Today, a diverse range of Oaklanders celebrate the holidays in many different ways, but in the last century, Christmas was front and center. Today, we're taking a look back at some of the uniquely Oakland ways residents celebrated the season.
Lake Merritt Floating Christmas Tree
This particular event dates back to 1929, when a ten-year-old boy by the name of Robert "Bobby" Greer Hillback came up with the idea of having a large Christmas tree out on the lake. After his death, his father followed through with his son's wishes.
Various organizations backed Hillback's efforts to get the necessary approval from the park's board members. PG&E, the Thomas Rigging Co., Union Oil, McCormick Steamship Co., and Westinghouse and Electrical Supply Company all donated materials to get the first floating Christmas tree out onto Lake Merritt.
On December 14th, 1929, Hillback's parents and other Oakland residents gathered to sing songs, make speeches and light the tree. The tradition has been discontinued, but the most recent floating Christmas tree sighting in the estuary was back in 2006.
Oakland Christmas Pageant
The annual pageant, which later became Oakland Children's Holiday Pageant, began in 1919 and lasted until 1987. Louise Jorgensen, a San Francisco native, was the driving force behind the yearly performance.
According to Oaklandwiki, Jorgensen drove to every elementary and junior high in the city to hold weekly practices with approximately 1,500 students each year between September and December.
In the 1937 pageant, Oakland District Attorney Earl Warren — who later became Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court — played Kris Kringle. The Internet Archive has videos of the pageants from 1981 and 1992.
Christmas Balloon Parade
Not to be outdone by Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, Oaklanders launched their own Christmas Balloon Parade, with the first instance taking place in 1948.
A film on Archive.org depicts performances by eight high school marching bands and two municipal bands. Youth groups from several recreational centers also participated in the event, which was celebrated with "30 large character balloons."
Take a look at what the parade looked like in Oakland in 1948, as well as 1949.
