Home for the Holidays - Los Altos Town Crier

Home ome for Holidays H ys 

the 

m a g a z i n e 

Christmas 

in our town 

Los Altos participates in 

holiday homes tour 

A Los Altos Town Crier Publication 

November/December 2009 

Thanksgiving 

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Page 2 | Home for the Holidays | November 18, 2009 

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261 Main Street 

Los Altos, CA 94022 

650-941-6530 • 1-800-697-3500 

• Monday thru Friday 10 am to 6 pm • Sat. 9:30 am to 5:30 pm • Sunday 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm 

Home for the Holidays | November 18, 2009 | Page 3

the Los Altos town Crier 

138 Main street, Los Altos, CA 94022 

948-9000 

www.latc.com 

Editor Bruce Barton 

Magazine Editor Elliott Burr 

Designer Mary Watanabe 

Writers Eve Hill-Agnus 

Mary Beth Hislop 

Megan Rowe 

Jana Seshadri 

Carolyn Snyder 

Copy Editors Colleen Schick 

Joan Garvin 

Photographer Elliott Burr 

Sales Staff Janice Fabella 

Kathy Lera 

Dawn Pankonen 

Ad Services Director Chris Redden 

Ad Services Assistant Leverne Cornelius 

Production Staff Janine O’Neill 

Mary Watanabe 

Marilyn Winans 

Publisher Paul Nyberg 

Associate Publisher Howard Bischoff 

Cover photo: Bebe Cassin’s Los Altos Hills home, part of the 

annual St. Francis High School holiday home tour, features 

many miniature holiday scenes, including lit porcelain homes 

in the snow. 

ELLIOTT BuRR/TOWN CRIER 

S 

Magazine Staff S 

Upcoming 2010 Magazines 

Family Spotlight 

Publishes: February 17, 2010 

Living in Los Altos 

Publishes: March 24, 2010 

Circulation: 16,500. Mailed directly to households in Los 

Altos, Los Altos Hills and to selected areas of Mountain View. 

Hundreds of subscribers receive the Town Crier in neighboring 

communities as well as out-of-state. The Town Crier can be 

purchased at newsstands in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo 

Alto and Mountain View. 

Copyright Los Altos Town Crier Company, Inc., 2009. 

All Rights Reserved. 


m a g a z i n e 

Christmas in our town Page 6 

Local residents open festive homes for St. Francis High 

School's annual holiday home tour. 

Leftover delights 

Page 19 

After the cranberry sauce, 

mashed potatoes and 

turkey come and go, check 

out these inventive recipes 

on what to do with all 

those leftovers. 

A hand for the 

holidays 

Page 35 

Find out how and where 

you can donate your time 

and effort to help those 

less fortunate. 

Ribbons and bows 

Page 24 

Los Altos Hills resident 

flourishes with special 

holiday centerpiece 

arrangements.

May your holidays be fi lled with 

good health and much joy. 

Barbara Binder 

650.669.0030 

barbbinder@comcast.net 

Happy Holidays & A 

Prosperous New Year! 

Lauren Campi Legge 

650.269.9976 

lauren@campi.com 

Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday 

Season and a healthy and 

prosperous New Year. 

Cathy Martina 

650.917.2434 

cmartina@campi.com 

Here’s wishing you peace, health, and 

happiness during this holiday season. 

Terry Brennan 

650.823.9003 

tutubrennan@yahoo.com 

Wishing you and your family a joyous 

holiday season and a healthy, happy 

prosperous 2010. 

Kathy Kitching 

650.799.7578 

kathy@campi.com 

Happy Holidays from my home to 

yours. I look forward to working 

with you in 2009. 

Barbara Telesco 

650.917.2414 

barbt@campi.com 

Warm wishes for a safe and happy 

holiday season. A special thanks to our 

clients, family & friends. 

Jaclyn Campi 

650.917.2424 

jaclyn@campi.com 

Wishing you happiness this holiday 

season and throughout the coming year. 

Tom Martin 

650.917.2427 

www.TomMartinsWebsite.com 

Happy Holidays and best Wishes for the 

New Year. We build clients for life. 

Todd Zebb 

650.823.3292 

www.ToddZebb.com 

Personalized Service...at Home on the Peninsula 


christmas 

Christmas in our town 

By Carolyn Snyder 

special to the town crier 

st. Francis annual holiday home tour 

features a green christmas 


A miniature diorama of a traditional Christmas scene adorns the home of Los Altos Hills resident Bebe 

Cassin in preparation for St. Francis High School’s annual holiday home tour. 

Instead of a white Christmas, the spotlight is on green 

for this year’s “Christmas at Our House,” a seasonal 

home tour presented by the St. Francis High School 

Women’s Club. 

The three-day event, scheduled Dec. 3-5, offers the 

public an opportunity to see how others decorate for the 

holidays and find ideas for their homes. 

“This year we hope to raise awareness by featuring 

green, environmentally friendly ideas for the holidays,” 

said Lori Fox of Saratoga, tour chairwoman. 

Owners of the tour homes have been asked to deck 

their halls with boughs of holly and to “ring in recycled, 

repurposed and renewed decorations,” she said. 

Even the tour’s popular boutique, housed in a tent on 

the school campus, will follow the “Spotlight on Green” 


theme. Among artisan offerings will be handmade Cambodia 

Fiber bags (Cambodia Fiber is a humanitarian company 

that pays its 400 employees a fair wage), hand-knit 

purses, cashmere scarves, art glass and Sister Nici’s handmade 

dough ornaments (proceeds support the retirement 

fund for the Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Names). 

Returning Los Altos retailers include Davino Florist 

(greens and live arrangements) and Cover Story (holiday 

statement pieces for table, home and tree). 

The preview party also will be held in the tent. St. 

Francis students will provide music, a signature cocktail 

created for the event will be premiered and a silent auction 

will feature one-of-a-kind dresses donated by Eco-Chic 

Fashion. 

On tour days, a buffet luncheon will be served in the 

tent. In addition, there will be complimentary tea at one of 

the homes. 

A preview of the two Colonial-style homes on the tour

christmas 


A jack-in-the-Box, one of Bebe Cassin’s decorations, 

camps under a Christmas tree. 

follows. One home sits on a hilltop in Los Altos Hills, the 

other on Adobe Creek in the Pink Horse Ranch area. 

History on a hilltop 

The historical Monterey Colonial home of collectors 

Bebe and B.J. Cassin has sweeping views of San Francisco 

Bay and the western hills. The latter view, Bebe’s 

favorite, forms the backdrop for the tennis court and a 

rock-rimmed swimming pool with waterfall slide. 

The first glimpse of the house as you climb the treelined 

road in Los Altos Hills is breathtaking. Just visible 

through the trees is a vineyard and an imposing threestory 

white structure that appears to be all windows – but 

that’s the back of the house. 

A gated driveway leads past the caretaker’s cottage 

into the 3-acre estate. The front of the house is noteworthy 

for its courtyard, loggia and balconies. Inside the lovingly 

preserved house is a treasure trove of Early-American antiques. 

