By Lookout Staff

December 19, 2024 -- More than 1,000 holiday revelers gathered under the Fairmont Miramar's iconic 150-year-old fig tree bringing more than 2,300 pounds of food and hundreds of items of clothing and toys.

Miramar officials and staff with donated gifts (Courtesy of The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows)

The items donated during the traditional Meet Me Under the Fig Tree celebration will feed families in the community who are most in need, bring joy to their children and provide clothing to help low-income and homeless job seekers find work.

“Charity always begins locally, and we are so proud that we could once against partner with the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows on this very joyous and generous Santa Monica event,” said Misti Kerns of Santa MoniCARES, a coalition of representatives from Santa Monica Travel & Tourism and community partners.

“I’m constantly impressed by the way our hospitality and tourism industry looks after those in our own backyard and this event was a great example of what the holidays are all about -- enjoying celebrations with friends and family but also remembering to give back to those in our community who are in need.”

There was plenty of celebrating under the 150-year-old Moreton Bay Fig tree, as revelers, young and old, played in the snow a few blocks from the beach in the balmy Southern California weather.

Hosted once again by KTLA personalities Wendy Burch and Eric Spillman, Santa showed up, as he always has for what has become a local holiday tradition spanning more than a decade. This year, he was joined by Disney princesses Tiana and Anna who entertained the guests.

So did the Santa Monica High School Orchestra and master pianist Jason Pelsey who performed holiday staples for the guests, who also enjoyed culinary offerings from FIG Restaurant, as well as food and drinks from local Santa Monica partners.

As they have in previous years, guests enjoyed holiday cookie decorating, arts and crafts and a whimsical ginger-bread house display. They also had the chance to check out pets at the Wags and Walks adoption station and jump around in a bounce house.

On hand to greet them were members of the Santa Monica Police Department, including the mounted police, and the Santa Monica Fire Department, which brought a fire engine for children and adults to enjoy.

A complimentary raffle was held featuring prizes from community partners, including Helen’s Cycles and GRLSWIRL, as well as an overnight stay at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows and dining experiences at FIG Restaurant and Soko Sushi.

“We were delighted to welcome the Santa Monica community to celebrate the start of the holiday season under the Moreton Bay Fig Tree," said Simon A. Fricker, general manager of The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.

"It was nothing short of a spectacular afternoon enjoyed by Santa Monicans of all ages,” Fricker said.

“We were blessed with the great Southern California weather and were gratified to have such a large turnout from the community to experience the festivities of the season at the Miramar while contributing to local organizations.”

Guests were asked to bring non-perishable food to be donated to The Westside Food Bank, and they brought more than 2,300 pounds and donated more than $2,500.

That brings the total amount of food donated over the years at Meet Me Under the Fig Tree to more than 95,000 pounds.

“Meet Me Under the Fig Tree has always been such a special event for us to be a part of,” said Genevieve Riutort, president, and CEO of The Westside Food Bank.

“Thank you to the thousands of Santa Monicans who donated this past weekend to those most in need. Thank you also to the Fairmont Miramar Hotel for hosting this annual Santa Monica holiday tradition for all of us to enjoy.”

In addition to the food drive, Meet Me Under the Fig Tree partnered with Santa MoniCARES for a clothing donation drive to help provide clothing and accessories to Chrysalis, a local non-profit job agency that helps low-income and homeless adults find work.

The business clothing donation drive provides ready-to-wear interview clothing and accessories to clients of Chrysalis, which has helped nearly 60,000 individuals find work since 1984.