In this issue
Opinion
Feature
A&E
Sports
Settling the debate between a “White Christmas” or a tropical vacation.
Science teacher Mr. Rutherford shares his passion for lobster hunting.
An inside look on the Talon Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland play.
Girls tennis captains share their insights on their exhilarating season.
December 2023
Volume XXXVI, Issue 2
Christmas comes to you Boasting a multitude of seasonal activites, Orange County provides many events all over to engage everyone in the holiday festivities. By Kelly Lu, Staff Writer
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ith Christmas rolling around the corner and traveling costs skyrocketing over the past few years, many families are opting to stay home. Luckily, Orange County has some of the best holiday activities in Southern California. Here are some upcoming events. Downtown Anaheim boasts the Nutcracker Tree Lighting & Holiday Village on Center Street Promenade. Situated in front of Anaheim Ice, the decorations are bright and beautiful; it is the perfect place to go with your loved ones. There are also food, drinks, candy/desserts, live music, and the lighting of the tree. A little farther from Rancho Santa Margarita is an outdoor movie viewing in the Brea Civic and Cultural Center Plaza. Though this event runs throughout the year, around Christmas, holiday classics will be streaming. Be sure to go on the website calendar to schedule which viewing/ movie you want to see. Admission is free; it’s a perfect fun, low budget way to enjoy some flicks! If you have little siblings, the Buena Park Candy-Cane Land and Craft Faire is perfect (8150 Knotts Avenue). This events offers free admission, free raffles, food trucks, and a massive Snow Slide! That’s pretty hard to see in Southern California. Of course, every year, Christmas is kicked off by the Huntington Harbor Boat Parade & Cruise of Lights.Tickets for the cruise are about 30 dollars, and it’s worth every penny. Money from tickets are donated to a good cause: music programs throughout schools in OC. The dates, however, are restricted to December 9-10, 16-18, and 21-23. You can find this event in the brightly lit Huntington Harbor. Both houses and boats go all out for Christmas! Another
Photos by Creative Commons, NBC LA, and Spectrum News
Fun all over - there are many fun holiday events around Orange County, including the Merry Kiss Me holiday lights in Dana Point (top left), Newport Boat Tour (top right), Surf City Wonderland (bottom left), and the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach (bottom right).
good one you might’ve heard of is the Newport Beach Boat tour. In a funny clash of summer and winter, the Surf City Wonderland on the Huntington Beach Pier is an event that costs about 20 dollars to enter. The pier is a homebase for many events, this one being one of their largest. They install a skating rink, food vendors, and other entertainments. You get to enjoy holiday festivities on the comfortable, familiar sandy beaches of SoCal! Down at the popular Salt Creek Beach, an annual surf contest occurs. The date is still TBD, free to attend, and $60 to participate. The event is held by a Non-Gov-
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ernmental Organization (NGO) that gives cost-free summer camps for children with Autism. The contest audience can even participate in the costume contest in the water. The Sawdust Art Festival will be returning to Laguna Beach for their Winter Fantasy! This event happens in a small, woody arena, filled with independent artists selling various products, from painting to pottery to jewelry. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids, and happens on Friday-Sun November 17th to December 17th. The Sawdust Festival is likely older than your parents (it has been running for over six decades) and now has amount-
ed to about 100 artist sellers. Not only are there artisanal crafts, there are live performances, puppeteers, and classes one can attend. An event to go to with your significant other is the Casa Lumina Holiday Walk in San Clemente. Admission is $10-15 and offers a walk through a beautiful scene of lights, entertainment, hot drinks, artists, and DIY crafts. However, this event only runs up until Christmas day, so go before they shut down operations for the year! On par with Hollywood expectations, the holidays at Universal Studios is always impressive with their decoration and festive spir-
it. Tickets are a bit pricey at $159, but you can enjoy fun rides and food all day. The park is Grinchmas themed, and the Harry Potter world is morphed into a snowy paradise. Though somewhat far (out of OC) it’s worth the drive! This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the OC Winter Fest on the OC Fair Grounds in Costa Mesa. This event runs quite long, from November 24th to January 7th, so you have plenty of time to visit once, twice, even three times. The fairground is covered with rides, ice events, carnivals, and extensive food vendors.
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