Holiday lights in a California neighborhood bring the community together

It’s legendary. Like countless homeowners across the country, residents of Pasadena’s Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood will be decorating their homes for the December holidays. But this pocket is different. She has decorated her homes as a group project for over 70 years. Adults who visited as children now bring their children and grandchildren. Santa’s old wooden lawn decorations mix with synchronized LED lights as a bus zips from one of the top centers through the glowing streets.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and now I’m bringing my daughter here,” Jason Sancho says. He, his wife, Aiko, and their daughter were parked nearby, watching a dazzling light show as Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus permeated the air. Mr. Sancho plans to visit four more times.

Sarah Weddle remembers driving around Hastings Farm as a child. Her parents folded down the back seats of their car and put a mattress in it so the kids could enjoy the lights from their makeshift bed on wheels.

Four-year-old Liam is thrilled — which is why this family keeps coming back, says Maria Tello, from nearby Reseda, California, with a nod of gratitude to the owners.

“Thank you,” she says.

My go-to place for holiday lights is the Los Angeles County Arboretum. For $30, I can walk past a cathedral of tiny white lights and wander through a field of tulip sculptures ablaze with color. It is a happy outing for family and friends during the dark days of December.

But this year, the nursery canceled its activity Lightscape Because of the construction project. I get that, but I felt like the Grinch was stealing Christmas. Then I remembered the annual neighborhood “Light Up” up the hill from my front door.

It’s legendary. Like millions of people across the country, residents of Pasadena’s Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood are decorating their homes for the holidays. But this enclave filled with palm trees and buskers is different. She has decorated her homes as a group project for over 70 years. Joy connects generations. Adults who visited as children now bring their children. Santa’s old wooden lawn decorations mix with synchronized LED lights as a bus zips from one of the top centers through the glowing streets.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and now I’m bringing my daughter here,” Jason Sancho says. He, his wife, Aiko, and their daughter parked in front of the Harbeck family’s home on Tropical Street. The windows are open, and they watch a multimedia light show, while a recording of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus permeates the air. Two years ago, the Harbeck family He won $50,000 In the National Spotlight Competition. Mr. Sancho plans to visit four more times. “It’s a wonderful house,” he says.

The Light Up neighborhood began in 1951, when many of the homes were owned by World War II veterans, who purchased them with GI loans. Residents first placed bright paper bags, which quickly developed into themed and competitive street decorations. The local grocer gives away a turkey or ham to those with the best trimmings. Today’s neighborhood association He still hands out awards – Bells that determine the best choice for residents; Most humorous. The most religious; Best use of lights and subject matter.

Sarah Weddle, walking her dog one afternoon with her neighbor Prashanti Thompson, remembers driving around Hastings Farm as a child. Her parents folded the back seats of their car and put a mattress in it so the kids could sip cocoa and enjoy the lights from their makeshift bed on wheels.

Eventually, Mrs. Fidel bought her ancestral home here. When her children were young, they would wake up from their afternoon nap to have the lights on as soon as she arrived. “It’s so beautiful,” she says of the neighborhood this time of year.