Meet and greets with Santa Claus. Menorah and tree lightings. Grinch sightings and ugly sweaters.
Winter holiday celebrations in the Bay Area offer a visual feast unlike anywhere else. From a choir of sixth graders singing at San Jose’s annual Christmas in the Park to throngs of visitors strolling Thompson Lane in the 85th year of Alameda’s holiday lights spectacle, our photographers captured the spirit of the season in action across the region.
SAN JOSE: Rabbi Aaron Cunin, of Chabad of San Jose, lights a menorah during a Chanukah celebration at Santana Row in Park Valencia Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Photo by Jim Gensheimer) SAN JOSE: Nevo Bassan, 5, at right, dances with his school group while performing during a Chanukah celebration at Santana Row in Park Valencia Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Photo by Jim Gensheimer) ALAMEDA: One of several front yard displays along Christmas Tree Lane on Thompson Avenue in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Hundreds of visitors packed the street as more than 50 households display different holiday themes in their 85th anniversary. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) ALAMEDA: Even pets enjoy the ride along Christmas Tree Lane on Thompson Avenue in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Hundreds of visitors packed the street as more than 50 households display different holiday themes in their 85th anniversary. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: A merry crowd gathers at Union Square in San Francisco, Calif., for the 28th Annual SantaCon gathering, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: Andrew Martinez finds a hole in his beard to play his mellophone with the Burlesque Band of San Francisco during the 28th Annual SantaCon gathering, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: Three Santas arriving at Union Square in San Francisco, Calif., are heckled by a bus-riding Grinch while arriving for the 28th Annual SantaCon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: A lone Santa arrives by skateboard to Union Square in San Francisco, Calif., for the 28th Annual SantaCon gathering, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: Mrs. Santas smile for a photo at the 28th Annual SantaCon gathering, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, Union Square in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) ALAMEDA: A Volkswagen bus decorated in Christmas lights and ornaments drives along Christmas Tree Lane on Thompson Avenue in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) DALY CITY: Performers walk through the Grand Concourse during The Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Daly City, Calif. The Victorian London themed holiday event runs weekends through December 17, with musical performances, shopping, and theater shows. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: The Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif., is bathed in the striped colors of the rainbow, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 evening, part of the city’s Let’s Glow SF project. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND: Rabbi Dovid Labkowski, right, holds a torch as community members light candles during the 18th annual Grand Menorah Lighting Ceremony at Lake Merritt on Sunday, Dec., 10, 2023, in Oakland, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) SAN JOSE: A visitor drives through Christmas in the Park’s annual “Drive Thru Light Show” at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) SAN JOSE: Participants light candles during a Chanukah celebration at Santana Row in Park Valencia Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Photo by Jim Gensheimer) SAN JOSE: Michal Bassan holds her son, Nevo Bassan, 5, as they listen to a live band during a Chanukah celebration at Santana Row in Park Valencia Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Photo by Jim Gensheimer) SAN JOSE: A poster of a 9-month-old boy kidnapped by Hamas is displayed on a motorcycle during a Chanukah celebration at Santana Row in Park Valencia Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Photo by Jim Gensheimer) DALY CITY: Visitors pose for a photograph with Santa Claus during The Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Daly City, Calif. The Victorian London themed holiday event runs weekends through December 17, with musical performances, shopping, and theater shows. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND: A drone view of the annual holiday lights at the Oakland California Temple in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
