The big events this year are a no-go and your longtime holiday tradition of gathering probably isn’t happening – but that doesn’t mean it has to be a bah-humbug of a festive season.
With coronvirus cases surging in recent weeks, this year will be all about getting creative and enjoying the simple things.
Shopping centers, city halls and entertainment venues are getting innovative this year to bring socially distanced memorable moments to you and your family and keep the festive feelings strong.
Here’s 10 creative ideas to get you into the holiday spirit – though any changes in local coronavirus guidelines could alter plans or what’s allowed, so check ahead of going and plan to keep socially distanced and wear a mask:
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Skaters take to the ice on a temporary rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Jia Junker skates around a temporary ice rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Skaters take to the ice on a temporary rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Arianna Hughes, left, and Sofia Vasquez skate around a temporary rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Skaters take to the ice on a temporary rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Skaters take to the ice on a temporary rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Skaters take to the ice on a temporary rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Ryan Altshuler helps his son, Grayson, 4, make it around a temporary ice rink at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.The rink will be up until Jan 3, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1. Ice skating at the beach:
It’s an oh-so-California experience – strapping on ice skates and racing around an outdoor rink, just across from the sand and in full view of the glistening Pacific Ocean.
The Paséa Hotel & Spa this year turned a grassy lawn – where normally big holiday parties are held – into a winter wonderland by building an 84-by-60-foot oceanfront ice rink, complete with periods of snow falling onto skaters.
“We’re in the hospitality industry, we needed to bring joy to people during these hard times,” said Giovanni Prada, corporate director of marketing for Paséa, located at Pacific City in Huntington Beach. “We saw an ice rink as a perfect opportunity to bring a little more holiday cheer.”
The outdoor area also boasts a 30-foot, decorated tree and offers cocoa for the kids or spiked apple cider for the parents.
As a safety protocol, reservations are required to limit crowds, with a max of 25 people on the ice, and there is regular sanitation of skates and the sides of the rink and face masks are required while on the ice.
Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. Tickets are $30, skates included.
2. Search for snow:
The nearby mountains – which you can get to in under two hours – already got their first infusion of snowfall, and all local ski resorts are up and running.
While there hasn’t been a storm in weeks, the cold nighttime temps have allowed snowmaking at resorts, creating plenty of white stuff to sled, ski or snowboard down.
Don’t want to travel to the mountains? You might find snow closer to home.
Every half hour at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach, snow will fall at three different locations – the tree in front of Burlington Coat Factory, the fountain by Huntington Surf and Sport and the walkway between Kabuki and the Century Theater.
The snowfall at the outdoor mall happens 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will run through Dec. 24.
3. Visit a virtual or socially distanced Santa:
You may find fewer Santa stops around this year, but there’s places where you can still visit the jolly big man – in modified ways.
Several of the area malls have Santa visits planned, with reservations encouraged to reduce crowds, social distancing and masks required for all.
Santa & Mrs. Claus will be dropping by Bella Terra on their sleigh from Dec. 5 to Dec. 27 to take social-distanced photos with children, with photo packages available for purchase. Check bellaterra-hb.com for times, appointments needed.
Bella Terra also has a place you can drop of your letters in Santa’s mailbox. Santa and Mrs. Claus will read your letters live on Facebook the following week. Letters will be picked up every Sunday at 8 p.m. and read the following Tuesday at 6 p.m. live on Bella Terra’s Facebook page.
Don’t want to mingle with the crowds at a shopping center? The District in Tustin has set up virtual Santa photos you can take in the comfort of your own home. Just go to TheDistrictTL.com for a discount code. The virtual photos are easily downloadable for sharing.
4. Christmas tree tour:
Maybe make a map and tour the festive trees of O.C. – there are plenty to visit.
Do you know the tallest Christmas tree in the country is right here in south Orange County, at the Outlets in San Clemente? It’s a massive 125-foot white fir, a whopping 20,000-pounder that was lit on Nov. 7.
Or maybe take a stroll on San Clemente’s wooden pier – at the end of it a decorated tree has been put up for the first time. Need a Christmas card? Stand at the tree with the glistening ocean and sunset in the backdrop for a SoCal scene.
You could check out trees that do more than just look pretty. This year, The District partnered with Hoag Health and several local nonprofit organizations to create a family friendly “Festival of Trees” experience.
Local groups such as the Santa Ana Zoo, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin, Tustin Chamber of Commerce, Tustin Public Schools Foundation, and Komen Orange County have decorated holiday trees in fun festive themes, with The District donating to each of the participating organizations.
