SALINAS VALLEY — The Salinas Valley cities of Soledad, Gonzales and Greenfield celebrated the start of the Christmas season with holiday gatherings in their respective communities in December.
City of Soledad hosted a tree lighting on Dec. 5 at Cesar Chavez Park that was followed by the 39th Annual Soledad Christmas Celebration, including a parade, the next day, Dec. 6. An estimated 3,300 people attended the celebrations.
On that Friday night, community members were treated to hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn provided by Ace Hardware while being entertained by the Soledad High School Band, dancers and singers from church groups and local schools as well as folklorico dancers.
At about 6 p.m., those in attendance gathered for the tree lighting. The evening concluded with more music and a dog costume contest, the winner of which was Karina Aguilar and her Frenchie-pitbull mix named Bella.
Children also had the opportunity to take photos with the Grinch and other Christmas characters in attendance.
Then, on Saturday at the Soledad Christmas Parade, 120 various vehicles participated in the festive event, which saw Santa Claus ride down Front Street with the Soledad Fire Department.
Serving as grand marshals for this year’s parade were Soledad High Vice Principal Nathan Walker and Grocery Outlet owners Zeke and Crystal Reyes.
Walker rode in a 1915 Model T with Jim and Dianna Skillicorn of the Horseless Carriage Club of America, Salinas Region. The Reyes and their children rode in a 1976 Volkswagen Kombi that was driven by Ramos Arroyo.
“Mr. Walker continues to be an awesome support with all students and advocates for them,” said Soledad City Councilmember Eva Banuelos. “He supports them at all sporting events and says that he loves being an Aztec. The Reyes family opened Grocery Outlet in 2023 and soon they will be relocating to the Lompoc area. They have been very instrumental and a tremendous support to our community. They will be missed.”
At Cesar Chavez Park, a DJ provided music and a snow machine cranked out snow, along with 10 vendors selling food, snacks and beverages. A bubble machine was flowing bubbles in the air to the delight of children.
Soledad’s San Vicente School was awarded a trophy for Most Spirited School participation after the parade.
Also on that Saturday, Gonzales welcomed Christmas with its Holiday Lights event, hosted by the City of Gonzales, on Fourth Street.
The Gonzales High School Band performed Christmas music for all to enjoy and to get in the holiday spirit, and numerous vendors lined the street with food, drinks, games and arts and crafts.
After the lighting of the Christmas tree, Santa Claus flew in to take photos with children and their families.
In Greenfield, the 2025 Holiday Celebration took place Dec. 5 at Village Green Park, where community members participated in various celebrations that included a tree-lighting ceremony and a holiday parade.
The annual event is produced by the City of Greenfield’s Recreation Department, with support from Greenfield Public Works, Greenfield Community Science Workshop and local police and fire departments.
Once again, the Science Workshop provided hands-on activities, made S’mores, set up photo booths and snow machines and gave away hundreds of free toys to families.
“Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2025 Holiday Celebration,” stated the Greenfield Recreation Department. “May the holiday season fill your hearts with joy, laughter and holiday magic!”