The architectural firm Farr & Ward, known for highprofile 

work in Pacific Heights, Russian Hill and Sea Cliff, 

built the house in 1935 as a summer home for a successful 

San Francisco cotton goods merchant. 

The Cassins bought the house two decades ago and 

spent a year restoring and remodeling it to meet the needs 

of their active family. They have five grown children, four 

Continued on Page 8 



Continued from Page 7 

christmas 


Bebe Cassin boasts an array of miniature Christmas 

trees in her home. 

of whom attended St. Francis High School. Interestingly, 

their home was featured on the inaugural “Christmas at 

Our House” tour. Bebe was active in the mothers’ club and 

decorated for parents’ functions at the school. 

Decorating is Bebe’s forte and she goes all out for 

Christmas. It takes her a week to dress the house, and that 

doesn’t include the time to prepare curried meatballs for 

the 250 guests invited to the couple’s annual Christmas 

party. 

Every nook and cranny has something eye-catching, 

from the miniature Santa’s living room – complete with 

Rudolph – in the pantry to the crèche in the “Tasha Tudor” 

niche in the brick fireplace in the family room. Pull-toy 

horses from the late 1800s line the mantel, which came 

from a tavern in Pennsylvania. 

Antique toys lay beneath the family room tree, which 

is decorated only with lights. Fresh wreaths hang in the 

windows and fresh garlands adorn the staircase that leads 

to the loft and master suite. 

Bebe’s collection of quilts is displayed in the loft area. 

She is a quilter and painter. One of her paintings is on the 

wall of the master bedroom, alongside a pencil post bed. 

For the house tour, she’ll use a quilt as a table cover 

in the blue-and-white dining room. Topiaries, miniature 

trees and candles will adorn the table, illuminated by a 

Continued on Page 10



chandelier sporting a collection of Steiff animals holding 

Christmas stockings. 

In the sunroom, an old farm wagon similar to one her 

father owned as a boy will hold a family of snow people 

made from an old quilt. 

German ornaments from Bebe’s grandfather, along 

with those made by the Cassins’ children, will decorate 

the flocked Christmas tree in the living room. Bebe displays 

her nutcracker collection in the blue hutch (circa 

1800) next to the fireplace. 

A special feature of the house is the “cellar,” as Bebe 

calls it, which boasts a vintage pine bar and wood beams 

from a Pennsylvania tavern. There is also a wine cellar, 

with a used-brick herringbone floor, that is entered 

through a centuries-old carved wood door. A well-used 

round butcher’s block serves as a wine table. This huge 

downstairs area opens to the vineyard so the decor echoes 

the outdoors. 

The “Tahoe” wing of the house, which includes a knotty 

pine paneled library/office, will have a Christmas at 

Tahoe flavor. The library has a fieldstone fireplace reminiscent 

of their house at Tahoe. It is here that B.J. spends 

his time. He’s a venture capitalist with an office in Menlo 

Park and chairman and president of the Cassin Educational 

Initiative Foundation, which he founded in 2000. 

Creekside Colonial 

The ad was appealing: “Grand and gracious 2-story 



christmas 

PHOTOS By ELLIOTT BuRR/TOWN CRIER 

Los Altos resident Kim Wheeler decorates her dining room table, above, for a holiday experience. Los 

Altos Hills resident Bebe Cassin’s mini locomotive, below, circles the dining room table.

Celebrate a joyous season with a fabulous display of nutcrackers, 

colorful glass ornaments and musical snowglobes from world 

renowned designer Chistopher Radko. 

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Colonial with over an acre of beautiful 

grounds, 5,500+ square feet of open, 

flowing floor plan, high ceilings, hardwood 

floors and crown molding, culde-sac 

street in delightful Pink Horse 

Ranch.” 

And when, in 2005, Kim and Kurt 

Wheeler responded to the ad, they fell in 

love with the structure of the house and 

“look and feel” of the Los Altos Hills 

neighborhood. They bought it and shortly 

afterward began a major remodel “to 

turn a tired ’70s to ’80s look into something 

more comfortable and updated for 

our family of six,” Kim said. 

A brick path framed by boxwood 

hedges leads to the large, sprawling twostory 

house, distinguished by large pillars at the entrance, 

divided light windows, gray wood siding and black shutters. 

The traditional New England-style architecture belies 

what’s inside. The interior embodies French country ease 

and elegance. 

“you can see that I love most things in French decor 

– lions, fleur de lys, crowns, toiles, antique furniture or 


christmas 

PHOTOS By ELLIOTT BuRR/TOWN CRIER 

Bebe Cassin’s traditional colonial home features a dining room with ample natural light, above, not to 

mention a $10 mini locomotive that circles the log cabin centerpiece, below. 


replicas, animal scenes, topiaries, linens, muslins and Aubusson 

rugs,” Kim said. 

And she likes leopard prints, although they’re not 

necessarily French. A plush leopard-print runner on the 

L-shaped spiral stairway adds drama to the marble entry 

with its demilune table. The catwalk over the front entry 

is every child’s favorite hiding place. 

The light-filled living room is a palette of rusts, yellows

christmas 

and golds with black accents and a touch of blue. A baby 

grand piano, marble fireplace with carved wood mantle, a 

mixture of seating areas (a pair of blue toile chairs, a pair 

of antique gold French-style needlepoint chairs, a large 

overstuffed St. Germain couch and a circular linen ottoman) 

and Italian floral drawings and oil paintings combine 

to create a warm and welcoming room. 

For Christmas, Kim uses the same color scheme – 

rusts, golds and creams – to accent the tree, mantel and 

other decorations. 

Thibaut bird toile wallpaper in rust and gold, together 

with rust-colored silk draperies, sets the tone for the dining 

room and family gathering place. Kim will add a bird 

theme with a topiary birdcage, nests and greenery for 

Christmas. 

In fact, she’ll emphasize the color and themes in each 

room of the house. 

The girls, Morgan, a sophomore at St. Francis, and Megan, 

a seventh-grader at Egan Junior High School, share 

a room (“My favorite bedroom,” Kim said) that features 

toile floral wallpaper in cranberry and white. French country 

carved twin beds in antique cream finish each have a 

monogrammed M. And, there’s a window seat in green 

and white polka dots with contrasting pillows in toiles, 

stripes and florals. 

Dark blues and tans, echoed in the Oriental rug, are 

paramount in Weston’s bedroom. He’s a senior at Gunn 

High School in Palo Alto. 

Kim calls son Nathan’s room the “dog room.” Fun surroundings 

for this fourth-grader at Gardner Bullis School 

include dog paintings and prints, needlepoint pillows, dog 

bookends and rug and a chest with a dog bone display. 

The kitchen is “the hub of activity in the home on most 

evenings and not just for food,” Kim said. Stenciled on the 

wall above the sink in this Shakespearean quote: “Small 

cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.” 

And this French blue and yellow kitchen will be merry 

at Christmas with the outdoors brought indoors via pinecones, 

greenery and festive table settings. 

Kim did the interior design herself but spent many 

hours shopping and making decisions with her best 

friend and decorating partner, Debbie Wilson Smith. Kim 

earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising from 

Brigham young university. n 

❖ If you go ❖ 

Dec. 3: Gala preview party and twilight 

tour, 5-10 p.m. Tickets $100. 

