Christmas Traditions in LV Area
Plus: LV News Briefs, Coffee with a Cop a Big Success, Community Food Drive Announcement, Book Reviews, and Luxury Christmas Shopping in LV Area
The Linda Vista Update
Holy cow! Did Christmas sneak up on you too this year? Because Thanksgiving was so late this year, there are only 4 weeks between Turkey Day and Christmas rather than the usual 5. This put us in a panic since we were running out of time to do the things we usually do during this time. In addition to the house decorating, cookie baking, present shopping, and party going, these are four things we do every year without fail that have become traditions.
The first includes making a visit to See’s Candies on Rosecrans. Of course, See’s candies are among the best for the holidays, but also rather expensive. However, not everyone is aware that the See’s candy store at 3751 Rosecrans in the Rosecrans Shopping Center has something the other See’s stores do not. It gives discounts for bulk sales and also is the See’s go-to location if you are fundraising for a non-profit. They have always given discounts for military and veterans. This location is one of a few in California which offer bulk discounts and have experts for your fundraising needs. The more you buy, the more you save . My favorite perk is that every customer gets a free piece of their delicious chocolates. I love their peanut brittle. It is made from the recipe of Mary See, who started the company. Many of their boxed candies are already colorfully holiday gift wrapped, so you save time and money. They have a breathtaking candy counter where you can design your own box of favorites, in addition to all their boxed merchandise which includes Chanukah items. We always buy extra in case there is someone we forget. They are open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm except Monday when they are open till 7:00 pm.
Our next stop is the Christmas store called City Lights at 1212 Knoxville St, off Morena Avenue. Not quite Linda Vista, but close in Bay Park. This store is a huge holiday store with anything and everything you could ever want or need for the holidays. Though they have items for other holidays, Christmas is their thing. From collectibles like Christopher Radko, Disney, Department 56, Downton Abbey, to villages, to Santa’s, lights, elves and others too many to mention. You will feel like you are in a Christmas wonderland. But watch your wallet, it is not a cheap store and you and your money will soon part. Your kids will love it. Keep a lookout for giant Santas and Reindeer. We did a review of this store in another previous issue.
The third tradition we have is, what else, food! Every year we make sure we have tamales as they are a Christmas tradition for Mexicans, though they have now gone mainstream in popularity. San Diego has a zillion places to buy tamales, or you can make them yourself. We used to do that with Steve’s family years ago, but it is really a lot of work and we found some for purchase that we like almost as well. Since we don’t eat meat, our favorite is chili cheese, although we also like sweet tamales like pineapple or sweet corn. We love the tamales from El Indio, also not in Linda Vista, but not too faraway (3695 India Street). At El Indio you can buy the tamales fresh or frozen. If you buy uncooked frozen ones, you can steam them yourself. The folks at El Indio sell steamers for only $19.95 and will give you all the directions on how to steam them. I have done this on numerous occasions. If you want them already cooked, you may have to order them in advance. I sometimes buy cooked ones and then take them home and freeze them so we can have them whenever we want by just heating them in the microwave or stove. El Indio has a large selection of meat and vegetarian tamales so check their website.
The fourth place we always go to during the season is the University of San Diego’s O’Toole’s Gastropub, part of La Gran Terraza Restaurant. We love this place, from walking down the hallway between the rows of festive wooden soldier nutcrackers, to the warmly decorated pub and sitting in front of the large fireplace. The small plates they serve are very good and they have a large selection of beer and wine that will warm you on a chilly San Diego evening. We usually have parmesan fries or crudite boards, but wings, charcuterie boards, and other tasty treats are also available. Happy hour is 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, pub hours 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
I’m sure you all have your own traditions, and we hope you enjoy the holiday season however you celebrate it.
LV New Briefs:
—Francis Parker Girls Basketball: The Francis Parker School Girls Varsity Basketball team is currently ranked #2 in San Diego County by the San Diego Union Tribune sports page. The team currently sports a 4-3 record. Two of the losses were to Ontario Christian High School and Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose), which are 2 of the top ranked teams in the country. Francis Parker’s next home game is this Friday (7:00 pm) against Mission Hills.
—Kearny High Boy’s Basketball: The Komets are currently 5-2 in pre-league play. The team’s next home game is next Tuesday December 17 against Fallbrook High.
