Spend Your Weekend In Holiday Spirit

Spend the weekend gazing at OC's prettiest Christmas lights, like the Cruise
of Lights in Huntington Beach (image via CruiseofLights.org)

If you're on a holiday buzz, or if you're looking to get into the holiday spirit, there's lots going on to help keep the spirit going:

Boat Parades: Both Huntington and Newport Beach are having a parade of boats dressed in Christmas lights. Christmas at the beach sounds like a great way to entertain out of town guests and kids on winter break.

Did you know that the Newport Boat Parade was named by Yahoo! Travel as number 2 on the nation's top ten destinations for holiday lights? It might be worth checking out, it's free on the public waterfront areas of Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island, and it ends with a fireworks show. More info can be found on their website here.

The Huntington Beach Cruise of Lights is also is also acclaimed, voted in the top ten by Coastal Living Magazine. It's a narrated boat tour through the Huntington Harbour and the proceeds benefit the Youth Music Programs for The Orange County Philharmonic Society. Learn more about the tour here.

Movies: The Lab Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa is showing Christmas movies outdoors, with Home Alone on Saturday and It's A Wonderful Life on Sunday, both at 6:30 pm. Learn more details about the event here.

The Snoopy House, now in Costa Mesa's City Hall (image via TheOCNow).

Neighborhood Lights: While you're in Costa Mesa, you might want to stop by the City Hall, where the Snoopy House is on display for its 45th year. The Christmas tradition almost didn't happen when a bank had foreclosed on its original Santa Ana home. A public outcry and phone call from a city official later, the display has moved to City Hall. Thanks to the tireless help of volunteers, all can now visit the Peanut-themed displays, sip hot apple cider and take pictures with Santa. For more about the story that's like a "Frank Capra movie" you can read here.

For many, the holidays aren't complete without a drive through a neighborhood decked out in Christmas lights. The Mission Viejo Patch listed this year's winners for the best neighborhood Christmas displays, as determined by the Mission Viejo Activities Commission. Check out the map here, or see the addresses on the Patch's site.