By Alexia Salazar
Christmas lights hanging from the roof and an inflatable Santa Claus lay across the lawn. Candy canes line up on the walkway. Reindeer stand upright by the doorway. The neighborhood gleams with bright decorations and holiday cheer. What better way to celebrate the holidays than looking at the beautiful light displays? Here’s a list of local places to view the holiday decorations.
Brea Eagle Hills Community
E. Lambert Road and Sunflower Street
Brea
This neighborhood has been participating in this annual lighting for over 30 years. More than 100 homes are decorated with lights and festive music. Visitors can walk or drive through the streets to see the displays. Hot chocolate and pastries are available to purchase from some of the residents.
Laguna Hills Light Display
25473 Nellie Gail Rd.
Laguna Hills
The Nellie Gail Road community has over 120,000 decorated lights in their neighborhood. Most of the homes have their Christmas lights synced to music. This event is free and open to the public.
Newport Beach Christmas Boat Event
Newport Sea Base
1931 W. Coast Highway
Newport Beach
This year will be the 110th annual boat parade. Hundreds of decorated boats sail across the water in the Newport Bay. Visitors can watch the display from designated areas in the peninsula or can purchase tickets to ride on a boat. The event is from Dec. 19-23 and starts at 6:30 every night.
Lake Forest Festive Neighborhood
24952 Greenbay Dr.
Lake Forest
More than 40,000 lights brightly fill the streets in this community. Most of the lights are synced to music through the 89.7 FM radio station. This annual tradition is a must see this holiday season.
Snoopy House Christmas Display
77 Fair Dr.
Costa Mesa
This 52th annual holiday display is located in front of the Costa Mesa City Hall. Over 80,000 visitors attend every year. The “Peanuts” characters are featured in the Snoopy house exhibit. Free train rides and photos with Santa will be available. The event is open from December 14th-23rd from 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Orange County Festive Community
1431 North Shaffer St.
Orange
Every year new decorations are added to the display of more than 34,000 lights. Giant snowflakes, gift boxes and 8-foot candy canes can be seen at one home. This event is free and open to the public.