—Councilmember Campillo Inauguration Speech: District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo was just inaugurated for his second term in office. He recently ran unopposed in this year’s election. You can read his inauguration speech HERE. The Voice of San Diego commented that City Hall observers were “buzzing” about the speech.
—Christmas Bags of Hope: The non-profit group, Sports4Kids, led by Francis Parker student Arden Pala, will hold its annual Bags of Hope assembly event on Saturday December 14 (from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.) The event, held at Perkins Elementary School in Barrio Logan, aims to pack over 750 bags of essentials for low-income students and the homeless in San Diego. This family-friendly volunteer event is open to kids of all ages, making it a perfect opportunity for a meaningful and joyful family morning. If you are interested in signing up to volunteer at this event, please click HERE.
—Participate in the Environmental Justice Partnership: The Environmental Justice Partnership (EJP) is looking for Linda Vista residents living in the 92111 zip code to participate in a program. The EJP is a two-year collaborative effort between the San Diego Air Pollution Control District’s Office of Environmental Justice, County of San Diego’s Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice (OSEJ), California Air Resources Board (CARB), community-based organizations (CBOs) like Bayside Community Center, and individual community members to reduce air pollution and improve air quality in some of the communities that are most impacted by air pollution. Community members participating in the EJP will take part in community education, air quality monitoring, identifying air quality issues in their neighborhood, and developing strategies to reduce air pollution. The EJP program will have five (5) community workshops and one (1) regional convening. Each workshop will be two (2) hours long. Workshops will begin February 2025 and be spaced out over 18 months.
Participation includes: Stipends of $75 per workshop attended, one indoor air purifier for each participant to use in their home, food and childcare provided during each workshop, and language interpretation and materials translation for each community workshop
Interested residents can click HERE to apply for the program.
Coffee with a Cop Event Well Attended
Last week’s Coffee with Cop event held at the Linda Vista Library was well attended by local residents living within the boundaries of the San Diego Police Department’s Western Division. Over 50 people, many of them Linda Vista Update readers, came to the library on Thursday December 5 to meet and talk with SDPD police officers as well as representatives from the SDPD’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol program and the University of San Diego’s Department of Public Safety. District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo and his community representative Anthony Hackett were also in attendance. During the hour and a half session, residents were provided with the opportunity to ask questions and bring up law enforcement, safety and community concerns.
The Coffee with a Cop event was coordinated by SDPD Western Division Community Relations officers David Surwilo and James Harris. Coffee and donuts were provided by the Linda Vista Update.
The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Linda Vista residents (and LV Update subscribers) Caron Celestino, Janet Kaye, Joshan Collins and Becky Barrera Hunt for providing assistance during the Coffee with a Cup event. They helped everything go very smoothly. Thanks again to the library for allowing us to use their facility.
Upcoming Community Event
Book Review Corner
We are right in the middle of the holiday shopping season, and it just so happens that books make for great gifts. Accordingly, we thought it timely to assign our two resident intellectuals, Martha A and Marla M to write a couple book reviews. Perhaps their comments will entice you to buy the books for someone you know, or you just might want to purchase the books for your own reading pleasure. One selection is a biography pertaining to a highly controversial individual who has been in the news quite often in recent days. The other book is a novel by one of America’s most popular action writers.
Here is what Martha A had to say about the book Elon Musk…
Walter Isaacson has written biographies of some of the world’s most extraordinary people such as Steve Jobs and Einstein. In his most recent book Elon Musk, he focuses his attention on one of the world’s richest men, known particularly for his roles in Tesla and SpaceX, which includes the Starlink Communications Satellite System. The book was published in 2023 but is already obsolete since in 2024 Musk has allied himself so strongly with President-elect Donald Trump that many believe he is helping to shape the direction of our country in coming years.
Only time will tell whether Musk’s role in the new unofficial entity DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency, will be as powerful as Musk hopes. Musk’s promise to eliminate $2 trillion in federal spending would have to affect Medicare, Social Security and almost every part of the social safety net as well as regulations, federal agencies and the jobs of many thousands of federal employees.
Isaacson’s book provides sometimes shocking information about Musk’s business and personal life. Despite this, some reviewers have criticized Isaacson for holding back additional information. Musk’s many marriages and relationships are discussed at length. He has more than ten children, one of whom is (not surprisingly) named “X”. Musk has numerous impressive and even world changing achievements on his resume. However he also apparently treats many of his employees to unrelenting abuse and is responsible for mass firings in his businesses. Isaacson ends his book with questions such as “Do the audaciousness and hubris that drive him to perform epic feats excuse his bad behavior, his callousness, his recklessness?” He later goes on “Sometimes great innovators … can be reckless, cringeworthy, sometimes even toxic. They can also be crazy. Crazy enough to think they can change the world.”
