There are so many ways that you could think about Christmas Hill Park;
A hot dead grass wasteland filled with drunk and garlicy smelling people who spill beer and sing loudly to cover songs. Of course this is really only for 3 days out of the year when it plays host to the Garlic Festival.
A park where kids come to play, where there is a giant expanse of grass, and plenty of space for everyone.
And a rather seedy place where at any point during the day there could be a drug deal going on, a joint being smoked, and some liquor being consumed.
All of these really depend on what time of day it is. If you want to have a nice family outing with children the morning hours are for you, the seedier folks are still in bed sleeping off the previous nights activities, and the sun is shining brightly on the large play structure with swings and slides designed for kids in the 6 and up range. There is also a smaller playground designed for the smaller children, and so parents can worry less about them tumbling off a high structure.
As the day progresses and school lets out, the park takes on a different characteristic, where high school students from nearby Gilroy High hang out, doing various activities some legal and some probably not.
As late afternoon and evening come, so do the mosquitoes, and the seedier crowd. I don't have a problem hanging out here and BBQing some dinner at this time, and if you're having a good time and not bothering anyone else then I wouldn't expect to be bothered at all. However this isn't the time that I would want to bring kids around if I had any.
This park really is nice, the grass, the picnic areas, the baseball and softball fields, but there are those people that you just don't ever feel totally comfortable around, and because of that it's hard to say that it is a great place to bring wee ones. read more