Altadena residents collect ornaments hoping to bring joy to community following Eaton Fire

There's no doubt this will be an emotional holiday season for so many whose last cherished memories are in the Altadena neighborhood, where their homes no longer stand after the Eaton Fire.

With the Ornaments for Altadena collection drive, two women who also lost their homes are hoping to help their neighbors find some joy.

Residents have some of the very last pictures they took of the fires in early January. The snapshots show celebrations of faith and family, festooned with ribbons and wreaths, overflowing with decorations expressing the joy of the season. 

"The images of my children in front of the fireplace at our house the night before Christmas were the actual hardest things for me to look at after the fire," said Ana Medina-Whirledge, an Altadena resident.

Medina-Whirledge and Emily Viglietta's families were among the more than 6,000 residents who lost their homes during the Eaton Fire, and as the holidays approach, they said there is a renewed sense of loss. 

"I've got texts from my friends saying all I feel when I think about the holidays this year is dread," Viglietta said.

For so many, this year, there will be no trimming the tree or lighting the menorah, retelling stories of where each cherished decoration came from. But as they have done so often over the last year, Medina-Whirledge and Viglietta are moving forward and trying to help their neighbors do the same. 

A few weeks ago, they started collecting donations of unique, handcrafted, even handmade ornaments, menorahs, and kinaras for fire survivors. 

In a short amount of time, they've collected a few hundred already, some with sweet, personal notes and stories from one family to another, sharing holiday traditions. 

"This one says, 'I chose this hand crocheted snowflake because it reminded me of my mother who made these for all her family and friends,'" Medina-Whirledge said.

Their dream is to use donations to decorate a path of trees for survivors to enjoy and choose from, helping them to shine this holiday season wherever they're now living or until they can return and rejoice again in Altadena. 

"Even if these, you know, come from other places and they're not the ones that your mother handed down to you, they still mean something to somebody, and they sent that with that love and with that care," Medina-Whirledge said.

There are a few ways to donate. The women have a registry where you can buy some ornaments from local artists to donate, you can ship some of your own personal items to them, or drop things off at three local donation sites.

Use this link to access the Ornaments for Altadena website.