Santa Claus

Five Glendale families were given some holiday help this year thanks to Target at Glendale Galleria and the Glendale Police Department. On Dec. 18, Target opened its doors at 7 a.m. to allow five pre-selected families in need, with a total of 20 children, to eat cookies, meet with Santa and do some Christmas shopping. “This is the first year we have done this,” said Sgt. Javier Ruiz of the Glendale police. “Since Target opened here in the mall we have formed a strong partnership between the police officers of the downtown unit and the store.

Christmas is a mix of secular traditions Aimee Klein basically has it right, although her letter (?A little solstice searching,? Mailbag, Tuesday) calls for a few corrections and additions. Santa Claus, as we know him, is the creation of Clement Moore, who turned a Greek saint explicitly into an elf, devoid of any religious meaning. Mithra was a Persian god, not a northern European god, although he was worshiped by Roman soldiers in Britain and elsewhere. Saturnalia was a Roman, not a Greek, festival and it was specifically the festival the church fathers wanted replaced by Christmas when they set its date as Dec. 25. Incidentally, not only is the day of Jesus?

When Joe Demerjian was two days late setting up his annual Christmas display this year, his neighbors started to worry. “We usually do it on Thanksgiving Day,” said Demerjian, 64, who has extravagantly decorated his home on North Jackson Street for the last 26 years. “But we didn’t decorate it for a couple days and people started to ask, ‘Why aren’t they up yet?’” The Demerjian’s display is such a familiar holiday fixture in the neighborhood that the city posts “No parking” signs on their curb, in order to keep a clear view for passing cars, said Joe Demerjian’s son James, 25. In the display, three snowmen stand beside one another in a giant snow globe, as white flakes swirl around them.

An hour before opening Tuesday, the aisles of Target in the Glendale Galleria were pleasantly barren. Five Glendale families had a chance to take to the shelves well ahead of the deluge of holiday shoppers as a part of the Glendale Police Department’s “Shop with a Cop” event. Members of the department’s downtown policing unit, whose territory includes the Galleria, held the event to help needy families during the Christmas season, treating them to a shopping spree to put gifts under the tree.

It was the night before the last day of school, and all through the auditorium at Lincoln Elementary School, many students could be heard stirring. Santa Claus was on his way — the school’s Parent Teacher Assn. had arranged for him to be there — and the Lincoln students ran in circles and munched on homemade baked goods as they waited for him to arrive. Santa usually makes an annual appearance at the school, PTA President Sarah Kauffman said, but this was the first year the school had invited St. Nick to come in the evening, rather than at a before-school breakfast event.

Fireplaces crackled, candles flickered and the holiday spirit was in the air as participants in the 11th Annual Prom Plus Holiday Home Tour opened their doors to the community. Visitors toured a variety of homes that celebrated the diversity of the community as well as the history of change. The Thompson/Gilbert family home was a tribute to one woman’s determination to save a historic residence. In 1972, the Dutch colonial home was left vacant for almost 18 months due to a bankruptcy, said homeowner Wayne Gilbert.

The holiday spirit arrived early at the La Crescenta Woman’s Club, ushered in with their family-friendly fundraiser Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 1. The Clubhouse was alive with boisterous children, elves, and, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The event, organized by the La Crescenta Woman’s Club Juniors, was an occasion for the entire family. A continental breakfast with juice and coffee was served, prepared by Ruth Warner and Debbie Taylor, while the Rosemont Middle School Ensemble played holiday music under the direction of music teacher Rod Yonkers.

Preparations are being made for the 31st annual Montrose Christmas Parade. Girl and boy scout troops are finding their favorite walking shoes, Christmas decorations are being taped onto all shapes and sizes of vehicles and warm winter blankets and lawn chairs are at the ready. Over the years the parade has become a tradition that celebrates the holidays and the small town community spirit. This year will have a Disney theme with Donald Duck as the grand marshal. Donald has a history with Montrose, according to Montrose Parade Association’s Dana Banks, local resident and former owner of Anderson’s Pet Shop, Clarence “Ducky” Nash was the original voice of Donald Duck and used to entertain local children with his voices and puppets at the pet shop.

It is a well-known fact that soon an overweight individual in a loud-colored ensemble and who has the ability to stop time will once again do just that. His purpose, as we all know, is to enter our homes through our chimneys ? even the homes of those who don?t have chimneys ? to deposit quantities of merchandise made by elves in the North Pole who have the magical power to make them look exactly as if they were made by Mattel and (here comes the real magic) to not get sued. Yes, it?