Seasonal Events, Festivals and Things to Do

• Annual Events: A month-by-month summary of the best goings-on around town.

• Christmas in Los Angeles: Boat parades, over-the-top light displays and celebrity parades.

• Disneyland at Christmas: The park gets more decked out every year.

• Disneyland at Halloween: Mickey puts on his Halloween costume and the whole park gets dressed up.

• Grunion Run: It happens every summer on the Los Angeles beaches.

• Horse Racing at Santa Anita: The sport of kings.

• Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach: It's as amazing as you may have heard. Buy tickets early. It sells out every year.

• Rose Parade Float Viewing: I think walking around the floats after the parade is more fun than watching them on the street.

Day Trips Out of Town

• Carlsbad Flower Fields: These showy flowers are called ranunculus and they're well worth a trip to see them.

• Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas: The big marine mammals have chosen a spot near the highway, very convenient for watching the pups, mating and general mayhem.