Dec. 4 and 5: Tour and tea, 10 a.m. to 

3:30 p.m. Advance tickets $40 and at the 

door $50. Luncheon price (including wine) 

$25. 

For more information on “Christmas at 

Our House,” visit www.sfhs.com. 

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Page 16 | Home for the Holidays | November 18, 2009



By Megan Rowe 

Special to the Town Crier 

thanksgiving 

Spicing up Thanksgiving leftovers 

Thanksgiving is a time of 

abundance. Our modern 

holiday, of course, evolved 

from a harvest festival at the 

Plymouth settlement in Massachusetts 

in 1621, where pilgrims 

gave thanks for their blessings – 

namely, a good harvest and agricultural 

assistance from Native 

Americans. 

Hundreds of years later, we’re 

still giving thanks for the blessings 

in our lives, and we still think 

the best way to do this is to load a 

groaning table with turkey and all 

CARy KEMPSTON/SPECIAL TO THE TOWN CRIER 

the fixings and proceed to stuff our- 

Cranberry salsa spices up tacos made with Thanksgiving leftovers. 

selves silly. 

Of course, given the current economic climate, it is One way to celebrate the holiday without burning a hole 

sometimes hard to justify excess spending. But who wants in your wallet is to make good use of your leftovers to feed 

to give up pumpkin pie? 


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650-948-1382 


What is your favorite hol 

Nancy Carlson 

(650) 947-4707 

DRE# 00906274 

ncarlson@interorealestate.com 

Steve Klesczewski 

(650) 947-4664 

DRE#01471144 

stevek@interorealestate.com 

Big extended-family dinners! 

Cooking and eating with 

my sisters and their families, 

kitchens full of kids and food. 

The best of all gifts around any 

Christmas tree is the presence of 

a happy family together during 

the Holidays! 

Since I was a child my family 

has spent each Thanksgiving in 

Monterey. While our family has 

significantly grown, the tradition 

continues to this day. We play on 

the beach all day while dinner 

slowly cooks in the oven. 

Susan Kramer Silver 

(650)947-4760 

DRE#01399140 

ssilver@interorealestate.com 

My sister and I on Christmas Eve dressed 

up like Steve Lawrence and Eydie 

Gorme...me with cotton balls in my jaw, 

lip sync the song “Sleigh Ride” from the 

old Firestone Christmas album. We still 

get requests today when the family is 

together...and of course we oblige. 

John Thompson 

Founder, Vice President 

650-947-4701 

jthompson@interorealestate.com 


Vicki Ferrando 

(650) 947-4719 

DRE# 01418802 

vferrando@interorealestate.com 

I value the tradition of spending 

Christmas Eve with my entire 

family and enjoying a crab 

dinner and a light hearted gift 

exchange. 

My 8 siblings and I want to show our 

kids what it would feel like to give and 

not expect anything in return. For the 

past 10 years, we have shopped for 

local families who might be down on 

their luck - a tradition we want our kids 

to pass on to their kids. 

Marita Mendoza 

(650) 799-6501 

DRE#01341708 

mmendoza@interorealestate.com 

My favorite time of the holiday is 

Christmas morning, in pajamas and 

sipping hot cocoa. My husband 

and I enjoy the fire and watch our 

kids open all the fun little gifts from 

Santa. The expressions on their 

faces are unforgettable. 

Lilly Tamayo 

(650) 947-4743 

DRE#01225730 

ltamayo@interorealestate.com 

May the warmth o 

and happiness tod 

wish you and your 

season and best w

iday tradition or memory? 

Melody Grandell 

(408)342-8692 

DRE# 01706910 

mgrandell@interorealestate.com 

I cherish the holidays when all 

our family comes together. I have 

so many wonderful memories 

of cozy fires, snuggling on our 

couch watching classic movies 

and everyone helping cook our 

holiday meals. 

Suzanne O’Brien 

(650) 947-4793 

DRE#01467942 

sobrien@interorealestate.com 

Denise Welsh 

(650) 947-4769 

DRE # 00939903 

dwelsh@interorealestate.com 

As a little girl growing up in 

Palo Alto, our family tradition 

was a slow evening drive down 

Christmas Tree Lane with our car 

headlights turned off, a tradition I 

carried on with my own children. 

Thanksgiving is at our house with 

the traditional turkey feast - the 

same menu my mother followed 

for so many years - and the family 

gathered around. 

f the holiday season give you peace 

ay and throughout the year. We 

family a safe and happy holiday 

ishes into the New Year. 

I love watching our daughters 

jump for joy when they opened 

their presents. This year, we’re 

starting a tradition of having 

each child make a hand-crafted 

Christmas ornament for upcoming 

years. 

David Kim 

(650) 947-4702 

DRE# 01356580 

davidkim@interorealestate.com 

A favorite holiday traditions is 

playing Secret Santa with my 

family and our close friends. I 

love the idea of being “Santa” to 

someone else, and seeing their 

excitement when they get their 

gift! 

Nisha Sharma 

(650) 947-4761 

DRE#01746077 

nsharma@interorealestate.com 

Sandy Wihtol 

(650) 947-4779 

DRE# 00886628 

sandyw@interorealestate.com 

When my daughters were 

younger, cutting down a tree and 

a fun lunch out somewhere. Now 

it’s a shopping day in SF with a 

night stay over and a great dinner 

out. Happy Holidays!!! 

496 First Street, Suite 200 


(650) 947-4700 



your family for the next few days, 

weeks or months. Leftover mashed 

potatoes and turkey sandwiches get 

old after a while, especially for children. 

With a little creativity and not 

too much extra work, however, you 

can turn your leftovers into a delightful 

fall menu that would make 

the pilgrims proud. 

Homemade stock means 

soup for months 

Everyone has heard of making 

soup from turkey bones, but most 

people assume it’s more work than 

they can handle in their sated state. 

Turkey stock is actually ridiculously 

easy to make, however, and the rest 

of the soup can wait until later. 

First, cut or pull most of the meat 

off the turkey carcass. Then place 

the bones in a large soup pot (you 

can break them down into a more manageable size if your 

biggest pot is too small for the whole carcass). Cover with 

cold water. Throw in some roughly chopped vegetables, 

like onions, garlic and carrots, plus some salt and pepper. 

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer for 

anywhere from 2 to 12 hours. 

This is easy enough to do before submitting to the tryptophan 

now running through your veins – stick the bones 

in the pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and go to 

bed. In the morning, the delicious smell of turkey stock 

wafting through your kitchen will help you work up the 

motivation to wash all those dishes. Or cover the carcass 

with foil after Thanksgiving dinner and make stock the 

following day. 

Once the stock has simmered for a few hours, skim fat 

and scum off the top and scoop out the bones and vegetables. 

If you chill the stock in the refrigerator, you can 

skim even more fat off the top. 

Then freeze your stock. Ice-cube trays work great for 

this – freeze in batches, then transfer the cubes to a large 

Tupperware container or Ziploc bag. 

