I love Hermosa during the holidays. The town slows down, people are friendlier and there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate the season.
This year I judged the city’s annual sand snowman contest, watched Santa cruise into Valley Park with a police escort, sirens blazing, lights flashing, and stood at Pier Plaza as firefighters lit the menorah and Hanukkah gelt floated down from the sky on tiny parachutes.
My daughter and I attended community fundraisers, including the South Bay Boardriders Club brunch for the Hunger Project, wrapped toys alongside hundreds of volunteers and capped it all off with Christmas Mass at American Martyrs Church.
But sometimes, the most enduring holiday traditions come from just one person, quietly doing the work, never seeking recognition.
For 27 years, Jamie Freitag has turned his home into a full-blown holiday production, the kind that makes drivers slow down, kids press their faces to the window, and neighbors smile even if they’ve seen it many times before.
That’s probably no accident.
Freitag worked as an assistant director on major Hollywood films, including Rush Hour, The Wedding Singer and The Family Man. His home is dotted with photos of movie stars like Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Eddie Murphy, Anthony Hopkins, Halle Berry, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Murray.
This man knows what it takes to pull off a production. And every December, he brings that same sensibility home.
Jamie with just one of his cast of Christmas characters
It all started in 1998, when he moved into his house on Porter Lane and noticed hooks lining the eaves. On a whim, he decided to put up some Christmas decorations.
“I’m Jewish, but I’m a fan of Christmas,” Freitag said. “Okay, I’m not a very good Jew.”
What began as a few icicle lights grew into a full-blown display that costs hundreds of dollars in electricity and rivals Candy Cane Lane in Torrance.
Freitag, 72, spends most of November on his roof, working three to four hours a day for about two weeks to install the lights, signs, and ornaments. He manages six electrical circuits, all now automated on timers, that light the spectacle from 5 to 11pm nightly.
Most of the decorations come from Costco, a magnificent giant Santa, penguins, snowmen, towering gift boxes with oversized bows. But Freitag also searches online every year for something new and unique. This year, it was giant gingerbread people, positioned near his Hanukkah bear, his playful nod to his Jewish roots.
There’s a clear order to the work, another habit from his film days.
Roof lights first. Then the “Merry Christmas” sign. Then the yard lights, lined up in perfect unison. Snowmen come next. Last are the big pieces like the archway. He works left to right, every decoration landing exactly where it’s supposed to be.
Santa's Helper - Jamie spends most of November getting everything in place and wired up
Freitag does it all himself. Friends suggest he hire help. His girlfriend tells him he’s done enough.
“Everybody tells me, ‘Jamie, you’re getting too old. Stop,’” he said. “But I don’t like to break the tradition.”
Besides, he knows the setup better than anyone.
“I was going call a company,” he said. “Then I said, Nah, I’d have to show them everything anyway. I know all the circuits. I know the wiring. I know how to put everything up.”
Behind the house are three sheds filled with decorations. Smaller pieces are stored in the garage rafters. His 26-year-old son, Taylor, helps lift boxes and occasionally joins him on the roof, especially for the reindeer perched high up, which require two ladders.
“It’s awesome,” Taylor said of his dad’s winter wonderland, though when a new decoration appears, he usually asks, “Dad, where are we going to put that?”
But that doesn’t stop Freitag. Neither does Mother Nature. Last weekend’s torrential rain knocked down a few of his signs and decorations, including the signature Merry Christmas sign.
“The reindeer are still down, but I’m going to go up there.”
What keeps him going isn’t the spectacle, it’s the people. He gets dozens of letters from neighbors.
“Thank you for doing this. I bring my kids here every Christmas.”
One was addressed simply to “Dear House of Christmas Cheer.”
“The beauty of your Christmas display is a joy forever.”
For years, an anonymous admirer left a box of See’s candy at his door. This year, the man finally rang the bell.
“He just wanted to say thank you,” Freitag said.
For someone who spent a career helping bring big productions to life, this holiday display may be his most personal.
It’s a place of shared joy, staged, assembled, and cared for by a man who knows exactly how to make a little magic look effortless.
Elka Worner is a community volunteer, City Commissioner, journalist, and Hermosa Beach local. She contributes occasional columns to The Hermosa Review, and publishes her own regular newsletter titled 'Elka's Update’ which you can subscribe to for free.
I’m Elka Worner, a community volunteer, City Commissioner, journalist, and Hermosa Beach local. I was raised here, and I’ve had the joy of raising my daughter in this amazing town.
