It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

From Camino Real Marketplace to La Cumbre Plaza, there are sure signs of the holiday season

By Rachel Urbach, Noozhawk Intern | updated logo | Published on 11.26.2009

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Once upon a fourth-quarter holiday, bells jingled, chestnuts roasted and visions of sugary snacks danced in children’s heads. Candles were lit, stockings were hung and family love was what really kept us all warm at Christmas.

Decades later, it seems household and citywide holiday preparations have amassed into a shape-shifting kaleidoscope of themes, gimmicks, trends and tips, a never-ending merry-go-round of ideas, duties and discounts.

Despite all the raucous, holiday hoo-ha, finding fresh ways to channel Yuletide tradition, evade winter waste and continue to kindle the economy is exactly what the modern community’s nerve system of shopping centers and merchants associations is determined to do.

Mark Ingalls, property and general manager of Camino Real Marketplace, 7004 Marketplace Drive, described Goleta as having no real city center and said the marketplace offers a “defect-o downtown” for the community.

Locally owned for 10 years, Camino Real Marketplace offers bountiful parking and localized holiday entertainment.

“We’re trying to hold some tradition and say, ‘Let’s do one holiday at a time,’” Ingalls said. “There is a lot of pressure to start early. ... Pretty soon, you’ve got Christmas in July.”

So we wait. We wait until after Thanksgiving.

Mary Lynn Harms, marketing director of the Downtown Organization, said decorating downtown Santa Barbara for the holidays is a “long-standing tradition” and a cheerful system to help the downtown area carry on as an “inviting and inspiring place to visit, shop and dine during the holiday season.”

Truth be told, if this time of year is the retail industry’s equivalent to the Super Bowl, then the decorations certainly could be considered the halftime show.

This year, the Downtown Organization couldn’t wait to debut along State Street a restored exhibit of whimsical art sculpture pieces that include a rocking horse, a dancing bear and unicycling jester.

More than 50,000 spectators are expected to line State Street on Dec. 4 to cheer on marching bands, helium balloons, holiday floats, performance groups and, of course, Santa Claus for the Downtown Holiday Parade.

The parade, now in its 57th year, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at State and Sola streets.

Amid the shindigs and glee, not all Yuletide celebrations result in inebriated eggnog lovers and an abundance of paper snowflakes.

According to RecycleWorks, average household waste will increase more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Four million tons of wrapping paper, ribbon, tinsel, food, tree and toy garbage will be generated in the United States alone — adding about 1 million tons per week to our nation’s landfills.

“We’re very sensitive to the disposable,” Ingalls said. “The easy thing would be to buy new ornaments every year, but we don’t. We recycle.”

Clara van Meeuwen, marketing manager for Camino Real Marketplace, gathered up damaged ornaments and shipped them to Friendship Manor, a senior living community in nearby Isla Vista, to enlist her “little helpers.”

“The elderly are repainting them and decorating them,” van Meeuwen said. “They are very excited they’ll be able to see their own ornaments on the tree.”

As much as 90 percent of the decorations used at the marketplace — including a 30-foot faux tree — are reused year after year. Van Meeuwen also handcrafts each wreath used in the big-box shopping center.

Last year, La Cumbre Plaza switched from traditional incandescent twinklers to LED lights that illuminate through movement of electrons — saving up to 33 percent more energy.

Santa Barbara and Goleta really are beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

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— Noozhawk intern Rachel Urbach can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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» Xmas is here....not!! wrote on 11.29.09 @ 02:49 AM

Another boring article about Xmas preparations was given a fresh slant by the articles author..But everyone knows that the Holiday Season doesnt begin until after Dec 4th…my birthday haha.

 

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