Whenever you’ve recovered from your day of Thanksgiving 

cooking and are ready to tackle a new dish, defrost 

some stock and you’ve got the base for a wonderful 

homemade soup. Add turkey or chicken meat, vegetables 

such as peas, carrots or mushrooms, and grains such as 

rice or noodles. Try spinach leaves, potatoes and barley 

for something warm and hearty, or ginger, bok choy and 

soba noodles for an Asian version. No one will complain 

about eating these leftovers. 

Turkey and fixings 

After you’ve made the stock but before you’ve used it 


thanksgiving 

CARy KEMPSTON/SPECIAL TO THE TOWN CRIER 

Vibrant cranberries add color – and flavor – to Thanksgiving leftovers. 

for soup, you will probably have an abundance of leftover 

turkey meat, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffing. 

Eating them as is or in sandwiches for a day or two is 

great, but after that you might want some variety. 

Thanksgiving pizza is a great way to make your leftovers 

more interesting to your youngest diners. Make 

homemade pizza dough or pick up some premixed dough 

from a grocery store (Trader Joe’s in Los Altos regularly 

carries it) or a pizza shop. Let it rise on the counter, stretch 

it out on a baking sheet, then add your toppings. A layer of 

sweet potato casserole works great as a sauce. If you don’t 

have any leftover sweet potatoes, pick up some extras 

when you do your holiday shopping, and slice them into 

thin rounds for pizza and other leftover meals. Pop the 

slices in the microwave for a minute or two, or roast at 400 

F for 20 minutes, then layer on your pizza dough. Top with 

turkey meat, cranberries (fresh, dried or sauced), goat 

cheese and mozzarella. Bake until the crust has browned 

and the cheese is melty, and watch your children’s eyes 

light up. 

Turkey tacos or quesadillas are also tasty. Toss turkey 

meat, cranberry salsa and cheese (Monterey Jack and goat 

cheese work particularly well) in warm tortillas, heat as 

desired, and serve with guacamole. 

For leftover mashed potatoes, try making a simple 

shepherd’s pie – or an exotic one. Add curry spices to perk 

up the traditional beef and veggie combination or substitute 

lamb, turkey, sweet potatoes or black beans. Whatever 

you fill it with, mashed potatoes take on a whole new 

level of flavor when baked to perfection. 

Alternatively, mix onion, garlic and other spices into 

your mashed potatoes and sauté them in oil until crispy. 

Serve with a simple Cobb salad – just dice some of your

leftover turkey and add bacon, a hardboiled egg or two 

and some blue cheese, and layer over lettuce with tomatoes 

and avocados. 

& 

MALOVOS KONEVICH 

Attorneys & Counselors At Law 

Marian Malovos Konevich 

Certified Specialist in Estate Planning 

Probate and Trust Law 

Robert W. Konevich 

Concentrating in Commercial and Residential Real 

Estate; LLCs, Corporations and Partnerships 


Los Altos, California 94022 

malkolaw@pacbell.net 

650-949-8400 

thanksgiving 

As for pumpkin pie leftovers, sometimes a simple and 

direct approach – a plate, a fork and a large slice – works 

best. n 

Turkey tacos with cranberry salsa 

• 1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh 

• 1/4 white onion, roughly chopped 

• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne pepper 

• 4 flour tortillas 

• 1 cup leftover turkey meat, diced 

• 1 cup roasted sweet potatoes or leftover sweet potato casserole* 

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 

• 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack or crumbled goat cheese 

• Guacamole, avocado and/or cilantro for garnish (optional) 

To make cranberry salsa, process cranberries, onion and chipotle powder in food processor or 

blender until it reaches desired level of chunkiness. Taste and add more spice, if desired. 

To assemble tacos, place turkey, potatoes, bell peppers, cheese and salsa in warmed tortilla. Roll 

up and enjoy, or fold into quesadilla and heat in skillet or bake at 350 F until ingredients are warm. 

Serve with guacamole, avocado and cilantro, if desired. 

* Note: If you don’t have leftover sweet potato casserole, peel and roughly chop 3-4 medium sweet 

potatoes, toss with olive oil and salt and roast at 400 F in foil-lined casserole dish until tender, about 

20 minutes. 

tHe 

HOlidAys 

Are Here! 

We Will Be OFFering 

• Free reFresHments • Free AlterAtiOns 

with $300.00 or more purchase and • Free 

giFt WrAp for the month of December 

Hartman Fashions 

668-A Rancho Shopping Ctr., Los Altos 

(650) 948-7775 


craFts 

Of ribbons and bows, 

flowers and boughs 

karen smith offers 

kiwanis a treasure 

of crafty talents 

By Mary Beth Hislop 

town crier staff Writer 

While most people are recovering 

from eating too 

much turkey and are still 

stuffed with stuffing the day after 

Thanksgiving, at least one Los Altos 

Hills resident will continue her annual 

tradition that’s more familiar than 

early Christmas shoppers camped 

outside of stores at 3 a.m. 

Once again, Karen Smith will be 



MARyBETH HISLOP/TOWN CRIER 

Fall colors adorn Karen Smith's floral arrangement, which she created 

for United Methodist's Harvest Faire. 

Let us help 

you with your 

holiday 

shopping! 

Free Gift Wrap 


Downtown Los Altos 

650.559.0163

Best Holiday Wishes From All of Us 

Mar Andres Keehn 

DRE# 01771753 

(650) 468-6900 

marsellshomes@gmail.com 

Rachel Siress 

DRE# 00592984 

(650) 969-9269 

rsiress@cashin.com 

Bonnie Kehl 

Managing Broker/ 

Vice President 

DRE#: 00896243 

Direct: (650) 948-7376 

Email: bkehl@cashin.com 

496 First Street, Suite 100, Los Altos • (650) 948-8050 • www.cashin.com 

Connie Beal 

DRE# 01223272 

(650) 279-5035 

cbeal@cashin.com 

Deniece Smith 

DRE# 01295757 

(650) 483-2055 

dsoldit@gmail.com 

Frank Conrad II 

DRE# 01204925 

(650) 996-7492 

fconrad@cashin.com 

Victor Platonoff 

DRE# 00860354 

(650) 867-9776 

vplatonoff@cashin.com 

Josie Gambera 

DRE# 01229604 

(415) 269-7061 

josieg@cashin.com 

Wendy Wu 

DRE# 00922266 

(408) 857-2430 

wwu@cashin.com 

Steven Ho 

DRE# 01234462 

(408) 203-3838 

sho@cashin.com 

Farideh Zamani 

DRE# 01364595 

(650) 814-6433 

fzamani@cashin.com 

Bonnie is no stranger to hard work. Coming to the United States 

from Korea at age 13, she had to work hard not only to support 

her family, but also to communicate in English. It didn´t take 

Bonnie long, she was in the upper 10% in her high school class 

earning a college scholarship. Since 1985, Bonnie has since 

become a very successful businesswoman and a Realtor. 

