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With the holiday tree now lit in Fremont Park, the festive season has officially arrived in Menlo Park.
“I think just being in Menlo Park for the holidays is truly what it means to be home for the holidays. Like everything about it, the community, the businesses. It’s just amazing,” Menlo Park resident Charlotte Reed said.
“It’s like a Hallmark Christmas movie but without the snow,” added Patrick Reed, a Menlo Park native.
Beyond the community tree, holiday lights have been added to trees lining Santa Cruz Avenue.
Another brightly lit Christmas tree stands at the far end of the street. That tree wasn’t installed by the city, but by Bistro Vida and Bar Loretta owner Ali El Safy, who partnered with another business owner to bring more holiday spirit to downtown. He said he hoped the gesture would help lift community morale and ease tensions after what many have described as a divisive year in Menlo Park.
“I think it’s really important that no matter what’s going on in the country, no matter what’s going on in the city or the state, that we remember we’re all part of one community, and we should all be working towards some of the same goals,” Menlo Park councilmember Jeff Schmidt said about the holiday season. “So my hope is that everybody realizes that we all have good intentions, and we’re all kind of trying to make this community a better one.”
On Dec. 5, many residents gathered to share hot chocolate, cider and watch outgoing Mayor Drew Combs light the holiday tree. Poems and stories were read by kids from around Menlo Park, in addition to light-up games and artificial snow. The event was one of many Jen Mosso plans.
“It’s very rewarding: I used to bring my kids to these events and I’ve been working for the city for a year-and-a-half now, and have the honor of planning these events. It’s just so fun to see kids that were my kids’ age now enjoying the event that I planned,” said Mosso, who has lived in Menlo Park for 20 years and now coordinates city events.
“We try to think of what would be fun for the kids in the community, and we always try to add something new every year. The snow was added a couple years ago and LED games were added this year,” Mosso said. She said photos with Santa and the library’s winter reading program are among her personal favorites.
The holiday tree lighting marked the start of a month filled with local events, many of them aimed at families. On Dec. 13 at 8:30 a.m., Menlo Park will host photos with Santa Claus at the Belle Haven Community Center, one of several long-running traditions.
“I love the small town feel of Menlo Park. Not only the lights here in the park, but up and down Santa Cruz Avenue and along El Camino, it’s just really festive shopping local here,” Mosso added.
Combs said supporting local shops is especially important during the holidays, as businesses continue navigating pressures and housing debates over the future of downtown.
“They are such a key part of the community. Community is made up of city government, schools, and social clubs, but businesses are a really important part. I mean, as you know, we’re having this big, intense debate in this city and a lot of it has to do with the best ways to preserve and enliven the downtown strip and ensure the viability of the small businesses that are there,” Combs said.
It’s Christmas, Arden