It’s Holiday Time

Written by Donna McCrohan Rosenthal

Santas and Grinches and Lights. Oh my!

The leaves turn to scarlet and gold, then disappear. Winter arrives, and with it, hot cider and jingle bells. Nature dictates one set of changes. Custom determines the other. Together they add up to pageants and parties around California not only this year but every year. So pack your suitcase right now, or simply start a mental wish list and plan ahead.

By Rail and By Sea

The Fillmore & Western Railroad Company’s popular Christmas Tree Holiday Train runs Saturdays and Sundays, taking riders to the Christmas Tree Farm to choose and cut their ideal trees. Santa, who joins them on-board, also holds court on the Dinner with Santa trains on selected Friday and Sunday nights in December. On New Year’s Eve, the five-hour vintage rail cars serve up an elegant dinner attended by actors appearing as famous Hollywood personalities, plus dancing in the social car and champagne at midnight (fwry.com; 800-773-8724).

San Diego’s Yuletide begins with Balboa Park December Nights in early December—sparkling lights, theatrical and musical entertainment, exotic food, and free admission to the park’s participating museums on both evenings (balboapark.org/decembernights; 619-239-0512). Neighborhoods around town enhance the dazzle, notably the spectacular Christmas Circle in Chula Vista between First and Second Avenues, south of H and I streets. The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights carries the splendor onto the water with fireworks followed by over 100 stunningly illuminated boats covering a 7.5-mile route. Shelter Island, Seaport Village, Harbor Island, Ferry Landing on Coronado, and the Embarcadero offer the best vantage points for watching from the shore (sdparadeoflights.org, 619-224-2240). As December draws to a close, the Pacific Holiday Bowl Parade—America’s largest balloon parade, accompanied by bands and drill teams—leads up to the main event, the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium (sandiego.org; 619-232-3101).

Another marvel of wizardry on the waves, Ventura’s Parade of Lights and Festival embellishes the harbor with an armada strung with Christmas lights, and a fireworks finale (venturaharborvillage.com, 877-89HARBOR).

Both a tradition and a cause for awe, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade has entered its second century. Yachts, boats, kayaks, and canoes, some with animated Christmas scenes, travel 14 miles around the harbor on five consecutive nights in mid-December, leaving from and ending off Bay Island each evening. The annual Ring of Lights competition for houses and businesses surrounding the harbor heightens the mood of utter exhilaration. The New York Times called

this “one of the top ten holiday happenings in the nation” (christmasboatparade.com; 949-729-4400).

Lightings and Transformations

From California City to Solvang, San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square to Oakland’s Jack London Square, malls do them, theme parks do them, even the governor does them, with many occurring the Friday after Thanksgiving and the first Friday in December. Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm have multiple trees. Legoland fashions its tree from Lego bricks. In Sacramento, the California State Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony features thousands upon thousands of LED lights powered by a one-kilowatt fuel cell to reduce the carbon footprint, and over a thousand ornaments crafted by adults and children with developmental disabilities.

In late November, Riverside embraces the season with the Mistletoe Magic Gala that kicks off the Festival of Trees, the Riverside County Regional Medical Center Foundation’s annual fund-raiser, during Thanksgiving week (rcrmc.org; 951-486-4213) and the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa’s free Festival of Lights, when more than two million twinkling lights grace the property, along with a magnificent tree, Dickens carolers, horse-drawn carriages, and more than 400 animated characters dressed in 17th century finery (festivaloflightsca.com; 951-784-0300).

Meanwhile, communities step back into the past. Riverside’s revelry continues into December with music, entertainment, refreshments, gifts, and tours at the Heritage House’s Christmas Open House (riversideca.gov; 951-826-5273). Tehachapi’s Old Tyme Christmas on Main Street pairs with the Downtown Shopping Holiday Extravaganza to cast a spell (mainstreettehachapi.org; 661-822-6519). Ventura’s Pierpont Inn transports guests to an Edwardian Christmas Fairytale with carolers, and docents in 1910 attire, on post-Thanksgiving Fridays and Saturdays (pierpontinn.com; 805-643-6144). In Ventura, a candlelight Christmas at the 1847 Olivas Adobe Hacienda of Rancho San Miguel approaches the holidays as Californians experienced them during the Mexican Rancho era (olivasadobe.org; 805-658-4728). In San Francisco, the Embarcadero Center Hyatt Regency undergoes a transformation-in-miniature with its beloved Snow Village of over 10,000 handcrafted ceramic pieces (sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com; 415-788-1234).

Fantasies and Footlights

December means heartwarming performances of The Nutcracker by ballet companies all over the state, among them the Riverside Ballet Theatre Company (crballet.org; 951-787-7850) and the Sacramento Ballet (sacballet.org; 916-552-5800).

In San Diego, the Old Globe Theater’s annual How the Grinch Stole Christmas tells Dr. Seuss’ classic story with wonderful sets originally bestowed by Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel (theoldglobe.org; 619-234-5623).

In Palm Springs, the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies puts on an amazing show of songs and dances of the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, with Broadway-caliber numbers and celebrated headliners from the Good Old Days. The troupe of “Long-legged Lovelies and Dapper Dans” includes a 15-minute holiday segment from its October opening through New Year’s Eve that always ends with “White Christmas” and an on-stage snowfall (psfollies.com; 760-327-0225).

From Summits to Sand Dunes,

By December, California’s peaks could inspire the ultimate Christmas card. Billows of fluffy whiteness cascade over rocks, evergreens, and streams to create picture-perfect vignettes. Little critters leave delicate tracks. Nature did this all by herself.

Nonetheless, human intervention lends a certain merriment, for instance in the Yosemite Valley’s AAA Four-Diamond Ahwahnee hotel. The Bracebridge Dinner—eight lavish Christmas feasts on several mid-December weekday and weekend nights—combine an Old English theme, regal figures, singers, and ornate costumes with an elaborate seven-course meal. In 2006, The Wall Street Journal proclaimed it “the country’s, if not the world’s, premier Christmas dinner.” On Christmas morning, Santa passes out wrapped gifts to children – rumor has it that their parents provide the presents in advance (yosemitepark.com/bracebridge).

The Ahwahnee greets New Year’s Eve with another impressive celebration, then combats post-New Year’s Eve doldrums with its annual Chef’s Holidays series of culinary receptions, classes, and candlelight gala dinners in January (yosemitepark.com/chefs). One more thing. The Ahwahnee has Yosemite – home to the first ski resort in the entire Sierra Nevada – with an outdoor ice rink and plenty of winter activities (yosemitepark.com; 801-559-4949).

Or, for a very different sort of stillness, Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort in Death Valley luxuriates in the stark, remote, glorious majesty of the desert, while decorated inside and out with lights and beautiful trees. Christmas Eve brings an upscale dinner buffet, as does New Year’s Eve, with favors, a flute player, a six-course dinner, music, balloon drop, and champagne toast (furnacecreekresort.com; 760-786-3385).

Ring in the NewYear

Literally. In San Francisco, the annual Japanese New Year Bell Ringing Ceremony at the Asian Art Museum, Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, invites people to ring the 2,100-pound, 16th century bronze temple bell from Japan’s Tajima province. According to honored tradition, a large custom-hewn log strikes it 108 times to curb the 108 bonno (mortal desires) that torment our lives. A blessing completes the observance. Tickets are issued on a first-come, first-served basis (asianart.org; 415-581-3500).

Recipe for Special Memories

A dash of pageant. A pinch of parade. A roadmap and maybe mittens. With so many possibilities, you can hardly go wrong!

Article appeared in our 26-5 Issue - December 2009