By Jarret Liotta
Powerful emotions blended with holiday happiness on Saturday evening, Dec. 6, when Palisades Village, the open-air mall that stands in the center of Pacific Palisades, held its annual Christmas tree lighting.
Hundreds of residents, many of whom are still displaced due to last January’s devastating fire, came to Palisades Village Lane where a festival offered face painting, personalized Christmas ornaments and “mini wreaths.” Many who lost everything expressed the immense value they found in seeing the community together again for this annual holiday gathering.
Leslie McCaw and family lost their home in the Palisades fire. She said she became teary driving to the Christmas tree lighting. “We haven’t been to the Village, obviously, for a year and so it’s wild,” she said.
“It was super emotional for me. We did this exact same thing last year and without tears and without fires and without wreckage.”
Living elsewhere in Los Angeles after the disaster, the family recently bought and moved into a new home in the Palisades that had escaped the fire.
“I think it’s really good to be back here,” said McCaw’s daughter Cricket Carpenter, 8, who remembers last year’s tree lighting. “I’m also really happy to spend it here with some family members, so I really like that we’ve moved back.”
Empty lots still line the hill near the Christmas tree celebration. But there are signs of growth and resurgence, such as shop owners announcing that they will be reopening in 2026.
Dante Bruno, 8, of Pacific Palisades poses with Santa at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) A big crowd at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) Face painting artist Jessica Barajar works on a youngster at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) Amidst some faux snow, Santa lights the tree at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) Grace Johnson of Pacific Palisades strolls with Benji and Bruno at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) Kathryn Petrosky of Pacific Palisades and her daughter Victoria, 1, at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) Show Caption1 of 6Dante Bruno, 8, of Pacific Palisades poses with Santa at the Palisades Village Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Pacific Palisades (Photo by Jarret Liotta) ExpandBillionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso used a private fire-fighting group to save his Palisades Village complex from the January fire, raising controversy at the time. But at the tree lighting celebration, many were Caruso fans.
“We love Caruso,” said Ali Dimitreli, a resident of Pacific Palisades. “We can’t say enough about him.” Her mother, Nina Dimitreli, said, “We’re very grateful he has vision. It’s a shame he’s not governor yet.”
Both women were thrilled to be at the event, in part because they have finally broken ground to rebuild their family home.
“It’s a long process, but we don’t quit,” Nine Dimitreli declared. “We’re Palisadians. Resilience is what you have to have … passion and resilience. We want to bring it back to Special — uppercase ‘Special’.”
The tree lighting was a display of holiday fanfare, with “Santa Claus” arriving after dark to supervise the lighting of a 50-foot white fir tree festooned with over 1,500 large ornaments.
Longtime local business owner Bob Benton gave an introduction to the festival on a small stage, saying, “This is a very special night for a lot of us. This is a tough time, but here we are. It’s Christmas. We’ve got a tree. We want to welcome everyone back to the Palisades. … I know it’s been a tough road for many of us, but I want to thank Rick (Caruso) for keeping the lights on,” he said.
Adrian Belina, who lost his house to the fire and has not yet moved back, was still glad to be at the event with his wife, Sydney, and their two-year-old daughter Gigi.
“I have mixed emotions,” he said. “It’s wonderful but at the same time we obviously deeply miss our community.”
He called the tree lighting event a glimpse of hope for the town’s future. “Losing your home is more than the shingles and bricks of the house,” Belina said. “It’s the daily routine and seeing the people every day.”
Peggy Findley, who has lived in Pacific Palisades for 50 years, has been displaced since the fire and is not sure when she can return. “I want to come back if I can,” Findley said. “Boy, oh boy, there’s a lot of building going on. It’s amazing. It’s heartwarming.”
She described herself as a “Christmas junky,” and said the tree lighting event was a joy to behold. “It’s something I had done every year,” she said. “I’m grateful to have it and so are all these people.”
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