In today’s ever changing economy and business climate you 

need to be aware of your options. In this era of mega-companies 

and consolidation in real estate,Cashin Company is still an 

independent, family owned business dedicated to serving the 

local Peninsula communities. Stop by our office for your real 

estate needs and if you are interested in becoming part of the 

Cashin Company family of agents. 



perched at a crafts table at the Kiwanis Club of Los Altos’ 

23rd annual Christmas Tree Lot, volunteering her artistic 

talents to help the organization raise scholarship funds. 

For 17 years, Smith has fashioned decorative bows for 

wreaths and arranged holiday centerpieces to sell in addition 

to the Christmas trees that will soon line Lucky’s lot 

at Foothill Expressway and Arboretum Drive in south Los 

Altos. 

“I always try to create something – make something 

more festive or decorative,” Smith said, “something more 

positive that enhances the mood.” 

And that mood just happens to coincide with whatever 

holiday is around the corner. But long before turkey day 

arrives, Smith is already gearing up for the Christmas season. 

“usually by mid-November, our family room is full of 

bows,” she said. 

With proceeds from sales of the trees, bows and other 

holiday decor, Kiwanis’ Christmas Tree Lot is its major 

fundraiser. 

“What a great addition and side money-maker it is,” 

said Kiwanis President Donna Cedervall of the bows 

Smith makes. “It sets Kiwanis apart from other clubs’ tree 

lots.” 

And the bows always go – like hotcakes. 

“We never have to throw any of those away,” Cedervall 


craFts 

(408) 867-0771 • www.saratogakb.com • 20430 Saratoga - Los Gatos Road, Saratoga 


Karen Smith’s scissors slice through a ribbon that 

will grace a holiday centerpiece. 

said. 

But it’s the holiday centerpiece arrangements Smith 

makes that really grab people’s attention. Large or small, 

dried or fresh, off-the-shelf or special-ordered, Smith assembles 

a festive bouquet that will have holiday guests 


• Remodeling 

• Additions • design 

• Custom CAbinetRy 

• geneRAl ContRACting 

Visit our 

showroom in the beautiful 

Saratoga Village 

CAll us foR 

A fRee in-home design 

ConsultAtion

Thank you to all of my wonderful 

clients, family and friends. May 

this holiday season bring you 

great happiness, good health and 

a fantastic year to come. 

Lynn 

North 

650.209.1562 

lnorth@apr.com 

www.lynnnorth.com 

Happy Holidays! 

Thank you 

for your trust and your business. 

Best wishes to you and yours. 

650.209.1630 

IWYang@apr.com 

Greetings and warm wishes to 

all for happiness now and 

in the coming year! 

Helena Berber 

650.279.5161 

hberber@apr.com 

There is no better time than the Holiday 

Season to say “Thank You” and to wish 

you and your family a Happy Holiday 

Season and a Year of Prosperity and 

Health! 

Soli Saatchi 

650.209.1624 

soli@apr.com 

www.solisaatchi.com 

Those who have become dear to us 

should never be denied the knowledge 

of how deeply they have touched our 

lives. Thank you to all my family 

friends & clients this Holiday Season! 

Karen Bella 

“The Bella Experience” 

650.209.1507 

kbella@apr.com 


Best Wishes! 

Peace on Earth 

Seasons 

Greetings! 

Thank you 

for being 

Bea 

Sines 

650.209.1578 

650.743.5198 

bsines@apr.com 

a part of our life 

this past year. 

Hope to see you 

again soon. 

167 S. San Antonio Road, Ste. 1 

Los Altos, CA 94022 

May the beauty of the season bring you 

Peace, Hope and Joy. 

Wishing all a special holiday season and 

a New Year fi lled with health, 

happiness and prosperity. 

Carolyn Botts 

650.207.0246 

carolynb@apr.com 

www.carolynbotts.com 

Best wishes for happiness, health, peace 

and prosperity in 2010. 


Margo Kelly 

650.224.4075 

mkelly@apr.com 

www.margokellyhomes.com 

Extending warm holiday greetings 

to my faithful friends and clients. 

Best wishes to all for health and good 

fortune in 2010. 

Connie Miller 

650.279.7074 

cmiller@apr.com 

www.cmillerhomes.com 

Seasons Greetings to you and 

your family and friends. May your 

Christmas be joyous and your New 

Year fi lled with peace and prosperity. 

Nyborg-Rutley Team 

650.468.5833 

www.NyborgRutleyRealEstate.com 

info@nyborgrutleyrealestate.com 

Wishing you and yours all 

the best - a happy, healthy, 

peaceful Holiday that extends 

throughout the New Year. 

Cliff Noll 

650.209.1532 

cnoll@apr.com 

Happy Holidays to all! Wishing 

everyone a New Year fi lled with good 

health, good friends, lots of family, 

and happiness. Thanks to all of my 

wonderful family, friends, and clients. 

Susan Sims 

650.209.1607 

ssims@apr.com 

www.susansimshomes.com 



drooling with envy and gift recipients 

gushing and grateful. 

Cedervall said customers are 

drawn to the novelty of watching 

Smith in action while shopping for 

the family Christmas tree. 

“To actually have her there preparing 

them – that entices people to 

buy them,” she said. “We’re always 

looking for something else we can 

do, but nothing really comes close to 

the quality.” 

Smith said the abundance of foliage 

in the Bay Area – evergreen 

boughs, deodara, pinecones, Nandina 

berries and pyracantha – and 

people’s generosity keep her wellstocked 

in centerpiece supplies, 

including ribbons, bows, stringed 

beads, ornaments and anything else 

that will add that merry touch. 

And she’s thankful to one gentleman who keeps her 

supplied with holly, crawling up his ladder each year to 

tackle the prickly leaves that are a must-have in any holiday 

arrangement. Smith prides herself on recognizing potential 

treasures by recycling items otherwise destined for 

landfill – from woven baskets to cracked coffee cups, she 

May peace, joy and 

prosperity be yours. 

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season 

and a promising and uplifting 2010! 

REAL ESTATE SERVICES BROKERAGE 

SENIOR REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST 

Ursula Christiansen 

independent broker 

Direct: 650-575-2340 

Ursula@visitChristiansen.com 


craFts 


Karen Smith works in her garage on a holiday centerpiece for the annual 

Kiwanis Christmas Tree Lot sale. 

has a keen eye for knowing what will double as a vase. 

She is also branching into the paper medium, using 

photography and watercolor painting skills to design 

greeting cards. 

“I don’t go to Hallmark anymore,” Cedervall said. 

Smith said she has always enjoyed dabbling in arts and 

Continued on Page 34


Every Dollar 

Makes a 

Difference 

Holiday Fund 2009 

The Town Crier Holiday Fund was launched in 2000 

to raise funds for small hands-on non-profi ts in Silicon 

Valley, particularly those serving families and children. 

Most of the organizations selected use many volunteers, 

and maintain a high level of effi ciency in percentage 

of funds which actually touch the lives of the needy. 

The Holiday Fund, now in its 10th year, has raised more 

than $1.2 million. The current benefi ciaries are listed 

on the right. Detailed stories about each are running in 

the current issues of the Los Altos Town Crier. 

