice things up every season.”
Watsonville resident Gabriel Regalado was watching his daughter, Maisy, a second-grader at Alizana Charter School, frolic in the snow with two-dozen other kids under the hot sun and clear skies.
Regalado said he lives just a few blocks from the Plaza, and that he brought his daughter to the event to instil a sense of community.
“It’s great that the city has events like this. I didn’t have this growing up,” he said. “I want my daughter to realize that she’s a part of this community and that these things are right here at home.”
This year’s theme was Jingle Bell Rock.
Calubaquib said the event was made possible thanks to $5,000 donations from both the Watsonville Certified Farmer’s Market and Driscoll’s.