“It’s not Christmas as usual this year, but we wanted to be able to celebrate what the season is all about and more importantly, give back to our community,” said Shannon Campbell, director of marketing for The District. “We’re definitely not canceling the holidays this year and hope that we can bring holiday cheer in other meaningful ways.”
There will be tickets to enter the area starting at 4 p.m. Monday, they are free of charge but a way to mitigate crowds. Get a ticket at TheDistrictTL.com to select a reserved time.
Also, raffle tickets will be available at the event to win a decorated tree, with 100% of the ticket sales benefiting the nonprofits.
5. Take a lights tour:
No doubt, holiday home décor is going to be earlier, bigger and better this year throughout the county, but some neighborhoods really go above and beyond.
One of the biggest collective neighborhood efforts is the Brea Eagle Hills community, which has its own website and Facebook page for the Christmas light show. Organizers will even post live streaming and traffic updates to their website at brealights.com.
If you want to get out of your car, The Dana Point Harbor is worthy of a stroll, with its popular Merry Kiss Me arch and massive blue whale made out of lights, with the harbor walkways and palm trees decked out.
New this year, Dana Point Harbor Partners have added light displays to the island to encourage visitors to explore all areas of the harbor and avoid large crowds.
Mission San Juan Capistrano features a nighttime tree lighting in the Ruins of the Great Stone Church on select evenings. There’s a 30-foot Christmas tree and the front courtyard features a 10-foot wreath for photo ops. Masks required and social distancing will be enforced. Check the website missionsjc.com for dates and ticket sales, cost is $5 for the general public, $3 for members.
At The District in Tustin, the center has installed new holiday lighting and decor, including a giant light-up ornament that guests can walk through and take pictures inside of, along with large-scale holiday decorations next to the center’s Christmas tree in the AMC Fountain Courtyard.
The Newport Dunes will feature the Lighting of the Bay each night with bright-shining trees and other decorations, creating a glistening reflection off the water.
6. Drive-in holiday movies:
Despite movie theaters being shut down again, there’s several places you can see your favorite holiday film, but outdoors or in the comfort of your car.
Pacific City in Huntington Beach will screen a holiday movie at 6 p.m. Thursdays from Dec. 2 to Dec. 17. The movies are free and are held outdoors on the second level. There will be special appearances from the film’s characters.
Irvine Spectrum is holding holiday drive-in movie nights through Dec. 27. Tickets are $40 for each car.
The Newport Dunes is also launching holiday drive-in movies that private parties can book, a way to get groups together but keep space between them.
The “drive-in celebrations” are shown on a large screen, with a stage and sound system that broadcasts through an FM radio. Reservations can range from 20 cars to 100, prices vary.
7. Get on the water:
Most boat parades have been officially canceled, though there’s word some boaters are planning to still getting together to hold unofficial parades to show off their decked-out vessels in local harbors.
You can still do a holiday boat cruise with a charter boat to see the boats and harbor homes that go all out with holiday decor. Davey’s Locker, for example, is scheduling 75-minute holiday light cruises from Dec. 4 through Jan. 3.
Don’t want to be on a boat with others? Rent your own Duffy boat for just you and your family and take a tour around Newport Beach’s Balboa Island, where the Ring of Lights competition is fierce.
8 Do a candy cane challenge:
If you’re into scavenger hunts, this one might be for you. There are candy canes located throughout Irvine Spectrum, just grab a participation card from Guest Services, complete the quest and then get a sweet reward.
9. Cocoa by a bonfire:
Here’s a way to get outdoors with your family for some holiday cheer. Watch the sunset at the beach and cozy up next to a toasty bonfire to make S’mores and sip on some hot cocoa. Bring a wireless speaker to stream some holiday tunes in the backdrop.
It’s a great, inexpensive way to create an intimate moment with loved ones. While summer months may be tough for nabbing a fire ring, during winter months there’s plenty around at Huntington city and state beaches, Bolsa Chica, Corona del Mar and Doheny State Beach.
Newport Dunes will be renting out private fire pits on the sand from Dec. 4-19, with dinner from the beachfront grill Moe B’s Munchies and marshmallows for roasting delivered directly to groups. Prices start at $26 for two people to $83 for the maximum six people.
10. Build a sandy snowman:
Here’s an easy – and free – idea. Instead of waiting to get to the snow, take a bucket down to the sand and make your own sandy snowman. Maybe do a little competition with parents verses the kids, or use the creation as the perfect photo op to send family holiday cards.
Posted by: https://anaheimsigns.com
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