Where to See the Lights

One longtime Christmas custom is to tour neighborhoods to see the decorations. Some elaborate displays throughout Orange County include:

Anaheim

* Minerva Place has three houses owned by relatives who have created a giant light show; near Beacon and Minerva avenues.

Anaheim Hills

* East Carnation Way offers several brightly lit homes and elaborate holiday scenes; off Kennedy Drive.

Brea

* The Eagle Hills neighborhood offers magnificent lighting displays; off Flower Hill near Birch Street between Kraemer Boulevard and South Valencia Avenue.

Buena Park

* Homes on Los Coyotes and Country Club drives are decorated in a wintry New England theme; near Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue.

Corona del Mar

* Guardhouse at Harbor Ridge gated community becomes a Christmas cottage with lights, faux snow, a sleigh with a Santa and more; off Spyglass Hill Road near San Joaquin Hills Road.

Fountain Valley

* The Dahlia tract has lavish decorations, including animated figures; bordered by Heil and Edinger avenues and Brookhurst and Bushard streets. Police often set barricades to allow only foot traffic.

Huntington Beach

* Huntington Harbour homes, often professionally decorated, can be viewed by walking or driving the streets and bridges.

* A 60-foot-tall Christmas tree with lights adorns the Tahiti Circle cul-de-sac; off Malibu Lane near Bushard Street.

Irvine

* Houses on Foxboro in the Woodbridge development are lighted with long strands of lights crossing over the street in several places.

La Palma

* Dallas Drive homes are draped in tens of thousands of lights; recorded music serenades visitors. Cul-de-sac crosses Houston Avenue, near Walker Avenue.

Laguna Hills

* Nellie Gail Ranch homes sport lavish holiday trimmings; along central Nellie Gail Road and adjacent streets.

Lake Forest

* Meadowbrook Circle is only aglow for one night, tonight, when neighbors light hundreds of luminaria; off Elrond.

Mission Viejo

* Mission Viejo has an annual decorating contest and a list of the winners, with a map, can be obtained by calling the Mission Viejo Activities Committee at (714) 830-7066.

* A highlight is the Tobarra neighborhood where almost every house on the half-mile street is covered in lights; off Melinda Road.

* The Baja Oso neighborhood uses cutout figures and other trimmings to make a mini-North Pole; on Mesilla off Marguerite Parkway.

Newport Beach

* The Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade runs through Monday. More than 100 bedecked boats cruise the harbor nightly beginning at 6:30.

Orange

* The Old Towne historic district features a Santa, snowman and Nativity scene at Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street. Nearby homes include the award-winning 400 block of South Grand Street.

* Every house on the 500 block of North Waverly Street is decked in lights, and most feature holiday characters and scenes on the lawns.

Placentia

* Homes on Rashford Drive are covered with lights and some feature animated figures; along Alta Vista Golf Course.

Rancho Santa Margarita

* “Candy Cane Lane” features elves, lollipops, candy canes, a Ferris wheel, assorted Santas, snowmen and reindeer on Via Lantana, off Via Felicia.

Santa Ana

* The family of the late Rosario Velardes continues the two-decade tradition of reconstructing the display she built each year in her front yard at 219 E. Warner Ave. More than 500 clay figures collected depict 30 scenes from Christ’s life.

Tustin

* West Main Street and its century-old homes offer manger scenes and figures adorning the 300, 400 and 500 blocks.

* Basswood Circle boasts decorated parkway trees, rooftop and yard scenes with sleighs, trains and gingerbread men; off Raintree Lane.

Yorba Linda

* Residents in the Eastlake Shores development pedal decorated boats in a artificial lake that reflects the lights and decorations on 120 homes lining the water. Enter from Village Center Drive, off Paz de las Palomas.

* Windemere Village features 42 homes adorned with lights and wooden cutout characters and a common area with a life-size Nativity scene; on Windemere Drive near Buena Vista Avenue.