Help my mom Carolee Bodie Williams preserve our family home on Christmas Circle in historic old Chula Vista.

If you have been in my studio you have seen my mom's art on the walls, and perhaps even met her in person at an event here. She is now in her '80s and living in the home our grandparents had built in 1947, right after my grandpa had returned from WWII. The house was the third one built on Whitney/Mankato circle, which within a decade or so would become known as Christmas Circle.

The story goes that our nextdoor neighbor had a store on 3rd Avenue that sold display fixtures, and to promote her store she pitched the idea of providing a lit up star for each family on the circle to show off at Christmas time. Each star had that family's name in glitter, and this tradition soon morphed into full blown annual holiday displays, most of which were hand made by the families or local artisans.

Over the decades the City of Chula Vista has become involved in this annual tradition, and according to their records the circle receives close to 250k visitors every year during the two weeks the decorations are up, including a constant stream of ~80k cars and many thousands more on foot. The long tradition of lowrider car clubs attending and showing off their amazing handiwork is another thing that keeps the local flavor alive and well in the South Bay.

Now in her 80s and struggling to keep up with an older house on a full size property, she needs some help to keep the house in the kind of shape it deserves - as well as to satisfy the demands of her home owner's policy.

If you can pitch in any amount toward this cause, we will be eternally grateful. You may even be able to pry one of her artworks from her hands if you see something you really like!