All contributions are tax deductible through our fi scal 

partner, Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 

You can make a difference in the lives of children and 

families in the community with special needs, such as 

education, literacy, social and general well-being by 

donating today! 

D O N AT E N O W ! 

Send or deliver to the Town Crier Holiday Fund 

138 Main St., Los Altos 94022. 

You may also contribute by phone with a credit card by calling 

the Town Crier offi ce, (650) 948-9000, or on the 

web at www.latcHolidayFund.org. 

Remember, contributions are 100% tax-deductible. 


HOLIDAY FUND 

2008 RECIPIENTS 

Partners for 

New Generations 

Rotocare 

Sunday Friends 

Mother Branch-EPA 

Help One Child 

CSA Dental Program 

EPA Kids Foundation 

Bayshore Christian 

Ministries 

Career Closet 

Community Health 

Awareness Council 

Hidden Villa 

House of Grace 

Jeremiah’s Promise 

Music For Minors

C O L D W E L L B A N K E R 

Sara 

Ahsan 

650.947.2233 

sara.ahsan@cbnorcal.com 

Vivi 

Chan 

650.917.4211 

vchan@cbnorcal.com 

Angelique 

Elmengard 

650.917.4212 

angelique@cbnorcal.com 

Seasons Greetings 

From all of us! 

Mimi 

Baker 

650.917.7737 

mbaker@cbnorcal.com 

Jo Buchanan & 

Stuart Bowen 

650.947.2219, 650.949.8506 

www.BuchananAndBowen.com 

Barbara 

Chang 

650.947.2286 

barbara.chang@cbnorcal.com 

Karen 

Emerzian 

650.917.4367 

kemerzian@cbnorcal.com 

Susan 

Furstman 

650.400.9321 

susan.furstman@cbnorcal.com 

Ellen 

Barton 

650.917.7989 

ebarton@cbnorcal.com 

Robert 

Branden 

650.917.4210 

rbranden@cbnorcal.com 

Karin 

Clark 

650.947.2224 

karinc@cbnorcal.com 

Diyar 

Essaid 

650.949.8525 

diyar.essaid@cbnorcal.com 

Hannelore 

Blanchard 

650.917.4209 

hblanchard@cbnorcal.com 

Barbara 

Cannon 

650.947.2211 

barbara.cannon@cbnorcal.com 

Kim 

Copher 

650.917.7995 

kim.copher@cbnorcal.com 

Carole 

Feldstein 

650.917.4267 

cfeldstein@cbnorcal.com 

Yvonne 

Gau 

650.949.8513 

yvonne.gau@cbnorcal.com 

David 

Blockhus 

650.917.4250 

dblockhus@cbnorcal.com 

Phyllis & Jamie 

Carmichael 

650.917.7977, 650.917.7992 

www.TheCarmichaelTeam.com 

Terri 

Couture 

650.917.5811 

terri.couture@cbnorcal.com 

Jo Ann 

Fishpaw 

650.917.7735 

jfishpaw@cbnorcal.com 

Charlene 

Geers 

650.917.7990 

cgeers@cbnorcal.com 

Marge 

Bosetti 

650.947.2218 

mbosetti@cbnorcal.com 

Patricia 

Diaz 

650.917.4331 

patricia.diaz@cbnorcal.com 

Joanne 

Fraser 

650.917.5806 

jfraser@cbnorcal.com 



Enis 

Hall 

650.917.8265 

ehall@cbnorcal.com 

Tina 

Kyriakis 

650.947.2260 

tina.kyriakis@cbnorcal.com 

Dave 

Luedtke 

650.917.7960 

dave.luedtke@cbnorcal.com 

Afsie 

Mina 

650.917.4224 

amina@cbnorcal.com 

Vicki 

Geers 

650.917.7983 

vicki.geers@cbnorcal.com 

John 

Hawker 

408.316.6305 

john.hawker@cbnorcal.com 

Aileen 

La Bouff 

650.917.4259 

aileen.labouff@cbnorcal.com 

Kirk 

Mahncke 

650.917.7988 

kmahncke@cbnorcal.com 

Sheetal 

Mohan 

408.242.6541 

sheetal.mohan@cbnorcal.com 


Kathy 

Horvath 

650.492.0589 

kathy.horvath@cbnorcal.com 

Eppie 

Lam 

650.245.7883 

eppie.lam@cbnorcal.com 

Terrie 

Masuda 

650.917.7969 

tmasuda@cbnorcal.com 

Sia 

Motazedi 

650.208.4603 

sia.motazedi@cbnorcal.com 

Marlys Powell & 

Polly Neumann 

650.464.2812/650.245.1896 

www.PowellNeumann.com 

Lollie 

Gilbert 

650.917.4390 

lollie.gilbert@cbnorcal.com 

Lora 

Hu 

650.917.4308 

lhu@cbnorcal.com 

Gerry 

Lawrence 

650.917.8248 

glawrence@cbnorcal.com 

Cindy 

Mattison 

650.917.4305 

cmattison@cbnorcal.com 

Merrian 

Nevin 

650.917.6855 

mnevin@cbnorcal.com 

Margot 

Goodman 

650.917.4218 

mgoodman@cbnorcal.com 

Alan 

Huwe 

650.917.4392 

alan.huwe@cbnorcal.com 

Peggy 

Lee 

650.917.4233 

peggy.lee@cbnorcal.com 

Pat 

McNulty 

650.917.8262 

pat.mcnulty@cbnorcal.com 

Ric 

Parker 

650.917.4281 

rparker@cbnorcal.com 

Karen 

Quaid 

650.947.2258 

kquaid@cbnorcal.com 

Melanie 

Johnson 

650.575.5031 

melaniejohnson@cbnorcal.com 

Donna 

Liu 

650.917.4294 

donna.liu@cbnorcal.com 

Shilpa 

Merchant 

650.917.4302 

shilpa.merchant@cbnorcal.com 

Shelly 

Potvin 

650.917.7994 

spotvin@cbnorcal.com


Yasemin 

Richardson 

650.917.4321 

yasemin.richardson@cbnorcal.com 

Noemi Alan Russell, 

Ruelas Princeton Capital 

650.917.4303 650.947.2296 

noemi.ruelas@cbnorcal.com alanrussell@princetoncap.com 

Christine 

Sorensen 

650.947.2238 

christine.sorensen@cbnorcal.com 

Dora 

Thordarson 

650.917.8270 

dthordarson@cbnorcal.com 

Marli 

Szpaller 

650.917.4253 

mszpaller@cbnorcal.com 

Carol 

Van Zee 

650.917.7733 

cvanzee@cbnorcal.com 

Teri 

Woolworth 

650.917.7966 

teri.woolworth@cbnorcal.com 

Bryan 

Robertson 

650.917.4269 

bryan.robertson@cbnorcal.com 

Nargis 

Sadruddin 

650.917.7971 

nargis.sadruddin@cbnorcal.com 

Linda 

Takagi 

650.917.5805 

ltakagi@cbnorcal.com 

Dianne 

Vernon 

650.917.4292 

dianne.vernon@coldwellbanker.com 

Ellie 

Zias 

650.947.2275 

ezias@cbnorcal.com 

Satya 

650.917.4309 

ssatya@cbnorcal.com 

Bea 

Waller 

650.917.4343 

bwaller@cbnorcal.com 

Francis 

Rolland 

650.947.2259 

frolland@cbnorcal.com 

Karen 

Scheel 

650.917.4257 

kscheel@cbnorcal.com 

Elena & Michael Talis 

650.714.4784 

etalis@yahoo.com 

Anne 

Ward 

650.917.7727 

award@cbnorcal.com 

161 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos • 650.941.7040 

Fred Hibbert 

Managing Broker 

650.941.7040 

fhibbert@cbnorcal.com 

Wishing you all the 

Happiest of Holidays & New Year! 

