Attended by 138 guests, the event included a "Happy Hour" (with glögg, of course), large smörgåsbord, Santa Claus himself and the Lucia Pageant. It was held at the Masonic Hall in Martinez, which was decorated beautifully for the occasion.
The pageant was produced by the Vasablad children's club, directed by Rosemary Fassl. Pianist was Lois Johnson. Sven Chilton played the violin and sang several solos.

This year's Lucia was Anna D'Agostino, who is 14 years old and has been a Vasablad member for 10 years. She is a freshman at San Ramon Valley High School. Anna's mormor is Finnish and her morfar is Norwegian. Her mother and uncle were born in Sweden and are citizens of Norway, so she has most of the Scandinavian countries covered! Anna has been involved in Girl Scouts for nine years and is a member of several service clubs at school. She is happiest on the water and in the kitchen—her passions are rowing on a crew team in Oakland (the "Oakland Strokes") and cooking and baking. She also likes photography and painting. Anna was excited and proud to be Lucia for this year's Julfest.

Submitted by Bob Burman