Perhaps at some point this book will have a sequel, one that we have been and will be watching as it begins to play out with Elon Musk as our President Elect’s self anointed “best buddy”.
Here is what Marla M had to say about the novel Hard to Kill…
In Hard to Kill, James Patterson delivers a thrilling tale centered around the gritty world of law enforcement. The story follows Detective Michael Bennett, who is drawn into a complex case involving a series of brutal murders that seem to be connected by a chilling pattern. As he delves deeper into the investigation, Bennett uncovers a web of crime that leads him to confront a ruthless and cunning adversary. Amidst the chaos of his professional life, Bennett must also navigate personal challenges, including his responsibilities as a father of 10 and the emotional toll of his job. The stakes rise as he realizes that he is not only racing against time to solve the case but also putting his own life and the lives of his loved ones in jeopardy. With Patterson’s signature fast-paced storytelling, this novel is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and high-octane action, ultimately exploring themes of justice, sacrifice, and resilience.
As Bennett fights to bring the killer to justice, he discovers that the lines between right and wrong can blur in the most dangerous of circumstances. Hard to Kill is a must read for Patterson fans and anyone looking for a relentless thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. It is sure to satisfy both new readers and longtime followers of the author.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank our two favorite book reviewers for their submissions.
Commentary
Luxury Shopping Right Here in Our Backyard
Attention Linda Vista shoppers! If you are a serious shopper (and who isn’t during the holiday season) you may dream of going on a world tour of expensive shopping areas in Asia and Europe, or maybe here in the U.S.. If you are armed with lots of cash and/or credit cards, and online shopping doesn’t deliver the excitement you are craving, you will likely envision visiting ritzy global destinations with the aim of purchasing all kinds of luxury brand items to impress your friends and relatives. However, in my option there is no need to travel so far…I say, save those frequent flyer miles…because luxury shopping is available just down the street from little ol’ Linda Vista. Holiday shopping at the Fashion Valley Mall is capable of rivaling some of the top shopping destinations in the world. And no, I’m not talking about shopping at J.C. Penney. Let me explain.
A top ten list of the most expensive retail shopping main streets in the world was recently published by the commercial retail estate company Cushman and Wakefield. The list was comprised of high class “super prime” destinations in the world—streets synonymous with famous luxury retail brands. Photos used in news articles about the list featured such storefronts as Gucci and Prada. You can see the entire list HERE. The cities on the list came as no surprise—they are known as some of the most glamorous and expensive places for shopping. On top of the list was Via Montenapoleone in Milan, Italy. Next on the list was Upper Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, NYC. Other streets/cities included the Ginza District in Tokyo and Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris.
Apparently, in spite of the growing popularity of online shopping, high end retailers still like the idea of brick and mortar locations. That becomes very evident when visiting the Fashion Valley Mall. If you enter at the east end of the mall, you will no doubt be impressed by the number of luxury retailers—one right after the other. There is Prada, Versace, Ferragamo, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Dior, Gucci, Saint Laurent and Burberry.
In spite of all these luxury brands, the Fashion Valley Mall didn’t make the list of most expensive retail streets in the world. But that’s okay! It means a bargain for us locals. If you want expensive and glamorous shopping, it’s all right here. On the other hand, you could end up spending lots of money traveling to the streets/cities on that top ten list…places like New Bond Street in London and Kohlmarkt in Vienna. But that sounds like a big, expensive hassle. And once you get there, you know the weather wouldn’t be better than in San Diego. I say if you want some luxury shopping with an emphasis on convenience, just stroll down the mesa and do your shopping across the street from the Linda Vista border. Why go to all the way to Paris or Zurich when all you have to do is skedaddle across to what amounts to Linda Vista’s backyard? And besides, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on luxury items, you can always do some fun luxury brand window shopping and then continue walking west in the direction of J.C. Penny. But I suggest you hurry up and do so while you still have the chance, before J.C. Penny eventually gets converted to a high end condo complex.
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What an awesome read. Thanks to you, I feel more connected to my neighborhood LV and just learned about City Lights and El Indio nearby! Love your newsletter 😍