By Khalida Sarwari
On Saratoga’s Candy Lane, the faces may have changed over the years, but the customs have remained the same. One in particular has been celebrated since the first families moved into the neighborhood 51 years ago. Every year, families on this block organize a holiday party that moves from house to house, giving participants just long enough to taste an hors d’oeuvre or have a glass of wine.
This year’s Candy Lane Holiday Party is slated for Dec. 28 and will kick off at 6 p.m. at Kay Kessel’s house. Kessel, 75, took over as the hostess of the event when its founder, Ronnie Schneyer, moved away about 15 years ago. But Kessel insists that not much planning goes into the actual holiday party. Usually, anywhere from six to 10 families convene and make the rounds at each of the homes on Candy Lane. The party typically ends with coffee and dessert at Terry and Sue Johnson’s home.
The idea, said Kessel, is to bring the neighbors together for a few hours during the holidays, and more important, help them stay connected throughout the year.
“It didn’t cost anybody anything,” said Kessel. “It was just kind of a social night for everybody to look forward to seeing their neighbor. It made everybody a big family here.”
The history of this neighborhood tradition can be traced back to the early 1960s. That’s when young families started moving into homes in the brand-new development of Pride’s Crossing. Schneyer organized the first progressive holiday party in December 1963, inviting every household to participate in the event by opening their home to their neighbors for about 20 minutes. Almost everybody on the block took part in the event that year, Kessel said, including her own family. Because so many of the families had kids, they’d find one babysitter to put in charge of looking after the children. Meanwhile, the adults would visit each other’s homes, in no particular order, stopping to have a meatball here or small slice of pizza there.
This tradition helped generations of families become closer over time and form a bond that seemed to be missing from other neighborhoods, Kessel said. Since then, some of the original participants have moved while others have passed away. Some who moved still make it a point to return once in a while and take part in the event. New families with diverse backgrounds have moved in and embraced the tradition.
“We have many nationalities here,” said Kessel. “We have Russians, we have Indians, we have Chinese; it’s a wonderful mixed neighborhood and everybody gets along, which is pretty neat to see.”
The uptick in diversity has meant that new foods are offered at neighbors’ homes. Now, alongside hors d’oeuvres, participants can also snack on Asian-inspired appetizers or sip a cup of Indian tea.
“It’s just been a remarkable thing,” Kessel said.
