We all know that it's better to give than to receive. But never is that outlook more important than it is during this special time of the year. In that spirit, and in the tradition of the season, many events are planned locally to make the holidays just a little merrier for those less fortunate.
No group, though, is doing any more to further that way of thinking than the residents of Live Oak Manor.
Neighbors joined forces a week before Thanksgiving to hold their second annual food and turkey drive. The group managed to put together 30 turkeys, 500 pounds of food and $200 in cash as a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
As if that weren't enough, the group also coordinated efforts to hold a Toys for Tots drive on Dec. 7 in the neighborhood. It was the third annual such drive conducted by the neighbors, and they collected new, unwrapped toys, which they then passed on to the Toys for Tots program.
The toys were collected on Longridge Road, where friends and neighbors celebrated the day in a festive atmosphere, much like they did during the Thanksgiving event.
While some neighbors bicker over whether a decorative holiday display is too big and too bright, or not big and bright enough, it's refreshing to see some neighbors come together in the true sense of community spirit to offer a little holiday joy to strangers.
Los Gatos is a community of prosperity, and its residents have always been willing to share with those in need. The residents of the Live Oak Manor neighborhood are certainly living proof of that.
Give generously this holiday season—we'll all be the better for it.
Market back in place
The Los Gatos Farmers' Market will return to the Los Gatos Town Plaza Park after the first of the year. And it appears that everyone agrees that the move from the temporary location in the civic center parking lot is a good one.
So after two more months to allow the plaza park to mature, the market will return to the corner of N. Santa Cruz and E. Main on Feb. 2.
Market directors Melanie Defé and SuEllen Sterling went before the town council Dec. 2 to request the move and were greeted with a positive response, though the issue of installation of Port-a-Potties came up during the meeting.
It was suggested that the town pay a portion of the cost of any temporary restrooms located on the site. We agree, if market organizers are willing to share the cost. It seems like a small price to pay given the benefit that the market offers the downtown businesses and the community in general. And it also seems that installation of such facilities would be a great convenience for the shoppers who frequent the market.
Relocating the market back in the heart of the downtown is a wise move. But if organizers and the town want shoppers to come, they had better give them a place to go.
