"250 strands of lights, 100 individual bulbs per strand, for a grand total of 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights."
- Clark Griswold, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
For many Los Angelenos in December, the prospect of balancing one's work schedule, while finding time to entertain out of state relatives, and tracking down that limited edition American Girl doll can be daunting.
Compound that by the desire to keep our monthly electricity bill out of the, Why-$2k?! range, means that most of us will never know the exhilaration of lighting our home up like a supernova.
Lest your your inner Griswold be denied, there are a plethora of FREE, destination worthy, Christmas light showcases on display, in and around Los Angeles. Some of the best ones are...
A Canopy of Light: Christmas Tree Lane, Altadena
Where: On Santa Rosa Avenue, between Woodbury Ave. and Altadena Dr., in the city of Altadena.
When: December 10th, 2011 to January 7th, 2012 Dusk to 10pm M-Thurs, Dusk to midnight Fri-Sun and holidays.
About: On December 10th, Altadena locals celebrated the 91th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony with a Winter Festival, complete with arts and crafts booths, food, choirs, and a parade. What sets Christmas Tree Lane apart are the lights strewn between the branches of the 150 Deodor trees, creating a luminescent canopy of lights.
Helpful Hint: Show up for Winter Festival and you can join the post tree lighting parade, perhaps following a local high school's drum line all the way down the lane.
Mansions & Majestic Pines: St. Albans St., San Marino
Where: St. Albans Rd. between Huntington Dr. and Monterrey Rd., in San Marino
When: Early December through New Year's Day
About: Perhaps it's the way the pine trees on St. Albans St., aglow in red and green and blue Christmas lights, look like the world's tallest adornments for the multi-million dollar estates between them. As such, a trip down St. Albans street in December conveys a certain oil painting meets storybook aura to it- Thomas Kincade by way of Whoville, if you will.
Helpful Hint: The houses are lit up for just a small stretch on St. Albans, so park your car and make a quick loop around the street by foot, to make the most of the experience.
The Boat Parade: Newport Beacher
Where: The channels by Balboa, Bay and Lido Islands. Near Jamboree and Pacific Coast Highway
When: December 14-18, 2011 BUT you can find boats and seaside homes lit up through the New Year.
About: Starting near the Balboa Peninsula, dozens of boats, from million dollar yachts to kayaks, circle the channels around Bay, Balboa and Lido islands competing for awards. But it's not just about the boats. Waterfront homes are prize eligible too, meaning you'll find elaborate light displays both in and out of the water.
Helpful Hint: Miss the parade dates? You can still take a charter boat to view the homes and boats that remain lit up, throughout the holiday season.
A Christmas Block Party: Thoroughbred Lane, Rancho Cucamonga
Where: Thoroughbred Ln. and Sapphire St., in Rancho Cucamonga
When: The weekend following Thanksgiving, through Christmas.
About: This is the street that would make Clark Griswold jealous. Virtually every house is decked out in a unique Christmas theme from the traditional manger scene to Nightmare Before Christmas. At one home, you can take pictures with life size statues of Disney princesses. Or perhaps you'll watch the mini Ferris wheel and train go round and round as you finish drinking a cup of hot cocoa that you bought at a local's driveway.
Helpful Hint: Walk the route, don't drive it. The locals treat the weekends like a block party and many set up tables, chairs, bonfires, and tents and sell hot cocoa, churros, cupcakes, tamales, and cotton candy from their curbside concession stands.
A Hollywood Christmas: The Grove, Los Angeles
Where: 189 The Grove Dr., Los Angeles
When: November 14th, 2011 through New Year's Eve
About: An outdoor shopping destination, the Grove transforms into a winter wonderland over the holidays, complete with a 110' Christmas tree with a hovering reindeer sled, a 30' tall Santa's workshop adorned with giant, animatronic toys outside and, of course, you can pictures with Santa inside. Want to say that you went to L.A. for the, uh, snow? Then take a walk down the main street at 7 & 8pm on the hour and watch as the artificial snowflakes cascade upon you and melt where they will.
Helpful Hint: Hungry? Try eating at the outdoor patio of one of the restaurants near the fountain. If you do, you'll be treated to a dancing water stream show, choreographed to Christmas music.
To All a Good Night!
And that gives you five Christmas Lights destinations spread throughout the Southern California. Of course there are other road trip-worthy options out there. What are your favorites?
Sergio Cervantes - Sergio is a freelance writer, living near LA.. He was 1 of 10 handpicked writers, in the NHMC Television Writers Program, in 2006.
Join the Conversation