Close enough to the big city without being overwhelmed by it, the Crescenta Valley offers a charm that is hard to come by.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Even though Crescenta Valley is only a few miles from downtown Los Angeles, the small town feel can be found everywhere especially during the holidays.

Storeowners decorate their windows and walkways with evergreens and lights. There are bins at several stores to collect donations of toys for those families who are in need, placed by volunteers from the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. – Crescenta Valley Station.

On Dec. 12, the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd., will host a special holiday celebration with its annual tree lighting ceremony. This is the fifth year of the event that begins at 3:30 p.m. with a crafts table where people can learn to create LED cards with MakeMo. At 4:30 p.m., Buster Balloon will entertain then at 5 p.m. visitors can enjoy live music in the courtyard in the front of the library. Of course no holiday event would be complete without a visit with Santa. Visitors can take free photos with Santa beginning at 5:15 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. everyone will gather at the front of the library as the tree lighting ceremony begins with local school groups performing. The event is sponsored by LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the Friends of the La Crescenta Library.

This event was started by Robbyn Battles, then-president of the CV Town Council, as a holiday celebration that was La Crescenta-centric. She worked closely with other members of the CVTC including Harry Leon, current CVTC president.  Even though she is no longer part of CVTC, Battles still organizes the tree lighting ceremony with the La Crescenta Christmas Tree Committee.

Rockwell painted the portraits of an idealistic America during the holidays, maybe not quite a clear reality but an optimistic view of what it would look like if everything was done just right. Well, Montrose has come very close to that picture-perfect ideal of the holidays. Visitors to the Montrose Shopping Park along Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard will find themselves transported back to a timeless holiday era. For shoppers there are many mom and pop businesses along the avenue offering a variety of items from home décor to clothing. After a day of shopping there are numerous restaurants to choose from with many having indoor and outdoor seating. One thing that makes Montrose Shopping Park so special during the holidays is what the shopping park does for its visitors. On the weekends there are free horse drawn wagon rides that take visitors up and down Honolulu Avenue. There is live music heard at several areas along the sidewalks, and Santa can be seen walking around visiting with children and adults alike.

The season was kicked off on Friday, Nov. 29 with a tree lighting ceremony that included holiday music performed by the Hummingbird Conservatory, directed by Tara McGrath. The  conservatory is a non-profit organization located in Glendale 91208 and performers/students range in ages from adult to children. After hearing several holiday tunes by the singers, the crowd was ready for the lighting of the tree, located at the corner of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard. Afterward Santa and his helpers were on hand to listen to children’s wishes, and pose for photos.

It is obvious the season is in full swing with decorations lining the avenue. Santa Claus can be found in Montrose from noon to 3 p.m., free horse-drawn wagon rides are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., free pony rides for kids are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and live music can be heard throughout the day. On Sunday, shoppers can also enjoy the weekly Harvest Market and a petting zoo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in addition to the many other holiday activities.

To properly usher in the holiday season it’s the Montrose Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 7. The parade travels along Honolulu Avenue from Rosemont Avenue to Verdugo Boulevard. The parade is also a Norman Rockwell ideal with hundreds of Boy and Girl Scouts marching and waving to crowds together with local organizations and individuals who help support the community throughout the year. Santa flies in a helicopter over the parade route to kick things off. And this year, continuing the tradition of highlighting community pride, the parade’s grand marshal is the Crescenta Valley High School CIF champion varsity football team.

The parade begins at 6:10 p.m. Parade-goers are reminded that chairs cannot be set up along the parade path until Dec. 7.

  Charly Shelton, Mary Okeefe