Christmas tree at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, 2012. (Photo courtesy of J. Katarzyna Woronowicz, and used with permission.)
Some things just don’t lose their magic.
There’s the first bite of a freshly-baked chocolate-chip cookie…the first snowfall…the first Christmas you spend with someone special.
And the moment when those lights go on, on the tall Christmas tree in the center of town, and the crowd ooohs as you hear the Christmas carols in the background–wow, I’m getting chills just writing about that!
So, where can you experience that magic in California, for Christmas 2013? Here are some dates you might like to put on your calendar!.
SAN DIEGO:
November 17, 2013 – Old Globe Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, 6:00 pm, The Old Globe’s Copley Plaza. This annual event coincides with the annual Christmas production of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas opens at the Old Globe. So, this free family event includes performances by Grinch cast members. Unfortunately, this hugely-popular celebration (now in its eighth year) books up fast–reservations are required for seating. But the Old Globe does allow standbys, starting at 4:30 that afternoon. Warning: get there at least an hour early to find parking in Balboa Park. (And if you’d like to see the Grinch beforehand–they’re having a preview of How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Saturday, November 16, at 7:00 pm!)
NAPA:
November 23, 2013 – Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, 6:00 pm, Veterans Park. The town of Napa manages to make “Twelve Days of Christmas” look stingy! According to their downtown Napa website, their 2013 Christmas tree has more than a thousand ornaments…and more than two thousand lights. The town itself, they say, will be decked out in more than thirty-five thousand Christmas lights. They also say they’ll have more than three hundred pairs of ice skates available for skaters to rent, at Napa’s first outdoor rink. And if you get tempted by fresh-baked Christmas cookies, they admit that their local artisan bakery, Sweetie Pie’s, baked more than three thousand hand-decorated ones last year. (They say nothing about a partridge in a pear tree–but somehow, I don’t think anybody will miss it.)
SAN FRANCISCO:
November 23 and 24, 2013 – Pier 39 tree lighting, 6:00 pm. No, that’s not a typo. They’re lighting their sixty-foot-tall Christmas tree twice–once on Saturday and once on Sunday! Both days, the festivities start at noon, with special guests and live Christmas music from groups including the Oakland Youth Chorus and Mission Valley Chorus (Saturday) and Star Valley Children’s Choir (Sunday). On Saturday, the 23rd, they’ll also have “Letters to Santa” from noon to 5 pm with the U.S. Postal Service. This program’s now celebrating its centennial–and it’s your chance to help keep the magic going!
SAN FRANCISCO:
November 27, 2013 – Light the Menorah at Ghirardelli Square, 5:00 pm. On this first night of Hanukkah, Rabbi Peretz Mochkin will be on hand to light the first candle in the giant Menorah. This is a family celebration, complete with a lollipop pull and some very tempting-sounding candy.
November 29, 2013 – Ghirardelli Square Tree Lighting Ceremony,. 5:30 pm. 2013 marks Ghirardelli Square’s 49th annual tree lighting. Live music, entertainment for the children and a visit from Santa will all be part of the fun before those lights go on at 5:30.
November 29, 2013 – Union Square tree lighting, 6:00 pm, Union Square Park between Sutter, Post, Geary and Stockton. This will be Macy’s 24th annual tree lighting. Their website warns, get there early–it’s going to be crowded! The ceremony starts at 6:00, with the actual tree lighting scheduled for around 6:40.
MONTEREY:
November 29, 2013 – Cannery Row tree lighting, 5:00 – 8:00 pm, Steinbeck Plaza, at Cannery Row and Prescott Avenue. Reindeer, carolers and the arrival of Santa mark the start of the Christmas season in Monterey. Santa shows up at 6:00 pm to flip the switch on the 25-foot Christmas tree. After that, according to Cannery Row’s website, he’ll stay around for visits with the kids (and photo opportunities!) until 9:00 pm.
Now–how about all the OTHER tree lighting ceremonies going on, throughout California? You guessed it–there were just too many to put in one post! More coming up tomorrow.