Thanksgiving and Christmas don't have to mean a crackling fire, snow and difficult travel conditions. You may consider packing up your bathing suit and golf clubs and bringing your holiday spirit to sunny California. Special holiday celebrations up and down the length of the state take advantage of generally good weather and the geographic diversity here, which few other states can match.
Holidays Minus the Snow
In Southern California, outdoor festivities can usually stay outdoors because the weather is often sunny, warm and predictable. So, a holiday bash planned here often goes off without a surprise from Mother Nature, and there's so much to do outside. Consider a clambake on the beach at Malibu this Thanksgiving, or an elaborate Christmas dinner on the links.
Golf Parties
The Industry Hills Golf Club at the award-winning Pacific Palms Resort in Industry Hills has 45,000 square feet of indoor space as well as several outdoor spaces for a post-tournament reception, holiday party or social. The Angeles National Golf Club in Sunland has a magnificent panoramic view of the Angeles National Forest and a sparkling lake, which you can enjoy while having a holiday dinner or private party. In San Diego County, the Cottonwood Golf Club in El Cajon has added a Pavilion on the Green to accommodate receptions and banquets, with seating for up to 300 people.
Along the Beach
On Coronado Island off San Diego, the Chamber of Commerce hosts a holiday parade each December at Ferry Landing Marketplace. Santa arrives and kicks off an evening parade, and the celebration ends with fireworks. In Seal Beach, Orange County, a holiday parade begins amid the surfers and strollers at Seal Beach Pier, then heads up Main Street to Pacific Coast Highway. Ventura hosts "California-style sleigh rides,'' with the sleigh being the Bay Queen II, for a tour of the Ventura Keys and harbor. Onboard, you can try the "reindeer milk'' or a cup of hot chocolate. Huntington Beach offers the New Year's Day Pier's Polar Plunge, a dip and dive into the Pacific. Venice Beach's Penguin Swim Club does a New Year's Dive annually at noon.
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is breathtaking any time of the year, but in autumn and winter, with the summer crowds gone, Yosemite's elegance shines. Here, everything is on a grand scale, including the magnificent Ahwahnee Hotel inside the park. The hotel marries elegant accommodations with the rustic beauty of its setting. It offers 99 hotel rooms and two dozen cabins set amid the woods and waterfalls.
Tournament of Roses
Millions of people start each new year either attending or watching on television as Pasadena's Tournament of Roses Parade makes its way down Colorado Boulevard. Magnificent floral floats, marching bands and talented equestrian units anchor this two-hour extravaganza, which kicks off the Rose Bowl, one of college football's oldest bowl games. This offers a great way to start the new year amid the scent of thousands of roses, with nary an ice sculpture in sight.
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