Santa Margarita

More Holiday Fun in Santa Margarita

By Simone Smith

December is once again upon us. The weather has turned brisk, the nights are getting longer, and we again turn to thoughts of reflection, home, family, friends, and community as we plan for the upcoming year and brighter days ahead.

In America, our way of celebrating Christmas has become a mashup of pagan, Christian, and imported cultural traditions and symbology with a dash of innovation and a dose of consumerism. However, no matter how we choose to celebrate, it is nearly always with joy and peace, reaching out to help others in need of assistance, food, or comfort, celebrating our families, friendships, and good fortune, buying, selling, making and sharing food, cards or gifts, visiting and talking about the coming year and by lighting up the dark nights with sparkling lights and decorations.

This year Santa Margarita will be celebrating the season along with other communities across the country and this year’s plans have expanded. In addition to the 18th Annual Holiday Craft Faire benefiting the Friends of the Santa Margarita Library on Saturday, December 4, and the lighting of the town Christmas tree in the park with caroling and treats followed by a hot soup dinner at the Community Hall on Sunday, December 5, Santa Margarita Beautiful has more plans in the works. This year’s Holiday Stroll on Saturday, December 10, will include a food truck, baked goods, and a craft fair in the Santa Margarita Volunteer Fire Department lot on El Camino Real next to J’s Country Kitchen from 5 to 8 p.m.

Although Christmas trees, craft fairs, caroling and holiday decorations are in abundance at this time of year a little research found that these traditions only began to catch on and spread a mere 100 years ago. Putting up a Christmas tree decorated with small candles was a tradition in the homes of early European immigrants but the fire-prone candles lighting the trees were always a hazard until the invention of electricity in the late 1800s. In 1882 Edward Johnson, the VP of Edison Electric Light Company had the idea to replace the dangerous candles with 80 specially designed electric bulbs encased in delicate red, white and blue glass eggs. Mr. Johnson placed his beautifully lit Christmas tree in a window to the delight and wonder for all to see and admire. Consumerism played its early role in popularizing Christmas decorating when sales of German-style ornaments in the 1890s Woolworth’s Department store reached around $25 million spurring on other stores to produce and sell their own ornaments. It wasn’t until December 24, 1924, that the first National “community” Christmas tree was lit on the White House grounds with the press of a button by President Calvin Coolidge. This first tree lighting ceremony included music and caroling, becoming a national tradition and inspiring community celebrations ever since. This year’s Santa Margarita Christmas celebrations are sure to bring good cheer and brighten up those dark December nights. Be sure to catch all the fun. This year’s Santa Margarita Beautiful’s Holiday Decorating Contest will have an online interactive map to find the best and most creatively decorated homes (the handmade moving ferris wheel of the Sterling residence stole the show last year). Check santamargaritabeautiful.org for details and mark your calendars for these holiday events:

Saturday, December 3

18th Annual Holiday Craft Faire to benefit the Friends of The Santa Margarita

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Library. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Santa Margarita Community Hall. Find one-of-a-kind locally made crafts from talented artisans in addition to a bake sale and pizza from Bello! Catering.

Sunday, December 4

Lighting of the Santa Margarita town Christmas Tree. Bundle up and join with family, friends and community to partake in this Santa Margarita holiday tradition. Meet at the Santa Margarita Community Park around dusk to enjoy cookies, coffee, cocoa and caroling courtesy of Santa Margarita Community Church before the official lighting of the town Christmas tree near the playground. After the lighting, the community is encouraged to carol their way over to the Santa Margarita Community Hall where the Santa Margarita Lion’s Club invites everyone inside to warm up and enjoy the evening with a free, hot soup dinner, starting around 5:45 p.m. Be sure to bring along non-perishable food items, toys or monetary donations as Scout Troop 123 will be there collecting for Seasons of Hope and Atascadero Loaves and Fishes.

Saturday, December 10

Santa Margarita Holiday Stroll. This festive event takes place throughout downtown Santa Margarita on El Camino Real from 5 to 8 p.m. Visit participating businesses throughout the sparkling downtown to see what they have in store, bring the kids to visit Santa at The Educated Gardener 5 to 7:30 p.m. and enjoy the newly added holiday market, located in the Santa Margarita Fire Departments lot on the corner next to J’s Country Kitchen, with pizza available from Bello! Catering and baked goods available from The Black Pearl Bakery. See you there! 