Mickey 

Shaevitz 

650.947.2266 

mshaevitz@cbnorcal.com 

Elizabeth 

Thompson 

650.949.8508 

elizabeth.thompson@cbnorcal.com 

Dana 

Willson 

650.917.4256 

dwillson@cbnorcal.com 



crafts. And though she has no formal schooling – “I wish 

I had,” she said – husband Tom is grateful for her endeavors. 

“My husband says it keeps me off the streets,” she said. 

“I don’t know that it keeps her out of trouble, but it 

keeps her busy,” Tom said. 

By mid-October, Smith was already busy bustling with 

united Methodist Women’s Harvest Craft Faire – baking 

gourmet pies, cookies and brownies and helping anywhere 

else she was needed. And when the Christmas season has 

passed, she’ll be busy with an African-American Women 

College Students fundraiser, creating baskets filled with 

gourmet treats and pampering items centered on Super 

Bowl or Valentine’s Day themes. 

Smith said she doesn’t want to quantify her contributions 

to Kiwanis – “I don’t think it needs a dollar value,” 

she said. 

For Smith, it’s all about camaraderie and crafts. 

“It’s just a way to get to know people and be creative,” 

she said. 

Kiwanis Club’s Christmas Tree Lot is scheduled to 

open 3-7:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends, 

beginning Nov. 27. 

For more information, call 988-9900 or visit www. 

losaltoskiwanis.org. 

Contact Mary Beth Hislop at marybethh@latc.com. n 


craFts 


Karen Smith dressed this centerpiece arrangement 

in red and green, ideal for the holidays. 

“Preserve the Past for the Future” 

• Porcelain • Jade • Glass 

• Pottery • Ivory • Wood 

• Marble • Stone 

Museum Quality Repairs 

(650)948-4245 

www.restorationstudio.com

volunteers 

’Tis the season to give, of yourself 

By Jana Seshadri 

town crier staff Writer 

However satisfying gift giving may be, the joy can 

increase tenfold when we give a little of ourselves 

– our time and our energy – during the holiday 

season. 

If you’re looking for places to volunteer in the upcoming 

weeks, there are several organizations in and around 

Los Altos that eagerly await your help. 

Community Services Agency 

“The neediest in our community feel the worst during 

the holidays,” said Tom Myers, executive director of the 

Community Services Agency (CSA), which serves Los 

Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. 

Preparing for the holiday season involves the CSA staff 

and volunteers working longer and harder to ensure the 

Holiday Sharing and Food Pantry programs run smoothly 

to service the needy in the area. 

Although the Food Pantry operates all year long, it gets 

busier before and during the holidays, when the need is 

Le Cordon Bleu du Paris 

Certified Caterers 


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of los alTos 

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Let us help you create a unique and 

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Complimentary Party Consultation 

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Seema Bhardwaj has been volunteering eight to 10 

hours each week at the CSA Food Pantry since July. 

www.taste-fullevents.com 



greater, Myers said. 

Eligible families are entitled to 

one food bag in November and one in 

December, according to Alison Hopkins, 

director of volunteers at CSA. 

And it takes many hands and a lot of 

time to assemble the food bags. 

Volunteers – who can sign up for 

specific shifts all week long – receive 

the donations, sort them, shelve 

them, put the food bags together and 

distribute them to the families. Special 

items like flour, sugar, oil, spices, 

frozen turkey, chicken and ham are 

all available during the holidays, 

Hopkins said. 

Seema Bhardwaj has been volunteering 

eight to 10 hours each week 

at the CSA Food Pantry since July. 

What began as a call to help people 

has turned into a “motivating and exciting” 

weekly ritual for her, prompting her to do something 

more, she said. 

“I organized a food drive in my neighborhood and the 

response was unbelievable,” Bhardwaj said. “I was able to 

collect 100 pounds of food in two weeks for CSA.” 

Featuring unique One-of-a-Kind Dichroic Glass Jewelry 

handmade in USA by Artist Susan Cruikshank 

146 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022 

650-948-0955 

WE ACCEPT NEW AND ESTATE CONSIGNMENTS 

A Green Company 


volunteers 


Mountain View resident Oscar Diaz reaps the benefits of produce donated 

to the Community Services Agency Food Pantry. 

CSA’s Holiday Toy Sharing program begins Dec. 1 and 

serves more than 1,000 children during the holiday season. 

Volunteers sort and shelve toys that are donated to 

CSA at toy drives held in schools and businesses. When 

Dec. 13, 7:00 pm Lessons and Carols 

Dec. 18, 6:30 pm Chistmas Caroling 

Dec. 24, 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Service 

Everyone Welcome 

First Presbyterian Chruch 

1667 Miramonte Ave. 

at the corner of Cuesta in Mountain View 

(650) 968-4473 

www.FPCMV.org

families come in to CSA, volunteers help them choose 

toys for their children. Extra volunteers – up to 10 per 

shift – will be needed for the toy program, Hopkins said. 

For more information, visit www.csacares.org. 

Help One Child 

With a mission to recruit, train and support married 

couples or single adults willing to provide a home or volunteer 

services for foster children, this non-profit, nondenominational 

organization reaches out to at-risk children 

in the foster-care system. More than 140 families participate 

in the Help One Child network, parenting approximately 

229 foster children. 

Volunteers are key to the organization’s programs running 

smoothly, said Judy Holmes, parent/volunteer coordinator. 

And there are several volunteer opportunities at 

Help One Child. 

Get into the spirit of the holiday season by providing 

Christmas gifts for foster children. Host a “Giving Tree” 

at your place of business, church or community group and 

collect wish-list gifts for foster children of all ages. Contact 

Cari at cmichel@helponechild.org for more information. 

Consider volunteering for Help One Child’s Christmas 

party Dec. 19 before, during or after the event. The organization 

needs help with dinner and event preparation, 

with various jobs the day of and during the party and with 

clean up. Last year more than 150 foster children attended 

volunteers 

the party with their families. 

Parents and children also attend Help One Child’s arts 

and crafts and “M Power” life-skills classes, which require 

volunteers, Holmes said. 

For more information, call 917-1210. 

Festival of Lights Parade 

Since its inception in 1978, the annual Festival of 

Lights Parade Association has been organized and executed 

by community volunteers. On the Sunday following 

Thanksgiving, Los Altos residents can watch the parade 

as it wends its way down State, up Main, across First 

and down Whitney streets. Colorful floats and costumed 

storybook characters, illuminated with thousands of tiny 

lights, join marching bands and dance troupes to welcome 

the arrival of Santa Claus’ sleigh and reindeer. Volunteers 

work for weeks to make the parade an enjoyable and traditional 

start to the Christmas season. 

