Christmas came a little early in Pasadena. A community holiday celebration hosted by Pasadena Councilman John J Kennedy was an overwhelming success bringing holiday cheer to children and needy families throughout Pasadena.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in South Los Angeles. The tree is lit on Century and Broadway, Spotify released their zillionth holiday playlist and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza has become a Winter Wonderland filled with holiday decorations and a melanated Santa Clause. December can quickly become a month-long sprint from store to holiday gathering and everywhere in between. Sometimes we can allow holiday stress to to define the holiday season. We try to budget for more gifts or try to squeeze in more holiday house visits than Mr. Claus himself, but our holiday memories are rarely about the stuff. The toys and gadgets, even those most desired, will gather dust before long. How many of these holiday gifts do we remember years later? Our strongest memories are connected to the people we love and as adults, children remember their family or community traditions more than any gift. Winter Wonderland is a remarkable opportunity to celebrate the simple things that make the holidays in South LA so beautiful and start or continue a family tradition and create life-long memories.