“Christmas in San Diego” is a new book mostly of pictures, divided into five sections: History, Traditions, Communities, Trees and Santas. It’s part of the “Images of Modern America” series by Arcadia Publishing, based in South Carolina.

“Christmas in San Diego” by Bill Swank.

Bill Swank, the author, knows a few things about holiday cheer. Since 2002, he has been Santa Claus at the annual December Nights celebration in Balboa Park.

Q: How did this book come together?


A: I’ve written two books about baseball in San Diego for Arcadia Publishing. My editor was out in San Diego, and he said, “You’re Santa Claus, why don’t you write a book about Christmas in San Diego?” I hadn’t given it any thought, and I didn’t really know where to start.

There are lots of pictures of me as Santa Claus, but I wanted much more than that. I started doing research on the history of Christmas here. San Diego has some very unique traditions that you’re not likely to find in other parts of the country.

Q: Tell me about some of them.

A: Well, there’s Las Posadas in Old Town, the procession with the Biblical Joseph and Mary trying to find a place to stay. It’s one of the oldest in the United States.


I moved here in 1955 from Minnesota, and the idea of no snow at Christmastime — it didn’t seem like Christmas to me. So one of my earliest memories of this place is snowmen made out of tumbleweeds. I think that’s a unique San Diego Christmas tradition. Out in Jacumba, they have a Feliz Navidad celebration, and last year a seventh-grader won the contest for best tumbleweed decoration. He did Santa and his reindeer.

Q: Which of the community celebrations was the most fun for you to write about?

A: They were all good because every community has great enthusiasm for its Christmas celebration. The thing that shines through to me about the community celebrations is all the volunteers and all the hours and effort and money that go into them. There are so many people in San Diego doing so much to make Christmas a joyful season for everybody, and I try to emphasize that in the book.

The Cardiff Kook — one year they decorated it as an angel in the Nativity scene, and then city workers took it down. So the next day somebody decorated it as the Grinch. I thought that was pretty funny.


Q: What other things did you find that really say “San Diego”?

A: Well, I’m a baseball historian, and in the chapter on traditions, the very first picture is about baseball because back in the 1800s, Christmas is when the big baseball game of the year was played. That’s a uniquely San Diego event, because you can play baseball on Christmas here. When baseball was really getting its start in San Diego, it was more of a fall and winter game.

A woman down at Costco, I bought tamales from her. She and her mother and aunt get together, and make tamales every year. So I asked, “Can I get a picture of you making tamales?” I went out to the mom’s house in East San Diego, and I got these great pictures. How many places in America do they make tamales at Christmas?

The first group I heard from when I started working on the book was the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus. For years they have done an event called Men in Tights. It’s down at the Balboa Theater. It’s the Nutcracker. Here’s what’s in the book: “The hit of their Nutcracker is a large man in a small costume: The Sugar Plum Fairy.” You can tell they have a sense of humor.


Q: You said that was the first group you heard from. Had you put out the word somehow?

A: Yeah, through the Congress of History. There are all these historical societies throughout San Diego County. I’m a member. I said, “I’m working on this book. Please send me your stories and pictures.” What I liked about that first one was the tone of it. I thought if I can get more like that, this book is going to be great.

Q: You also have a chapter about trees. What did that tell you about San Diego and Christmas?

A: One of the trees was down at Ryan Aeronautical back in the ’30s. It was back in the Depression. They had a big tree up, and they had just gotten a contract to make a new airplane for the Army. They were hiring. You can imagine what a happy Christmas that was for people who got jobs during the Depression.


The USS Hancock, when it came into port in 1954, it came down from Washington. They cut down a great big tree, and they had it in the elevator of the aircraft carrier, and when they pulled into port, they raised the elevator and it looked like the tree was growing out of the ship. I was glad to be able to get that story.

Q: Tell me about the Santas you found for the book.

A: I really didn’t talk to any mall Santas. I found Santas that people wouldn’t even know were Santas. There’s a group out in Santee that started, I think, in 1952. The principal and teachers at school knew there were kids who weren’t going to have a very good Christmas, so they collected some money and they called themselves the Santee Santas. There are over 200 Santee Santas now.

There’s a motorcycle club, and the leader is a man named Snowman. He hooked up with Frank King, who years ago would fix up broken-down bikes. He’d paint them and put on new tires and give them to the poor kids in National City. Well, now these motorcycle clubs raise money and they have a parade in National City, and Santa is in one of the sidecars and they give out 200 bikes every year. Those guys are some pretty unlikely Santas.


Q: How did you find the Santas?

A: I went on the Internet. I was looking for Santa Claus and San Diego and all kinds of things pop up. And by word of mouth. I heard about a guy who was Santa in his neighborhood. I had a classmate, a woman, and when the Santa who was supposed to come to their Christmas party at work called in sick, she ended up being Santa. And she thought it was great fun.

We’ve all got Santa inside us. The point I try to make is that Christmas is a time to celebrate birth and hope for the future and being good to one another. That is what my book is about. If it can make people smile and bring back some good memories, then I’m pleased.