Holiday Lights: Making Spirits Bright

COMMUNITY NEWS

Holiday Lights: Making Spirits Bright

It’s the darkest time of the year, but local residents are doing their best to make your holiday bright.

The Agricultural History Project and the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation are presenting the first Holiday Lights Adventure at the fairgrounds, which you can view from the warmth and safety of their vehicles, avoiding any stray COVID-19.

First you’ll see an extravagant display of holiday lights along a half-mile route; the journey concludes with drive-through food booths where you can buy holiday treats to take home.

Holiday Lights 2020 will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. through Dec. 27, closed on Christmas Day. Tickets at fairgrounds-foundation.org are priced at $15 per vehicle in advance, $20 at the gate.

At Aptos Knolls Mobile Home Park, Ben and Radeene Anguino are keeping their holiday tradition of tree decorating.

This year, Ben, 85, and Radeene, 82, put up 144 trees. Yes, 144 trees.

Each tree is decorated differently depending on the theme of the room it’s in.

The trees stay up through New Year’s. Normally the couple would have more than 100 people visit their place on Trailwood Way but because of COVID-19, that won’t happen.

We hope you enjoy their Christmas spirit.

Ordinarily Judy Smith would be singing carols with three gals in a cappella ensemble, entertaining visitors at the historic Filoli mansion in Woodside, all dressed up for the holidays. You guessed right, it can’t happen this year due to COVID-19.

But Judy and her husband, who live on the 200 block of Shoreview Drive in Aptos, have their house decked out in holiday lights. Don’t be surprised if you hear the sound of caroling echoing in the night. n