WESTWOOD, N.J.—Save the date: Home for the Holidays is set for the evening of Dec. 5, 2020, when the theme for the unofficial start of winter holiday revelry in the Pascack Valley will be… um.
Well, admittedly, it’s too soon to say. But in any event the committee next year will have a tough time topping this year’s parade and festivities, held Dec. 7 on the theme of the borough’s birthday, “125 Years of Celebration.”
There were pre-parade performances by local dance academies, live music, marching bands, and costumed characters. Crowds enjoyed trackless train rides, a DJ, glowsticks, music, and crafts at the Westwood Free Public Library.
The leadup saw shopping and dining all day, with meter parking until 3 p.m., and the fun continued beyond the parade at a Celebrate Westwood after party.
For those of us who were at the parade—and by evening we were there by the thousands—the spectacle, culminating in Santa’s appearance on his traditional fire truck, was heartwarming.
And a good thing, too, as baby it was cold outside. Street vendor hot pretzel sales helped, as did blankets shared and of course hot cider, hot chocolate, and the fun of waving and dancing and jockeying for a place to cheer on the floats.
Home For the Holidays Committee Member Mike Fitzsimmons, of Westwood Art Gallery, summed up the particulars in a glowing letter to the editor appearing in this issue. Check it out.
Without stealing Fitzsimmons’s thunder we’ll say here that the event could not have been possible without the many community groups, sponsors, municipal workers, and volunteers who gave so generously of their purpose and passion to ensure a safe and happy event.
Pascack Press photographer Danielle O’Brien came back with the story in pictures, the revels told in parents’ smiles of nostalgia, children’s laughter, and a valley drawn together for once not in a vigil but rather for the fun of it.
“The organizations who contributed to the parade’s success spent many hours in preparation and we sincerely thank each of them,” Fitzsimmons said in his letter.
On Dec. 2, he told us the main thing about Home for the Holidays is that it’s a grassroots event and that it’s meant for kids and those who love them.
“It wouldn’t happen without the Fire Department, the Police Department, the Department of Public Works, and the support of all the police departments in the area,” he said in our preview, “Home for the Holidays Parades its Bright History.”
Longtime organizer Lee Tremble, of The Iron Horse restaurant, told us, “This is the Fire Department’s parade and we are gifting all the help to make it spectacular.”
Our sources, too numerous to name, say it was.
The Westwood Free Public Library, celebrating 100 years in 2019, invited families in after hours for a pre-parade celebration, a gift of the Friends of the Westwood Library. At 5 p.m. the Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School Choir performed. After that Mrs. Claus arrived for stories, crafts, hot chocolate, and cookies.
Sponsors included Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center, Westwood Chamber of Commerce, the Borough of Westwood, and Pascack Press.
In addition to its floats and many costumed revelers, Home for the Holidays was set off this year by a collectible Celebrate Westwood 125th anniversary ornament, available at the library and select merchants for $10.
FROM THE ORGANIZERS
Thanks from Home for the Holidays
To the editor:Westwood’s annual Home for the Holidays celebration last Saturday, Dec. 7, was another great holiday memory thanks to a clear cold evening and a spectacular turnout. More than 40 groups marched and rode down Westwood Avenue as thousands of people lined the street to watch the parade.
Delighting children of all ages were marching bands, many outstanding floats, fire trucks decked with lights, clowns, and dancers. This year’s theme, 125 Years of Celebration, saw floats and marchers portraying Whoville, “Frozen,” and a birthday float for the Borough of Westwood. The organizations that contributed to the parade’s success spent many hours in preparation and we sincerely thank each of them.
Adding to the fun, Westwood was visited by Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, Catboy, the Grinch, and—last but not least— Baby Shark. The children’s favorites, as always, are Mrs. Claus, who read story hour at the library, and Santa and his reindeer atop the fire truck.
The event could not safely take place without the dedication and extraordinary efforts of Westwood’s fire, police, and public works departments and the Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Additional support is provided by The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and police and reserves from Fort Lee, Paramus, Emerson, Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, and Bergenfield. We thank all of the department heads and staff for their help.
Costs associated with the bands, floats, and entertainment were sponsored by the Westwood Recreation Department, the Westwood Chamber of Commerce, the Borough of Westwood, Pascack Press, Celebrate Westwood, Westwood Heritage Society, WWFD Ladies Auxiliary, Hackensack Meridian Health at Pascack Valley, Kearny Bank, Paolo’s Gourmet, Call Us Clowns, Westwood Public Library, Westwood High School Chamber Singers, Caffe Anello, and many other local businesses.
Thanks also to all our friends who helped us plan and coordinate the festivities. Special thanks to Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo, Lt. Rich Antonacci, Lt. Jay Hutchinson, Lt. Mark Foley, Rick Woods, Jim Gines, Rusty Miller, Mike Ruane, Beth Dell, Margaret McDonough, and Gary Buchheister, who volunteered many hours coordinating the parade.
Our teen volunteers were Jorge Eichler, Michael Bruno, Madison Ayer, Zachary Menzella, Lianna Scherer, Alexa Connelly, Carmel Alexander, Hirani Sattenapalli, Franchesca Doell, Sarah Jough, Andrea Maldonado, Cleo Simeonidis, Robby Lomer, Jonah Osterhus, Mia Sosa, Sienna Rambaldi, Cameron Mcpherson, Samantha Rambone, Fiona Doyle, and Zac Watson.
We wish you all happy holidays and look forward to seeing you at next year’s Home for the Holidays, taking place the first week of December.
Mike Fitzsimmons, for the Home for the Holidays Committee
