BRIDGE TO HOLIDAYS
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
HOLIDAY GIFTS
Everyone likes to be remembered during the holidays but unfortunately, many residents living at Laguna Honda are without family or resources they can use to celebrate the season.
CityBridge creates an annual Holiday Gift Catalog for residents, who are invited to select from a list of personal items.
Gifts are packaged by volunteers and hand-delivered to bring home some heartwarming holiday cheer. Items in past catalogs have included hats, scarves, gloves, T-shirts, pajamas, hoodies, underwear, wheelchair and walker accessories, headphones, backpacks and games.
Every item listed in the Holiday catalog is chosen with care and offered with love.
THE BIG HOLIDAY SHOW!
Until 2020 and COVID-19, CityBridge (formerly Friends of Laguna Honda) has produced an annual holiday variety show for Laguna Honda. Many consider it the highlight of the winter season. With “Santa Claus” as the emcee, the show features a lineup of performers who donate their time and talents to make the season bright.
Starting back in the 1950s, world-famous crooner and movie star Bing Crosby was the show’s first headliner, singing those holiday classics. Following Bing was Eddie Fisher, Frankie Layne, Tennessee Ernie Ford and other popular singers and stars. Over the years, the show has hosted everything from professional musicians to boys’ and girls’ choruses, even jugglers and circus acts. During the 1970s, the show was televised on local cable, sharing the holiday spirit with the community at large.
For the past 15 years, the event has been hosted by comedian and entertainer Robert Vickers (a.k.a. Bud E. Love).
While the talent donates its services, CityBridge funds all the “hard costs” needed to produce the show, such as the setup of lights and sound systems. It’s an amazing, heartwarming event that brings smiles to the faces of residents and staff members alike.
Like so many events this year, our happy holiday show is on hold–but we are finding new ways to bring cheer to our Laguna Honda family. Stay tuned!