For more information, visit www.losaltosparade.org. 

Other opportunities 

Other places and organizations that offer volunteer opportunities 

in and around Los Altos include Hidden Villa 

(www.hiddenvilla.org), RotaCare (www.rotacare.org), 

Music For Minors (www.musicforminors.org) and Partners 

for New Generations (www.partnersfornewgenerations.org). 

Contact Jana Seshadri at janas@latc.com. n 


Festival of Lights Parade 

Nov. 29 

6 p.m. downtown Los Altos 

Now in its 32nd year entertaining as many as 20,000 Los 

Altos residents and visitors alike, the Festival of Lights Parade 

is a precursor to Santa Claus’ official arrival in town – his 

sleigh-float and reindeer are a hit with children who like to 

visit with Santa after the parade. 

The dreamchild of Los Altos merchants Marion Jackston 

and Hope Higbee, who were inspired by Disneyland’s electric 

light parade, the hometown celebration is always thematically 

based on “A Child’s Fantasy,” featuring floats filled with costumed 

characters from holiday fairy tales, entertainers, local 

groups and high school bands. 

Main and State streets begin closing at 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. 

parade start time. In case of rain, the parade will be rescheduled 

6 p.m. Dec. 6. 

For more information, visit www.losaltosparade.com. 

Holiday tree lighting 

Dec. 4 

6 p.m. Community Plaza 

Santa Claus is scheduled to make an appearance to help 

celebrate the annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony. Opening 

the festivities, local choirs will ring in the yuletide season with 

favorite holiday carols. 

Community Plaza is located at the corner of Main and 

State streets. 

Breakfast with Santa 

Dec. 5 

9 and 10:30 a.m. Aldo Los Altos 

Two seatings are available for breakfast with Santa, 9 and 

LocaL & 

Long Distance Movers 

The 

Professional 

Movers 

• Owned & operated by John & Marie Kelly in 

Los Altos for 22 years 

• John is on every move with his long-time 

experienced crew 

• Marie is on every pack/unpack with her long-time 

crew of ladies 

• John is a licensed contractor who can disconnect/ 

reconnect, disassemble/reassemble all your 

appliances, lighting, & furnishings 

• We provide Polypropolene runners, stretch 

film plastic for sofas, & plastic bags for mattresses, 

wardrobes, & blankets at no extra cost. 

• John will walk through each location with the owner 

before & after the move to identify any damage. 

We treat every home with extreme care. We move your things as 

if they were our own. The move will be perfect, guaranteed by 

John Kelly himself, “There is no one else that can move like us.” 

For Free Estimates & Advice 

Contact John @ 650-941-4218. 

Licensed & Insured CAL T-158112 


holiday events 

10:30 a.m., once again scheduled at Aldo of Los Altos, 388 

Main St. 

Santa’s guests will receive a special prize and will have an 

opportunity to visit with the merry man to explain what good 

children they’ve been. 

Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance at one 

of the following locations: 

• Marion Jackstons, 222 Main St. 

• Cranberry Scoop, 295 State St. 

• Los Altos Village Association, 216A Main St. 

Hanukkah/Menorah Lighting 

TBA 

Community Plaza 

The annual Hanukkah/Menorah Lighting is held at Community 

Plaza, corner of Main and State streets. The time and 

date of this year's event were not confirmed at press time. 

Carriage rides 

Dec. 11-13 

Dec. 18-20 

Dec. 26-27 

Community Plaza 

Horse-drawn carriage rides are scheduled Fridays, Saturdays 

and Sundays, and for two days after Christmas. Call for 

times. 

The nostalgic jaunt takes riders down Main, State and First 

streets and up to university and Edith avenues. 

Cost is $80, which accommodates six people per carriage 

ride, a combination of children and adults. 

Reservations are required. Call the Los Altos Village Association 

at 949-5282. n 

Get Involved and 

SIGn up for eventS 

& proGramS today! 

Barn Lighting at Westwind Barn 

12/6 

Pam’s Yoga Fitness 

12/9 - 1/27 and 2/3 - 3/24 

Gitty Up! Riding Camp 

12/19 -12/23 

Reactions in Action 

12/21 - 12/23 

Spy Academy 

12/28 - 12/30 

Year Round Riding Program 

1/4 - 2/14 

Rally Training for Dogs 

1/6 - 2/10 and 2/17 - 3/24 

Blue Angels Youth Ski & Snowboard 

1/23 - 2/27 

Adult/Child & Infant CPR and 

First Aid Certification 

1/24 and 2/28 

For more information or to register, 

call 650-941-7222 or visit 

http://www.losaltoshills.ca.gov/parks-and-recreation

Classified 

650-948-9000 ext. 308 • Email elainec@latc.com 

Al Peterson Roofing 

since 1946 

Specializing in 

• Repairs • Reroofing 

• Maintenance 

• Gutter cleaning 

• Moss removal 

650-493-9177 

Celebrate 

the Season 

with us at 

Foothill Baptist 

Church 

1347 Richardson Avenue 

Los Altos, CA 

650-968-5778 

Bible Study 9:45 am 

Worship 11:00 am 

Jim Morrison, 

Senior Pastor 

PIANO LESSONS 

AT YOUR HOME 

Adults & children. 

Call Vivian LRSM 

408-296-0907 

vteotl@aol.com 

FLORES 

GARDEN SERVICE 

General Clean Ups. 

All Tree Work. Pruning. 

Trimming etc. Sprinkler Systems. 

Local for 35 yrs. Free Est. 

650-948-8965 

EstatE salEs 

ManagEMEnt 

In-House Sales of 

Residential Contents 

sheri D. galvin 

(650) 594-0404 

MusicA2G.com | 408.666.7899 

• Harp • Piano • Mandarin 

List of Advertisers 

Adventure Toys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 12 

Al Peterson Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Alain Pinel Realtors Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

All About Mom & Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Beausejour Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

BK Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

Campi Properties, Inc. Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

Cashin Company & Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

Coldwell Banker & Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31-33 

Cook's Junction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 

Earthworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

FastFrame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

First Presbyterian Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Flores Garden Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Foothill Baptist Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Gallery 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

Gleim the Jeweler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Hartman Fashions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 

Heather Lussier Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Intero Real Estate Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-21 

Kids Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Linden Tree Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

Los Altos Village Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,13 

Malovos & Konevich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 

Marion Jackstons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

MusicA2G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Owen Signature Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

Pam Blackman, Realtor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Recology-Los Altos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Round Robin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Saratoga Kitchen & Bath Desin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 

Sereno Group Realtors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-18 

Sheri Galvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Stuart's Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 

Tasteful Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 

The Kitchen Crafter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

The Professional Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

The Restoration Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Town Crier Holiday Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 

Town of Los Altos Hills Park and Rec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

ursula Christiansen, Independent Broker . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

Viewpoints Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Vivian Teo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

yum yum Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Home for the Holidays - Los Altos Town Crier

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