DECK THE HALLS IN CALIFORNIA
There is no typical way to spend the winter holidays in California. Chalk it up to a variety of natural terrain, but you’re just as likely to find yourself building a “snowman” on the beach as creating one in a snowy wonderland.The authentic Danish city’s village streets of Solvang , for example, are decked out for the entire months of November and December with seasonal adornments and more than 150 boutiques and specialty shops hosting open houses as part of the town’s Annual Julefest Celebration. Highlights include the tree lighting ceremony December 4 with dance performances and musical entertainment in Solvang Park, the Julefest Parade December 5 and the Nativity Pageant December 12.
You would expect twinkling lights during the holidays – but on a boat? That’s just how they celebrate in Oxnard with the annual Parade of Lights, when vessels, illuminated with thousands of lights, sail and motor throughout Channel Islands Harbor. Visitors can catch all the action this year December 12 from the harbor, as well as restaurants and the water. Huge displays with creative themes will also be displayed along Christmas Tree Lane on F and G Streets in Oxnard’s historic district, where travelers can drive or leisurely walk through the neighborhoods to take in the creative shows.
They may have boats in Oxnard, but they’ve got tractors in Calistoga. The 14th Annual Lighted Tractor Parade is the ultimate in small-town Christmas experiences. On December 5, vintage and modern tractors, antique trucks, human-powered vehicles and construction equipment bedecked with dazzling lights will roll down Calistoga’s main street to celebrate the season and the town’s agricultural heritage.
In Santa Cruz, Old Saint Nick ditches the sled and opts to hang ten November 28, when the jolly old fellow and his reindeer ride the waves to shore on surfboards at Capitola Beach, then pitch a lawn chair on the sand to take wish list requests from kids while Donner and Blitzen break out the candy and holiday cheer.
San Francisco’s Union Square may be one of the most celebrated shopping districts in the country. In addition to its variety of shops offering unique gifts and wares, visitors can don a pair of skates at the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square for 90-minute sessions from November 11 to January 18, 2010.
Celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas at the Rancho Guajome Adobe in Vista, a hacienda and National Historic Landmark that depicts Anglo-Hispanic architecture. Guests can wander through the 28 decorated rooms, designed to replicate the holiday décor in the 1800s using natural materials to make wreaths, garlands and centerpieces November 25-26.
In San Diego, travelers can share the holidays with creatures of the ocean at SeaWorld’s Holiday Celebration with special shows and distinctive joyful experiences, such as “Shamu’s Holiday Night” and “Clyde and Seamore’s Night Before Christmas,” along with The Polar Bear Express 4-D Experience that features snow, fog and wind effects at the park’s Mission Bay Theater.
It’s not often – if ever – that you see a 30-foot LEGO Christmas tree. But the annual Holiday Block Party December 19-31 at Legoland in Carlsbad is back, with tree, a life-sized Santa and reindeer built entirely from LEGO blocks.
It’s a miner’s Christmas – literally – at Columbia State Park in the Gold Country Region, when costume interpreters recreate the mining camp of the 1850s as homesick miners roast chestnuts, drink cider and perform live music for park visitors. This year, the festivities take place the weekends of December 12-13 and 19-20.
Get your holiday shopping done early this year while enjoying the spirit of a small-town Christmas at the 35th Anniversary of the Sonora Christmas Festival November 27-29, when more than 200 artisans present their crafts, along with performances by carolers and costumed elves.
They are going Swedish in Kingsbury with the Santa Lucia Festival and Parade. It’s all part of this Swedish village’s annual Christmas tradition. The day starts early on December 5 with a traditional Swedish breakfast, an arts and crafts festival and later a gingerbread house contest. In the evening is the Festival of Lights Parade.
Also in the Central Valley Region is Christmas Tree Lane on Fresno’s Van Ness Boulevard, where the street is transformed into a magical Christmas wonderland with light displays adorning trees, lawns and homes making up a mile-long Yuletide homage December 5-26.
Tis the season to leave the sweater, scarf and gloves at home when you’re escaping to Palm Springs. With temperatures hovering in the 70s, visitors are in for a balmy visit that might include the Festival of Lights Parade December 5 on Palm Canyon Drive with its lighted floats, equestrians and celebrities.
The magic and the sparkle of the holidays shine bright at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The resort transforms November 13 through January 3, 2010, with the return of popular holiday versions of It’s a Small World and the Haunted Mansion, along with colorful décor and a nightly snowfall on Main Street. The Disneyland Christmas Tree is also specially designed to present a nightly merry light show like no other with more than 62,000 energy-efficient LED lights.
The shopping mecca Fashion Island in Newport Beach hosts a massive 115-foot Christmas tree, which becomes illuminated with more than 17,000 lights and ornaments during the Fashion Island Tree Lighting Ceremony November 21-22.
Ferndale, possibly the best preserved Victorian town in the country, turns on the lights of its 160-foot high Siska spruce December 6 in a holiday tradition that dates back to 1934. For three evenings (December 9-11), historic inns, rustic retreats and modern motels on the coast are alit and abuzz with holiday cheer for the Annual Mendocino Coast Candlelight Tour. Innkeepers and strolling carolers welcome guests, along with those bearing spiced apple cider and sweet treats, as visitors stroll through the decorated properties.
They deck the “hills” in Beverly Hills, home to star-studded events and glamorous abodes. This year, festivities kick off November 21 with a UNICEF holiday lighting ceremony featuring a fireworks show behind the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The West Coast home to the UNICEF Snowflake is lit by top celebrities every year. A total of four blocks of Rodeo Drive is closed off to this family-friendly celebration with its variety of festivities, including face painters, stilt walkers, musicians and caricature artists. Who hasn’t watched the televised Tournament of Roses Parade the first of the year? But being there in person is so much more powerful, as you and more than one million of your new friends soak up the magnificent floats, marching bands and equestrian units. This year’s theme is “A Cut Above the Rest,” and promises to be as exceptional as ever as the event cruises the 5.5-mile parade route.
Old Town Temecula in the Inland Empire Region welcomes Santa Claus November 27. Dressed in his Christmas red velvet, Santa traditionally arrives on a horse-drawn sleigh. Old Town is also adorned in the holiday spirit with lights and festive displays. You can also head to Snow Summit Ski Resort in Big Bear Lake for a New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade as skiers and snowboarders glide down the mountain in a steady stream of torchlights.
For more information about California go to www.VisitCalifornia.com.
For the top Christmas events in the USA visit http://www.topeventsusa.com/christmas-events.html
