Recommendations for Christmas Lights in Campbell & San Jose

Last week on Friday at our annual Winter Wonderland Bus Tour, we got to see a lot of great Christmas light displays in Campbell and a wide swath of San Jose. For anyone interested in seeing some of the sights on the route, here's the highlights from the event. If you want the full detailed street by street route that we used, let me know.

Highlights in Campbell:

• Westmont Ave. and Crockett Ave.
  Nothing extravagant, but very nicely decorated yard and house
  
  
• Bucknall Ave and Christopher Ave.
  Two houses decorated as one. Lots of fun stuff in the yard and roofs.
  
  
• 585 Nido Dr.
  Debi Phelp's memorial display to her aunt. Park the car and go into the courtyard to see more. Please pitch in and donate to Debi to help her cover costs if you can.

Highlights in Los Gatos:

• Fantasy of Lights
  This kinda qualifies for both highlight and lowlight. Due to a restrictive traffic policy, we weren't able to get in! We waited for over 30 minutes and only moved 5 car lengths toward the gate. Their display looks beefed up from past years, but you'll have to site in traffic forever to get in.

Highlights in Downtown San Jose:

• Christmas in the Park
  I feel silly for listing this, but I'm surprised each year how many people who were born in the South Bay had never been to Christmas in the Park. It's better than ever. GO!

Highlights in Willow Glen:

• Coe and Atlanta Ave
  Loop of decorated houses south of Downtown SJ
  
  
• Palm Haven and Clintonia Ave.
  Decorated upscale are of Willow Glen. We didn't get to see this part, but it came recommended by jaqrabt.
  
  
• 1195 Minnesota Ave
  This one seems to get turned off early, so see it before 10pm. Total mayhem in the yard from afar that ends up being a bunch of topiaries shaped like animals with lights wrapped around them.

Highlights in the Cambrian Area (SJ):

• 2740 Lantz Ave
  The Haverson's Display in the Cambrian area near the Dry Creek neighborhood. AWESOME display and Mrs. Haverson is the most friendly and funny character. She ran after our bus right as we were about to leave and came aboard to wish all a Merry Christmas and give us all candy canes. Her house was the cover display for the Home section of the Mercury News Home section on 12/10/04.

More Highlights in Campbell

• Old Orchard Dr. to Waldo Dr.
  Half circle loop of houses with assorted displays directly off of Wincester Ave. Some of the displays are partially visible from San Tomas Expwy. across the recharging ponds at Budd Ave. and San Tomas Expwy.

Also, here's some more displays from the San Jose Mercury News:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...me/10372949.htm

Thanks so much Sheldon for
this great information!

-Don
My Photo Pages

Hey Don, if you go snap some shots of these spots, post some of 'em in the galleries. I'd like to start compiling a year by year visual library of Christmas stops.

Looks like it was tons of fun....we will have to go next year!