The Willow Glen Resident Around the Glen Seniors party profitably at 10th annual holiday fete Donations from local businesses made the holiday dinner at Willows Senior Center one to remember this year. "This is the first time we've received so many wonderful donations from the local Willow Glen businesses," said Janine Bray, the center's office specialist. "We appreciate what they've done this year for us to have all these wonderful prizes to give out." With support from the neighborhood, Willows was able to hold a raffle of 30 prizes at its 10th annual holiday dinner last Friday. Raffle prizes ranged from gift certificates to books on tape. The center has always held a raffle during its holiday dinner, but this was the first year that Willows sent out a letter to every business on the Avenue, Bray said. Approximately 100 people were on-hand at the event, which featured two singers and a traditional ham dinner. The businesses participating in the raffle include L'Daisy Patch, Precision Tune, La Villa Delicatessen, Jamba Juice, Tlaquepaque, Cafe Primavera, Noah's Bagels, Crystille Pure Water, Starbuck's, Flower Alley and Wright Touch. --Michelle Ku High schoolers teach lesson about the present perfect Presentation High Students' annual food drive raised nearly 50,000 cans of food for those in need. During the weeks of November 23 and 30, students leafleted neighborhoods and picked up cans of food, including large amounts of baby formula. All of the food will be donated to Sacred Heart Community Services The senior class alone brought in 20,239 cans of food--an average of 124 cans per student. The school will be embarking in its annual Penny Drive, also to benefit Sacred Heart, on Dec. 14. --Mary Spicuzza Young Santa Claus sets up in mom's Willow Glen shop For the last five years, The Elegant Favor has had a Santa Claus onsite to whom children could tell their Christmas wishes. This year, Santa will visit the The Elegant Favor twice--on Saturday, Dec. 12 and Saturday, Dec. 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Parents can get a picture of their kids with Santa, and they don't have to stand in line at the mall," says Jan Fey, the store's owner. Fey began the tradition when her store was located in Palo Alto. She liked the idea of having Santa at her store for two reasons: to raise money for the Children's Home Society of California (CHSC), and because it was her son's community service project. Five years ago, Fey's son, then 13-year-old Taurus Fey, had a community service requirement at his Los Altos school, St. Simon's. Fey and Taurus came up with the idea of having him dress up like Santa Claus to pose for pictures with children. "I remember when I was little and every year my parents used to have Santa Claus come to the house. Instead of wishing to get something for Christmas, I could feel like I was actually telling Santa Claus himself," says Taurus, who is 17 and a senior at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale. For several years, The Elegant Favor has also carried two cookbooks produced by CHSC, an organization dedicated to protecting children and preserving families. The proceeds from the cookbooks were used by the San Jose field office primarily for its program for children who live in foster homes. With the holidays coming up, Fey wanted to do a holiday fundraiser with the proceeds going to the organization. Taurus wanted to pass the Christmas spirit to other children. "It's rewarding to see little kids go away with a big smile on their face," Taurus said. "I would like to see them remember me as Santa Claus and remember Santa Claus as kind of a mystical thing about Christmas. I try to instill in the kids that Christmas is a time of giving, To be able to share that with them and try to teach them a bit of what Christmas about is probably the most rewarding thing." Taurus says the hardest part of the job is in achieving a full, adult-sounding voice for his "ho ho ho's." He says he wants to continue playing the role of Santa for many years to come, and he would love to see the same children year after year. Taurus--as Santa--also poses with 25 to 30 children each year, in the holiday tradition. Parents are charged $3 a picture, and all the money raised by The Elegant Favor is donated to CHSC. Last year, the artists with their crafts at The Elegant Favor created, "Elegant Favor," a cookbook of their favorite recipes. The store raised $150 on their cookbook and donated the money to CHSC. The Elegant Favor is at 2145 Lincoln Avenue. --Michelle Ku Jean genie back in biz People's Pants has been an institution in Willow Glen since it opened in 1972, selling hard-to-find Levi's and Edwin jeans. But in June 1997, the store packed up and moved out of the Lincoln Avenue center that now houses Babes Pizza and Kragen's Auto Parts. "We left because we didn't have a lease agreement," says the store owner, Bernie Levine. "We hurried and moved all of our merchandise and then we didn't have a place to go." Levine says he didn't have the time or the energy to search for a new location on the Avenue because he was helping his wife, Robyn, with her shop, Details. But by August of last year, People's Pants was up and running again--tucked in behind Details. Even though People's Pants was back, many Willow Glen residents did not know it because of the location. "Hardly anybody knew we were here," Levine says. "It was just sort of a hit or miss or if somebody parked in the back." This summer, Levine began advertising to let people know he was back in business. He also added an entrance leading between the two stores a few weeks ago, and put a sign on the back of the building. Levine says the business is picking up for the same reason that it has flourished for more than 25 years: "Nobody sells jeans in Willow Glen and there's a need for it." --Michelle Ku [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, December 16, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.