Christmas In The Park: More Than Your Typical Holiday Celebration
By Kristin Stankus, digital community and social media specialist
This year, Stanford Blood Center (SBC) is excited to get into the holiday spirit by partnering with Christmas in the Park: A San Jose Tradition! Named one of the top 10 Christmas displays in the world by Essential Travel Magazine, this winter wonderland is open from 9 am to midnight 
from the day after Thanksgiving through January 3, 2016.
Located in Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose, Christmas in the Park officially started in 1980 and has been a magical place for locals and visitors to enjoy since. With over 500 decorated trees sponsored by local schools, businesses and charity organizations, 30 holiday displays, activities and rides for the kids, and possibly the best gourmet hot chocolate in California, this event is one you won’t want to miss.
This year SBC decided to sponsor a tree to encourage the over 500,000 visitors that attend the event to donate blood and save a life! Located by Santa’s workshop, the SBC tree features heart ornaments, twinkling red and white lights, and garland that tells the touching stories of several patients whose lives have been saved in part due to the blood products they received. You can learn more about the families we have helped on our patient story web page.
We hope you will stop by our tree and consider the people you could help by donating blood. We will also be hosting a blood drive at Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Sunday, December 20 from 12 – 4 pm. Make an appointment online at sbcdonor.org.
Don’t forget to take a photo by our tree, post on your social media page, and tag us for a chance to win a movie pack (includes movie tickets and snacks).