What’s the story?
”
Hi, I moved here recently and went to Christmas Hill Park the
other day and I got to thinking. What is that named for? It just
seems kind of like an unusual name for an area that doesn’t get any
snow or the like. I don’t know if you’ll publish this or not, but
I’d appreciate knowing about that. Thanks.
”
What’s the story?
“Hi, I moved here recently and went to Christmas Hill Park the other day and I got to thinking. What is that named for? It just seems kind of like an unusual name for an area that doesn’t get any snow or the like. I don’t know if you’ll publish this or not, but I’d appreciate knowing about that. Thanks.”
Red Phone:
Welcome to Gilroy, good caller. Not too long ago, the Red Phone found out about the story behind Christmas Hill Park because another caller asked the same thing.
Helpful folks at the Gilroy Museum were able to find an old article titled, A Hill called Christmas, which offers the following explanation:
“The generally accepted explanation for the name Christmas Hill stems from references to the Toyon trees that used to grow on the slopes. Thomas (Ben) said that in the olden days, everyone decorated their home with red Toyon berries and ferns. … (Eventually) the Toyon were gone and most of the Christmas reds came from poison oak bushes on the slopes,” the article reads.
Toyon trees, also known as the Christmas berry and California holly, have green leaves and red berries and become ripe in late November or early December. According to toyonhillpress.com, the tree is native to most of California and, good caller, along with Christmas Hill, also gave Hollywood Hills its name because Toyon trees grow abundantly on the dry hills behind Hollywood.
Volunteering services
“I think that the levee along the creek is a great asset to the recreational opportunities in Gilroy. It is used by everyone and is fairly heavily traveled on a daily basis. Because of the seasonal weather changes, including the recent flooding, the trail does collect a certain amount of debris. The high water also left a considerable amount of sand and grit under the Santa Teresa bridge. All of this material on the walkway makes up for some hazardous travel for children, wheelchairs, bicycles and people walking with canes and other devices. I realize that the town of Gilroy is chronically short of money, so if they would just lend me a wide push broom, I would be glad to remove all of this stuff on a voluntary basis. I could also probably get someone with a blower to use on a dry day to further banish some of this unwanted material from the pathway. It is primarily as problem at the west end of the area.”
Red Phone:
Thanks for the notice. The Red Phone happily gave your information over to those in charge of the City of Gilroy’s volunteering program.
For unlit lights …
“Hi, I was looking at your article on Jan. 14 about too many street lights not lit. The community can call 1-800-LIGHTS-ON to report a light not working in the neighborhood. Be sure to get the street pole number and the address of where the street light is. You can connect directly with the 1-800-LIGHTS-ON people and the light will be working in two to three days. Thank you.”
Red Phone:
Caller, on behalf of the community, the Red Phone thanks you for the heads up.
Shame on that sign
“I took a ride downtown on Jan. 15 and I see the sign on our beautiful Old City Hall and I can only say that two words describe the sign: gaudy and cheap. Thank you.”
Red Phone:
You’re not the only one, caller. Previous Red Phone callers have voiced their displeasure of the new sign.
