The Christmas in the Park tradition began in 1950 as a small holiday display. Don Lima, a local community leader, placed animated characters in front of his business on Willow Street in San Jose, drawing spectators, young and old. Each year, the display grew in size and became so popular with the San Jose community that a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam clogged the streets. In 1970, Lima donated his display characters to the City of San Jose where for several years; the display was set up on the lawn of City Hall.
In the early 1980's, Lima gathered a group of community leaders to request that the City move the display to the downtown park now known as Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
Today, the two-acre park is transformed into a holiday fantasy with over 60 musical and animated exhibits and glittering lights and the 55-foot City Christmas tree.
To view it, above, you must have Apple's Quicktime free plug-in installed in your computer.