It’s an annual debate in Willow Glen, fought between Christmas and the Epiphany (aka January 6): Do you take the holiday lights down right away, or do you wait for the end of the 12 Official Days of Christmas (aka Christmastide)? Will the storm brewing for this weekend hasten the removal of your lights?

Keep an eye on the local rainfall totals (and the seven-day forecast) with WG’s own weather station at Hacienda Elementary School. You can even follow the wind speed, which is also forecast to be “damaging” in a current National Weather Service High Wind Watch.

Sure it’s only Wednesday, but maybe it’s OK to take the lights down before the big storm. Either way, your excuses dry up next week. Will the weather?

Everyone knows the Holiday Season is also the high season for delivery trucks winding through neighborhoods all day long, dodging cars, pedestrians, and bicycles. … all in the name of on-time package delivery.

Recently, United Parcel Service (the “Brown” UPS folks) all but admitted that their huge delivery trucks aren’t appropriate for congested urban areas and suburban streets. Perhaps you’ve seen the little — and they are little — trucks zipping through WG this year.

The drivers are wearing brown, but the little cars are white ZAP Xebras, among 42 such trucks leased by UPS across Northern California:

UPS is setting up strategic distribution nodes where vans can transfer packages to the ZAP Xebras for final delivery in smaller communities, neighborhoods and downtown areas where larger delivery vans are less efficient and have a more difficult time navigating or parking.

“ZAP vehicles are much better than full size trucks in urban areas because they can save a fleet operator money,” said ZAP Chairman Gary Starr. “Electric vehicles can also be one of the best things any organization can do to cut greenhouse gases and help the environment.”

The distribution center feeding WG (and probably Downtown SJ too) is hiding somewhere east of Almaden Expressway. The little Xebras can’t go faster than 40 MPH, and travel under Highway 87 and across Almaden Expressway, entering and exiting parts of WG along Old Almaden Road.

Hey! Just a little more than a week to finish your Christmas shopping. WGx is making it easy for you to keep your gift-giving local. Sort of.

Looking for local WG authors? Maynard and Jennica got a nice write-up in the WG Resident back in November, and was also featured in the SJ Mercury’s WG Where We Live feature.

The book demonstrates an intense passion for the place he grew up, for the memories formed at the corner drugstore and then reincarnated through his characters and their experiences.

“It’s a comedy told by everyone,” he says. “It’s narrated by the two main characters, friends, their family and even dead relatives.”

It’s a love story of sorts, with Jennica sharing her nostalgic memories of growing up in San Jose.

That’s San Jose in general … and WG’s Palm Haven neighborhood in specific, where author Rudolph Delson also grew up.

Speaking of “Maynard” … another coffee table style book has recently been published, featuring fancy pictures of stuff right here in Willow Glen … including the famous Maynard Mansion on Minnesota Avenue, which serves as the cover for backdrop for author Dave Clarke Mora’s book, which was featured in the Nov 23 edition of the WG Resident:

Willow Glen resident Dave Clarke Mora takes the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” to heart when creating books for his new series Our Town Books, which highlights various local neighborhoods in photographs.

“Our Town: Willow Glen,” Clarke Mora’s first publication in the series, is an 80-page hardcover book filled with 150 color photos of popular areas throughout Willow Glen, including local restaurants, schools, homes, shops and places of worship.

Mora’s book has been on display at Bayside Community Church, Bill’s Cafe, Willow Glen Books, Siena Bistro and Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt. It’s also available online from the Our Town Books website, along with a similar book about Los Gatos.

Then there’s the updated “Touring Historic Willow Glen,” which was published as a partnership between the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) and Preservation Action Council of San Jose. The book was first released on Founder’s Day 2007, and might still be available from Willow Glen Books.

And as a simple community service …. Don’t forget if you are ordering gifts from Amazon, their “super saver shipping” promotion ends December 17 (that’s Monday)!

Of course, the wide array of Willow Glen bookstores will be open through Christmas Eve … Good luck!

Well, you can buy it whenever you want to, but the St. Christopher’s Tree Lot (corner of Booksin & Curtner) closes after this weekend. Other charity lots should remain open further into the season, but why wait? Hurry before it rains this week, too!

• Willow Glen T-Shirts
• WG Christmas Tree Ornaments
• Elva’s Coffee Stop Mugs

WGx’s modestly silent campaign for WG-based gift giving continues, and we’ve got company!

This week’s Metro Magazine highlights several local mall-alternative boutiques for local gift giving for your friends who are “foodies.”

Against Mall Odds — Find your foodie gifts at local boutiques

I may be a lot of things, but mall rat isn’t one of them. So when it comes to buying holiday gifts, or any gifts for that matter, I’d rather eat my own feet than spend time at Oakridge or Valley Fair. You too can easily shop for the food and wine enthusiast in your life without going near an overdecorated mall.

The lead article for the “Dining & Restaurants” section specifically suggests WineStyles of Willow Glen, NapaStyle in Los Gatos, and The Olive Bar in Campbell.

