Cherished rituals and invigorating new energy will wrap themselves like garlands around a community tradition Dec. 8, when the 20th annual Montclair Village Holiday Stroll is celebrated.

Centered on Mountain Boulevard and extending along the web of streets constituting the quaint and cozy Montclair Village, the occasion (bayareane.ws/montholstroll) blazes with pride of place. There are performances by local youth and professional artists including the Grammy Award-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy and others; photos with Santa in a “Winter Wonderland” setting; more entertainment from “Giant Puppets Save the World” and the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees; and special discounts and sales available at more than 40 locally owned, independent businesses.

An Oakland Fire Department parade rig promotes the “Random Acts Toy Drive,” and an invitation to join the Montclair Cares Club in support of the Holiday Stroll and other civic projects or programming extend gift giving opportunities beyond the moment and the Village’s geographical borders. The Stroll is free for all ages.

“Twenty is a nice round number, and it’s a testament to what a special event this Stroll is,” said Daniel Swafford, the Montclair Village Association’s executive director. “It’s framed as a way to kick off the holiday shopping season and for people to catch up with friends. It’s vibrant, and it answers why mom-and-pop businesses and making a pledge to shop local are so important.”

Swafford said merchants are excited after the last few years of pandemic-related restrictions to open up in significant ways.

“The public may not realize how much more the businesses still have to do to recover; we’re not out of the woods yet. I like to remind people that shopping local matters because these businesses donate to school auctions and raffles and other events. Also, the owners miss seeing customers who may have changed their patterns while working remotely. During the Stroll they get to catch up; show off new menu items or chefs; and introduce new product lines.”

One establishment that manages to embrace old and new customs, is Five Spice Kitchen, a pan-Asian restaurant owned by Shirleen Auyoung.

“My parents for 28 years owned the Silver Palace, which they opened when I was 13,” Auyoung said. “Prior to that, my dad had worked at Trader Vic’s and my mom owned a go-to restaurant near downtown Oakland. Ever since I was a young child, I grew up in the restaurant business in this area, loving making food, watching people cook, feeding happy customers, participating in the Stroll.”

Recently launching her own restaurant, Five Spice takes Chinese classic cuisine and updates it with Auyoung’s personal flair for seasoning with a nuanced sensibility for high flavor achieved with healthy ingredients and contemporary cooking techniques. The power of the wok with its high heat churns out flavor and keeps meat tender through flash frying.

“It’s different than working in a pan,” she said. “You have to have fast churning and quick reactions, or it will just burn. I like that cooking and the entire industry is hard, fast-driven. I like jumping to solve problems, the constant reactionary aspect and also making things from raw ingredients, kneading the dough and grinding the meat … and ending up with a surprise because each day and each dish is different.”

Auyoung said customers’ perspectives on dining are also different; changed irrevocably by the pandemic.

“Social distancing continues. People call to make sure we’re well-ventilated and take precautions like being masked with tables spaced out and hand sanitizer available. Gloves for staff are optional now because they can be cumbersome. We still do more takeout than dine-in.”

She recalls being saddened during quarantines by the sight of large, empty restaurant dining rooms.

Although brisk pickup and delivery and strict procedures that kept everyone safe allowed them to survive the slowdown, Auyoung said that “We are a people business and with pickup only, you don’t make a connection with customers. It was depressing to stand at the door and hand out food and maintain distance. It seemed robotic. I also had a restaurant on Grand Avenue and Bamboo on Piedmont Avenue, and it was sad to see empty dining rooms.”

Eager for the friendly, family-oriented atmosphere of the Holiday Stroll to return full force this year, Auyoung said she will treasure the opportunity to see adult customers, many of whom were her friends or are customers’ children whom she’s watched — and fed — while they grew up. Five Spice will offer a Chinese cookies and tea station available for free to anyone stopping by to say hello.

Swafford said the nearby Montclair Parking Garage that uses the ParkMobile app and self-service kiosks for cash or credit always has “ambassadors” on hand to assist vehicle owners with the system. Oakland city funding that was announced Nov. 23 at a conference with Mayor Libby Schaaf will add two safety ambassadors in the Village during the holidays.

“It will put more eyes on the streets,” Swafford said. “We’re hiring two people who will be in the Village five to seven days a week during after-work and early evening shopping hours. They’ll offer extra help and security for people who might want someone to walk them to their car or assist them to shop safe.”

Lou Fancher is a freelance writer. Contact her at lou@johnsonandfancher.com.