HISTORY: Coronado community holiday traditions

Crown City History

IN COLLABORATION WITH CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Holiday Traditions

CORONADO STYLE

B y CAROL PASTOR, CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER

Photos Courtesy of the Coronado Historical Association Collection

Man playing bagpipes during annual Christmas Parade

Children playing in snow at the Ferry Landing during Christmastime Three Santas loading up a fi re truck at Coronado Fire Department People sitting with Santa outside a storefront on Orange

With Coronado being a small town dating back to the late 1800s, there are many unique hometown celebrations during the month of December. The earliest of our traditions began in 1904 when the Hotel del Coronado displayed the world’s rst electrically lit, outdoor, living Christmas tree. A beautifully decorated tree has lit up the main lobby of the hotel every year that I can remember. Visitors have come from far and wide to see this spectacular tree each year. In more recent times, it has maintained an annual theme, such as in 2019, when the theme was A White Christmas. This

year’s theme is Home for the Holidays.

Moving on to uptown, as it is called, the next event is the annual Holiday Parade held on the rst Friday in December on Orange Avenue. It is an evening event culminating with the

Rotary Plaza tree lit up with Christmas lights

lighting of the city Christmas tree in Rotary Park. Bands, oats and performers from Coronado, as well as other cities from across the bridge, make for a lively event. It was a night when shops traditionally stayed open to accommodate holiday shoppers and restaurants passed out samples, especially clam chowder from Brigantine seafood restaurant.

Recently, not only have we kept up with our traditions, but we have added to them as well.

A visit to the Hotel del Coronado during this season will provide you with a view seen nowhere else. During the Christmas season, the resort adds an ice-skating rink overlooking the ocean, and much of the proceeds go to charity. If you come by and stand on the back deck facing the rink, you will see skaters, sometimes in shirt sleeves, having fun, palm trees swaying, waves crashing in the distance all while the sun sets over the Paci c Ocean.

Such a spectacular sight!

The Holiday Parade has expanded to include snow at the Coronado Ferry Landing

that day and Santa coming to town to start the evening off.

And, yes, there is one more event. Driving around the bay by the Coronado Yacht Club, you will see boats at their moorings, their cabins decorated, masts aglow with lights strung. Many of these boats will join the san diego bay after Parade of Lights, which takes place on San Diego Bay. Their route starts in the Shelter Island area and continues down the bay toward Coronado, then loops back to the starting location.

This is the 50th year of this event–de nitely worthy of celebration of another area tradition. From the Coronado side of the bay, the boat parade can be viewed from the Landing area on two consecutive Sundays in mid-December. Bring a blanket and come enjoy the event.

For those of you who live here, this is just a reminder, and visitors now have some idea of our traditions and cause for celebration in and around Coronado.

To all, a happy holiday and good wishes for a new year!

Horse carriage riding on Orange Avenue during the annual Christmas Parade c. 20th century

People dressed as presents during the annual Christmas Parade