Wines [at WineStyles] are characterized as “crisp,” “silky,” “rich,” bubbly,” “fruity,” “mellow,” “bold,” and “nectar” and organized according to these descriptors. Microcaves set into the walls showcase the bottles, many of which cost under $25.

Of course, with a little creativity, you can probably find everything you’ll need in only one visit to the variety of mostly-independent shops in Downtown WG, but perhaps searching high and low for the right gift can be rewarding all by itself.

They’ve actually been on sale since October, but time is getting a little tight if you actually wanted the perfect Christmas gift for your Christmas Tree …

The WGHS Boys Water Polo Team is selling a personally-designed “Life Is Good in Willow Glen” ornament as a fund raiser for th school’s Aquatics Programs (remember that pool you swam in last summer?).

Ornaments are still available … exclusively from the holiday gift boutique at 1008 Lincoln Avenue, open 10am-6pm (Fridays - Sundays) through December 23, 2007. You can swing by and get one there. It is the last house on the right just before Coe.

The glass ornament is 3 1/4″ in diameter. Every ornament comes individually boxed in a presentation style box, showing off their design. It comes in the school colors of red and gold, and can be yours for just $15.

OK. So you went to (or missed) the WG Tree Lighting, and you’re ready to branch out for more holiday activities. Here are this weekend’s options in and around WG:

Parades (Los Gatos on Saturday; Downtown SJ on Sunday)

Los Gatos’ 51st annual Children’s Christmas and Holidays Parade starts at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 1.

The San Jose Holiday Parade marches through Downtown SJ on Sunday morning starting at 8:30 am.

‘Heritage Holiday’ Includes WG History

Not far from WG at all, History San Jose hosts a special “Heritage Holiday” event this Saturday, December 1. Santa arrives at 2:00, but before that check out local authors, including Joan Bohnett, author of “Touring Historic Willow Glen - 10 Walking Tours.”

Campell’s “Carol of Lights” is Sunday evening, although they won’t actually be lighting a tree.

Chanukah on Ice

Speaking of lights and holidays, Chabad of San Jose hosts “Chunakah on Ice” on Tuesday, December 4, 6:00 pm at Downtown Ice. There will be a giant ice-sculpture Menorah and a variety of themed food and arts and crafts.

Lighting Up The Holidays, Willow Glen Style

Then there’s all the usual fun stuff in Downtown WG, including Carriage Rides (weekends starting Dec 7) and the laid-back Santa House @ The Garden Theater:

Skip the mall madness for an old-fashioned Santa visit in Downtown Willow Glen! Santa will be available in the Lobby of the Garden Theatre on the following days:

Saturday (12/1), 10am-1pm
Sunday (12/2), 2pm-5pm
Sunday (12/9), 10am-1pm
Saturday (12/15), 10am-1pm
Sunday (12/16) 2pm-5pm

Originally reported as potentially unlikely, news of the demise of the Willow Glen tradition proved to be premature.

Typically the kickoff for the season begins with a tree-lighting ceremony at Willow Glen Elementary School. However, this year the tree ceremony may not happen because the school can’t afford the $1,500 that starts the downtown celebration. In the past, the PTA and parents have stepped up to help, but that doesn’t look likely this year.

Following this report (and her own follow-up) WG Times editor Carol Rosen assures WGx that the event is back on. So has Pierluigi Oliverio (who has a busy night), whose office has covered the events cost along with the WG Business Association.

A community Book Fair begins at 5:30 pm, and Santa will be ready to listen to children’s holiday gift lists by 6:30. The tree will be lit at 7:45! Pizza and refreshments will be available, and there will also be a musical program. Canned food and donations of warm jackets will also collected.

In fact, starting Thursday night in WG, you can spiral out around our community and see other holiday celebrations across the South Bay.

Los Gatos’ 51st annual Children’s Christmas and Holidays Parade starts at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 1.

The San Jose Holiday Parade marches through Downtown SJ on Sunday morning starting at 8:30 am. And Campell’s “Carol of Lights” is Sunday evening, although there isn’t actually a tree to light.

With the number of days and weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas at its maximum in 2007, it might be an interesting year for Holiday Lights in Willow Glen.

Maybe the extra time will mean more lights; it will almost certainly mean a higher PG&E bill. Or maybe the extra time makes it easier to procrastinate: A totally-unscientific random cruise through the neighborhood over the weekend showed few lights up to start. Are we waiting? Are we still designing some really grand displays?

Who knows … but it’s officially the Holiday Season in WG, so there will undoubtedly be some lights worth talking about. Stay tuned to WGx for a full rundown.

And if you see something worth sharing, leave a comment to this post (or any other for that matter). You can also send pictures to WGx@WillowGlenExtra.com. Enjoy the season!

Your traditional Thanksgiving frozen yogurt may have to come from a source outside of the neighborhood, but you can still get Willow Glen’s Best Coffee fresh-brewed on Thanksgiving morning!

[sitethumb://www.willowglenextra.com/elva]Elva’s Coffee Stop will be open for a few hours on Thursday morning! Stop by between 7:00 - 11:00 am for your own local java and that fabulous customer service you’ve come to expect from Elva, Frank, Carlos, and the whole gang.