He starts at least a week before Thanksgiving by retrieving more than 150 plastic tubs filled with Christmas items from a rental storage shed.

"I absolutely love Christmas time. I could be Griswald," he said referring to Chevy Chase's character, Clark E. Griswald, from National Lampoon's 1994 movie Christmas Vacation, which featured a house with 25,000 lights.

"It's not just the lights--it's the whole feeling of Christmas," Owen said. "Since I was a kid, Christmas as been the special time of year. You remember how excited you were for summer vacation? I've always had the same feeling for Christmas. Then, it was the expectation of presents, but as I've gotten older it's giving that I really enjoy. I trim our house as a gift to the neighborhood."

"I see the neighbors stop and look. It's a great feeling, knowing they are enjoying the decorations," he said.

And if ornamenting his own home wasn't enough, Owen is serving as president of the board of San Jose's Christmas in the Park, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. He joined the board six years ago at the invitation of two friends who were active in the yearly project.

"It takes over 257,000 hours of help from thousands of student and adult volunteers working from the beginning of October through the first weekend in December to present Christmas in the Park," Owen said.

Beginning Nov. 26 and running until New Year's Eve, Christmas in the Park fills the two-acre Plaza de Cesar Chavez between San Fernando and San Carlos Streets. The lights are on from 9 a.m. to midnight daily.

"I remember when I was 10- or 11-years-old, my parents drove by the original display of animated characters that Don Lima put in front of his mortuary on Willow Street in San Jose," Owen said.

Each year, Lima's display grew in size and became so popular that bumper-to-bumper traffic jammed the streets. In 1970, Lima donated his display characters to the City of San Jose, which set them up on the lawn of city hall, until the early 1980s, when the display moved downtown.

"The funds we raise this year are going to Toys for Tots, the Second Harvest Food Bank and the InnVision Literacy program. Or people can donate toys, food or books at kiosks throughout the park," Owen said. Individuals can also donate money to Friends of the Park to help maintain the park.

A new 60-foot, fully decorated Community Giving Tree is surrounded by oversized toys, gift boxes and brightly lit kiosks. Originally called the City Tree, a $50,000 matching grant from PG&E funded the new tree.

"The new tree has 17,000 LED lights and is 60 to 75 percent more efficient than the old one," Owen said.

The city expects over 400,000 people will come to downtown San Jose during the four-week holiday season.

"What I really like about it is that Christmas in the Park is free," Owen said. "There's nothing like it, anywhere. That's what the holidays are all about."