WIth Thanksgiving behind us, the holiday decorating has officially begun...even if some of us may have started early. As tacky or as cheesy as we may think outdoor holiday decorations are, we have to admit that we enjoy seeing them show up on the lawns when we drive through any of LA's neighborhoods.
For some of LA's more scenic routes, here are a few of our favorites:
- Altadena's Christmas Tree Lane hosts the 89th Annual Lighting December 12th at 6 pm along with a Winter Arts and Crafts Festival earlier in the day at 2 pm at the Altadena Public Library. This display of holiday lights is famous for a mile of lit deodar trees.
- 14th Annual LA DWP Griffith Park Light Festival runs from December 4th to 30th, starting at 5 pm to 10 pm. There are a few options on how to experience this holiday spectacle (walking, shuttle, car, bike, and horse), so make sure you check the calendar for designated nights before you go.
- Venice Canals 28th Annual Holiday Boat Parade is set for December 13th and includes everything from small boats to canoes to even kayaks fully decorated and lit up to float through the canals. Festivities start at 6 pm and end at 8 pm.
- Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills has some of the best (and perhaps hilarious) outdoor holiday displays...a tradition that dates all the way back to 1952. In addition to the usual fare of Santa Claus and lighted reindeer, the residents at Candy Cane Lane keep the holidays updated with the addition of Disney themes (Toy Story is especially popular). Official hours are from 7 pm to 9 pm, with gawking no later than 10 pm on weeknights and 11 pm on weekends.
Got your own favorite spots to view outdoor holiday displays? Share them with us in the comments!
(Image: Via Sodahead)
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Ha! That "Ditto" to the right is hilarious!
Torrance has a great neighborhood over off of PV blvd.
"As tacky or as cheesy as we may think outdoor holiday decorations are..."
I didn't realize people thought outdoor lights were tacky!
The neighborhood behind St. Lawrence Martyr's in Redondo Beach has a nice one.
heee
clampers:
Those with hearts two sizes too small do.
Seattle has some wonderful light displays and while I may not always like what gets put up, I love to go and oogle anyway.
Some people clearly are creative in their decorating the house's exterior for the holidays, others, not so much and some just go too far and it becomes tacky.
I don't mind a little kitsch in with my holidays - especially if said house mimics the kitschiness of holidays past w/ vintage stuff especially if said vintage stuff is at least 40 years old might be cool.
Right now all I have is a balcony at my apartment building so a string of vintage C9 light set with some twinkling bulbs, other opaque and still others translucent but all brightly colored will have to suffice.
I live in the hills and it is a perpetual delight to look out at night and see the window lights spread out like a magic quilt along the hillsides. It is such a perfect and peaceful scene - - until the Christmas season, when the perfect and beautiful becomes ugly and garish.
Then, there are many folk who turn the lights off after the New Year, but leave the lights tacked onto their houses, so that buildings that looked trim and neat in the daytime now look like they are covered with strings of dust and cobwebs all year.
Still, live and let live. I'm sure there are folks who don't like the way I decorate my house and lawn!
Ha! That picture is fantastic.
The entire neighborhood of Hastings Ranch in northwest Pasadena (close to Sierra Madre & Arcadia) decorates for the holidays, too. Each street has a different theme of decorations.
(Full disclosure, my parents live up there but I'm tired of seeing Altadena take all the credit!)