CATCHING THE SPIRIT SEASONAL CHEER GOES ON PARADE.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

From Pacoima to Studio City, thousands of families filled the sidewalks Saturday for Christmas parades and community festivities, as the spirit of the holiday season grows.

Though the celebrations were at opposite ends of the San Fernando Valley, the sense of closeness and holiday cheer among the crowds was universal across the neighborhoods.

``I've been coming to the parade since I was a little girl, and this is the best one ever,'' said Consuelo Jaramillo, 30, of Pacoima. ``You can tell people are really getting excited about the community now, and Pacoima is getting better and better.''

In both communities, children cheered as Santa rode by atop a firetruck, and moms, dads and grandparents fought back tears as their children marched by in school bands and drill teams.

``I know I'm going to be crying, but I'm going to try to follow them,'' said Connie Burton of Studio City, who had four grandchildren in the parade. ``It's really important for the kids to enjoy being kids like this, because childhood goes by too fast.''

Holiday celebrations will continue today in Chatsworth as the Kiwanis Club presents its annual parade and car show. The car show begins at Mason Park at 9 a.m., and the parade begins at 1 p.m. along Devonshire Street from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to Mason Park.

This is the 34th year for the Pacoima parade, a two-hour celebration of the community's Latino culture.

As mariachi music blared over the loudspeaker, children crowded around cowboys on horseback wearing chaps and sombreros and teen-age boys milled among rows of classic low-rider cars.

``This is a community that has been long forgotten by the city, but the parade is something good we all have every year,'' said Frank Munoz, 50, of North Hills, who has been coming to the parade since he was a child. ``It's a way for everyone to unite in their pride in the community.''

Years ago, Munoz said, the area's gang activity threatened to tarnish the parade. But as the gang problem has abated, he said, both the community and the parade have been rejuvenated.

Almost every child at the parade this year carried a bright yellow balloon with a slash mark through the words drugs and gangs.

Volunteers from the Pacoima nonprofit group MEND were planning to give away food and gift baskets to 1,100 low-income families.

Meanwhile, in Studio City, the community's legacy in the film industry was recalled by a group of Western movie actors who rode through the parade playing guitars atop stacks of hay.

Known as the ``Reel Cowboys,'' the club's aim is to keep the memory of old Western movies alive, and to raise money for abused women and children, said Mike Reynolds, 72, of North Hollywood, who appeared in several Western movies during the 1960s.

``We wanted to give some exposure to the club and give something back to the community, and what better way than to ride in a parade,'' Reynolds said.

Many who watched the parade from the sidelines said the annual event gave the community a sense of small-town intimacy and signaled the start of their holiday season.

``It's really kind of warming and cheering to see everyone come out and watch the parade and sing Christmas carols,'' said Deborah Ellis of Burbank, who came to the parade with her husband and three children. ``It's a nice way to get into the holiday spirit.''

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5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 4) Members of the Variations lowrider car club bounce and tilt their autos along the parade route Saturday in Pacoima. A mounted member of the Rodriguez & Solis Charro Group, above, carries the U.S. flag down Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima. Miguel Fernandez, 6, at left, gets a hug from an L.A. City Lifeguards' polar bear during the parade. Below, members of El Proyecto Del Barrio dance their way along the Pacoima parade route.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

(5) Campbell Hall Viking cheerleaders parade down Ventura Boulevard Saturday in Studio City.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer