With any longtime tradition, say San Jose’s Christmas in the Park, it’s sometimes difficult to inject some new stuff into such a beloved history. But a new batch of murals are aimed at bringing a bit of new color and a little more diversity to the annual holiday event, which opens Friday and runs through Jan 1.
“I think with the addition of these new murals and how everything else has been revitalized, I think Christmas in the Park is really going to have new life this year," said artist Alyssarhaye Graciano.
In the weeks before the event opens to the public, Graciano and several other San Jose artists were busy painting murals, which will be installed on a formerly plain green wall in downtown’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez. By the time the event wraps up at the beginning of the new year, some 800,000 people are expected to stroll or drive among the holiday scenery.
Graciano, who is Filipina-American, infused her mural with ornamental shapes typical in the Filipino tradition.
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“I want people to be able to take joy in seeing Filipino culture out in the world,” said Graciano, putting the final touches on her mural inside the warehouse which stores all the mechanical scenes and decorations that will fill the two-and-a-half acre park.
The murals were sponsored by the San Jose arts nonprofit Local Color.
“The idea behind the murals is being able to give these artists who come from a diverse background, to give them a platform to be able to express how they feel around the holiday season," said Jessica Punzalan from Local Color.
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For Graciano, who grew up going to Christmas in the Park with her family, the feelings imbued in her mural were tinged with nostalgia.
“It’s really cool how they revive such a long tradition, to keep it hip, but to also stick to its roots," said Graciano.
The roots of Christmas in the Park run 44 years deep. This year’s event will feature 45 different scenes and 500 trees decorated by the community. Visitors will walk past old favorite mechanical scenes like the Caribbean Christmas, the Swiss Clock maker and the giant light up Christmas Tree.
“We’re creating memories and spreading joy,” said Christmas in the Park executive director Debbie Degutis. “We have generations that come back to the park and grandparents will point out their favorite display.”
Inside the warehouse where it’s Christmas 365 days a year, Degutis strolled among the yet-to-be-installed mechanical scenes, like the firehouse decked out in its holiday finery. The annual event is big on tradition but also likes to add a few new elements each year, like this year’s murals.
“We’re really excited about the murals this year because it’s a way to reflect the artists and their history and their culture," Degutis said.
Kerry Adams Hapner, San Jose’s director of cultural affairs, agreed.
“These murals, what they do is they really celebrate and reflect the diversity of San Jose,” Adams Hapner said. “The organizers of Christmas in the Park are always doing new things or always creating something new for the public to enjoy.”
The nonprofit Christmas in the Park group relies on donations to fund the winter event. In addition to operating the park attraction, the group also funds community groups and charities — as well as a platform for those groups to get their message out.
For Degutis, whose parents also worked for Christmas in the Park, the event is a chance to create a whole new slew of memories for new generations.
“Those are the memories we get to hang on to, the people who say, 'I remember going there 20 years ago,'” Degutis said. “That’s what I love hearing. That’s what keeps me going.”
