Hotel del Coronado Ornament 2009
As I have said before, Coronado embraces each and every holiday and is one of the most festive places to be during the Christmas season.
No one spot exemplifies the spirit of the Holiday Season more than the Hotel del Coronado. More than 60,000 twinkling white lights outline the edges of the Victorian resort making it appear like a scene from a fairy tale.
Each year, a theme is chosen and the Hotel del’s holiday theme this year is “Merry & Bright”. As you enter the hotel you see that the staff have fulfilled every expectation that phrase inspires.
On our evening walk last night, we headed over to the Hotel del to see the main attraction ~ the tree in the hotel foyer. There are decorated Christmas trees throughout the hotel, but the main foyer right inside the grand front entrance is home to the Christmas tree that draws thousands of people to its side each year.
The 25-foot tree is anchored top and bottom to keep it from toppling over under its own weight and the weight of more than 15,000 lights, and an abundance of ornaments of all sizes.
The tree was surrounded with people of all ages smiling and staring in wonder at its splendor. Cameras were drawn with flashes going off at a dizzying rate as people took photographs of the tree itself and of their family and friends standing beside it.
I took a few of my own which you can see in this video ~
If you get the chance, go over to the Hotel del Coronado and experience a bit of the magic of Christmas.
I wish you Happy Holidays, peace, love and joy and a prosperous New Year.
Every Wednesday the free Coronado weekly newspaper, The Coronado Eagle & Journal, is delivered throughout the community. Unlike some weekly newspapers in resort type towns, it is filled with more than just real estate and restaurant ads. It truly tells of all of the events that happened in the community during the past week and informs us of the upcoming events.
One of the regular sections is the Letters & Commentary section where letters from members of the community are printed.
This week’s edition included an extremely bittersweet letter from a family whose 14 year old son James had died suddenly. I had heard the story from friends a few weeks ago ~ living in a small town, our joys and sorrows are shared regularly. I don’t know the family, but felt so sad for them just the same.
As would be expected, their letter spoke of their shock and sadness at the loss of their son. But rather than focus on just those feelings, they went on to write a very inspirational thank you to the community of Coronado.
Here is just a part of what the letter said:
“Our family has received over 300 cards, several from strangers. It is amazing to be wrapped in so much love and caring. This community is exceptional in many ways, the exquisite beauty of the area, the perfect climate, but the people are the shining jewel in this town.”
They ended the letter saying:
“We will always miss James and we will always ask why but from this suffering we have seen more love than we knew existed and we thank you all.”
Beyond all the glitz of the Hotel del Coronado, behind the hustle and bustle of the tourist crowd, and away from the day trippers on the beach there lies a community of people with deep spirit. A community that lends a hand, gives a hug, comes together in good times and bad and celebrates its victories and mourns its losses ~ together. This is my Coronado.