When you live in a place with more palm trees than snow, stereotypical images of Christmas just don't work. It's awfully hard to go on a sleigh ride at the beach, after all. But Californians, being an imaginative lot, have come up with a whole batch of variations on Christmas traditions and some new ones of their own, too.
Harbor Christmas Parades: Take an old-fashioned Christmas parade down to the nearest marina or harbor, substitute decorated and lighted boats for floats, and you've got a California-style Christmas parade. Locations featuring these festive delights include San Diego Harbor's Parade of Lights, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade where you can be in the parade and Jack London Square's parade of more than 100 lighted pleasure craft. If you'd rather be in a boat than watching one pass by, the Huntington Harbor Cruise of Lights is charming trip through the harbor's waterways passes houses decorated with enough lights to make Las Vegas jealous.
Christmas "Training": Near Santa Cruz, Roaring Camp Railroad runs a special Holiday Lights Train from the mountains down into town.
Christmas Concerts: What's that music coming from yon wine cave? It's David Auerbach performing Carols in the Caves. David uses rare and unusual musical instruments to interpret Christmas standards in a new way. Performing in Napa Valley wine caves, Auerbach acts as the high priest of Christmas for a magical break from the holiday preparations. The a capella group Chanticleer is a San Francisco area favorite, performing Gregorian chants and popular tunes in some of the area's prettiest venues, including historic Spanish missions.
Disneyland at Christmas: Disneyland gets gussied up all over, with special parades. The Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World get extra decorations, too.
Bracebridge Dinner: Yosemite's Ahwanee Hotel dining room turns into a 17th century English manor for a three-hour pageant of classic carols, Renaissance rituals, music and food with the Squire and his family, their servants, the Lord of Misrule, minstrels and other characters. We think it's one of the most fun ways to celebrate the holidays that you'll find anywhere in the state.
Surfin' Santa: In most places, Santa arrives in a sleigh. In Capitola, just south of Santa Cruz, he arrives on a surfboard instead. Decked out in a red wetsuit with all the white trimmings, the Surfin' Santa usually comes ashore on Thanksgiving weekend.
Tractor Christmas Parade: Calistoga, the northernmost community in Napa Valley, hosts an annual Christmas parade with a twist. Their Tractor Christmas Parade is held the first Saturday in December.
Outdoor Light Displays: Southern Californians get especially enthusiastic when it comes to outdoor light displays. Try the DWP Light Festival in Griffith Park, or take the Santa Barbara Trolley's special lights tour. In northern California, the drive-through Fantasy of Lights in Vasona Park near Los Gatos is well worth the time if you're in the area, as is a trip to Gilroy Gardens where you can enjoy your light display from their family-friendly rides.
Elsewhere, Hearst Castle decorates for the holidays during the last half of December and the historic adobe homes in Monterey Historical Park open in early December for special holiday candlelight tours.
But some things never change. Before Californians go to sleep on Christmas Eve, they still say "to all a Merry Christmas and to all a good night!"
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