2020’s downtown tree lighting proves virtually as good as those in other years
Throughout the pandemic, countless civic celebrations have been canceled to avoid large gatherings, but officials salvaged the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony by converting it to a virtual event.
The show went on — even in the shadow of a local surge in new coronavirus cases — prerecorded Monday night in Travis Park to be streamed on H-E-B’s YouTube channel late Friday.
It didn’t stop people from coming out to see it on the traditional night after Thanksgiving, but maybe it slowed them down. About 200 people were at the park to watch Friday — not all of them masked against the virus but all drawn by the season’s good cheer.
They gasped when the lights came on without fanfare at 7:34 p.m., then applauded. Friends and families posed for pictures.
After so many grim months, the lights “bring hope for the next year,” said Monica Arellano, who never before had attended.
“It means everything,” said Linda Guttierez, holding her 15month-old son, Ryan.
She and her family come every year, including relatives visiting from as far as the Rio Grande Valley and East Texas. It felt more comfortable and safer with fewer people around, she said.
“It’s about being together and giving thanks,” said Linda’s mother-in-law, Rosie Guttierez. “With so much going on, we have to be grateful for everything we have.”
The tree, a nearly 50-foot concolor fir from Michigan, was donated by H-E-B and adorned with hand-made ornaments and more than 10,000 red, white and blue lights forming an image of the Texas flag. The rest of the trees in the park were wrapped in lights of various colors.
Walking the line between canceling an event and preserving it digitally meant Monday’s official speeches and spectacle played only to a puzzled handful. The couple of dozen passersby who stopped to admire the tree also enjoyed a live performance by Mariachi Las Alteñas.
“We know this year has presented many challenges, and that the holidays may look a little different, but it’s still a time for us to celebrate and be thankful for the joy in our lives,” said Shirin Odar, H-E-B’s senior vice president for the San Antonio region. “We were not going to let this pandemic leave us in the dark this year.”
Before Travis Park was officially illuminated — or preofficially illuminated, or officially preilluminated — Mayor Ron Nirenberg addressed the almost-empty space from a podium in front of the tree, thanking essential workers and wishing residents a happy holiday season.
He, too, lamented the fact that “things are a little bit different this year” but stressed the importance of keeping the festivities alive safely.
“One of the most exciting parts about this tradition is just seeing the crowds of people, families, together in one place kicking off the holiday celebrations,” Nirenberg said afterward. “Obviously we can’t do that, but there is a way to be together despite the distance, and if we are able to do this and bring the experience into the living rooms of every family in San Antonio, then I think we’re doing the next best thing in the COVID era.”
Nirenberg and his family welcomed Santa Claus, who appeared from behind the tree, high off the ground on a boom lift. Santa also wished everyone a happy holiday season and then led a countdown from 10 to turn on the lights.
People in the park joined in on the countdown and clapped and cheered when the lights came on, while drivers passing by honked their horns at the mini-celebration.
As part of its holiday gift-giving tradition, H-E-B presented a check for $250,000 to the Chang family, founders of the Mitchell Chang Foundation.
The funds will go toward the design and construction of Mitchell’s Landing, San Antonio’s first inclusive public playground, meaning it will be more accessible to children with disabilities than a traditional playground.
The playground will open next fall in Stone Oak’s Classen-Steubing Ranch Park.
Having recovered from a coronavirus infection herself, Rose Yanez, 42, a lifelong San Antonio resident, was braced by the short precelebration. She had been strolling through downtown with her daughter when they came across it.
“I feel that it needed to be brought back,” Yanez said. “I think that downtown life needs to still exist just for our mental state, because everybody’s living scared.”
Knowing that the holiday spirit was alive amid the pandemic was a good feeling, said Louis Ramos, 68, who was downtown with his grandson when they heard Mariachi Las Alteñas performing Christmas songs.
“It’s lovely; it’s beautiful,” Ramos said. “It’s nice to know it still exists for us. Enjoy what we still can, that’s the main thing.”