Celebrating the Season on Land, Sea

Whether Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah is most significant in your household, the Southland is a virtual holiday buffet when it comes to things to do.

The following is just a sample of the season’s offerings:

In and Around Orange County

More than 150 decorated boats will light up the harbor during the 90th annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. Boats set sail nightly tonight through Wednesday for a two-hour show, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Free. (800) 94-COAST.

Shoreline Yacht Club’s Parade of a Thousand Lights departs at 7 p.m. Saturday. The decorated boats will navigate the harbor around the Queen Mary, parading past Shoreline Village in Long Beach. Free to spectators. (562) 435-4093.

For those who prefer a seat from the water, the Huntington Harbour Cruise of Lights shoves off nightly through Tuesday, on the hour from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The tours of decorated waterfront homes benefit youth music programs. Tonight, Monday and Tuesday, $8.50; a few tickets remain for Friday, $10; ages 2 to 12, $5. Saturday and Sunday are sold out. Reservations: (714) 840-7542.

The Bowers Museum celebrates Kwanzaa with dancers, drummers, a fashion show and storytelling, Dec. 26-27, noon to 4 p.m. Bowers Museum, 2002 S. Main St., Santa Ana. Admission, $5; family of four, $15. (714) 567-3600.

Dancing Christmas trees and skateboarding elves get things rocking in “A Visit to Santa’s Workshop,” Saturday at the Children’s Museum at La Habra (301 S. Euclid St.). Recommended for ages 3 and up, this Jim Gamble Puppet Productions show is free with admission to the museum ($4). While you’re there, catch the gallery’s interactive exhibit, “Math Magician” and its new dinosaur garden. (562) 905-9793.

Yes, there are non-holiday themed youth theater shows out there. Broadway on Tour (2190 N. Canal St., Orange), for example, presents “Alice in Wonderland” at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Take in just the show, $6, or shell out a couple more bucks to add a pre-show tea, $8. (714) 282-8148.

Czarist Russia and Currier and Ives Americana mingle in the Joffrey Ballet’s staging of “The Nutcracker,” Dec. 23-24 and 26-27 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa). Tickets: $20-$65. (714) 740-7878.

What do you get when you mix 400 pounds of flour, 80 pounds of brown sugar and 20 quarts of egg whites? In the wrong hands, you’d get one nasty stain on the carpet. But when it’s handled by skilled pastry chefs and engineers, you get a gingerbread house that would be the envy of any elf. The behemoth treat is on view at the Ritz-Carlton, 1 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point, through Jan. 2. It’s part of the hotel’s “Once Upon a Wonderland” promotion, which also includes elegant holiday teas for kids. Viewing the gingerbread house is free. Admission for tea is $35, plus a new, unwrapped teddy bear for Toys for Tots. (949) 240-5008.

Knott’s Berry Farm (8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park) has it going on for the holiday season. Through Dec. 24, there are scads of kiddie activities, entertainment and, of course, shopping at Knott’s Christmas Village. Through Jan. 3, check out “Snoopy’s Twelve Days of Christmas on Ice” and a sledding hill for kids. Other Knott’s treats: teen country star Leann Rimes in a benefit concert for Toys for Tots on Friday and the park’s new GhostRider wooden roller coaster. Southern California residents’ admission is $12.50 to $28; younger than 3 admitted free (call for restrictions). Christmas Village only: $5, kids 11 and younger admitted free. Other admission packages available, including free admission to qualifying police and fire personnel today. (714) 220-5200.

After years and years in the works, the Discovery Science Center (2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana) finally opens its doors to the public Saturday. The 59,000-square-foot facility will offer loads of interactive exhibits in eight themed “science zones,” from Human Perception to Space Exploration, plus a special toddlers’ area, 3-D laser shows and science demonstrations. $6-$8; younger than 3 admitted free. Laser show admission is an additional $2. Call for parking and admission reservations: (714) 542-2823.

Get outdoors at two events Saturday at Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy, off the Interstate 5 at Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano. At the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, budding birders can help take a census of winged visitors at 7 a.m., noon or 5 p.m. The event is one of several being coordinated by South Coast Audubon at O.C. area reserves and parks. $5; reservations required. For details, call (949) 661-7525.

At 6 p.m. Saturday the conservancy hosts an Astronomy Night program, led by savvy volunteers from Orange County Astronomers. The program is recommended for stargazers ages 8 and older. Dress warmly and bring folding chairs and blankets. Scopes will be provided, but you’re welcome to tote your own, too. $6-$8; reservations required. (949) 489-9778.

This ought to get Mom ho-ho-hoing . Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort (1131 Backbay Drive, Newport Beach) introduces Camp Christmas, a four-hour day camp program offered Saturday through Dec. 24 for youngsters 5 through 12. Crafts, seashell hunts and water play (weather permitting) in the resort’s pool keep the kids at bay while parents shop--or rest. $35 per day. (949) 729-3863.

Sure, they’d like to sell you toys, but the three recently opened Zany Brainy stores in Orange County also offer a dandy place for kids to hang out. Daily highlights include screenings of popular kids’ videos, story times and crafts to keep the little folk serene busy. Call individual stores for schedules: Mission Viejo, 27741 Crown Valley Parkway, (949) 348-0420; Newport Beach, Avocado Avenue and PCH, (949) 640-5131; and Orange, 763 S. Main St., (714) 954-0075.

Fa-la-la-la to your heart’s content at “Holiday Magic,” the Pacific Symphony’s family sing-along and concert Saturday at 10 and 11:30 a.m. at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. The program includes a Victorian-style quartet, selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” and an opportunity to belt out holiday favorites with a few thousand of your closest friends. A “musical treasure hunt” with hands-on activities is offered free to ticket-holders. $10-$12. (714) 740-7878.

Kids can enjoy the gift of creativity with Winter Break Art Breaks, Tuesday-Wednesday and Dec. 29-31 at the Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. The two-hour workshops for ages 6 to 12 incorporate gallery tours with hands-on art activities. Session themes vary. Fee: $15; reservations required. (949) 759-1122, Ext. 204.

Little ones hoping for a white Christmas may find the next best thing in “Happily Ever After” Dec. 25-Jan. 3 at the Pond of Anaheim (2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim). The Disney on Ice presentation features Mr. Hunka Hunka himself, Hercules, plus happily-ever-after scenes from “Beauty and the Beast,” “Cinderella,” “Aladdin” and other animated classics. Jan. 6-10, the show is at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Jan. 14-18 at the Long Beach Arena. $11.50 to $30. (714) 740-2000.

New Year’s Eve is a family affair at First Night Fullerton, the community’s alcohol-free wingding downtown. Family highlights include professional magicians, children’s theater performances, street entertainers and carnival rides. There is plenty of music, dance, comedy and visual arts for the grown-ups too. All events, 7 to midnight, are free with First Night admission ($8 to $12). (714) 738-6545.

Elsewhere

The drive-through Holiday of Lights at Del Mar Fairgrounds puts an animated Santa, snowman and a 100-foot tunnel of lights in your path through Jan. 3. Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. $8 per vehicle (up to five people); $13 for six or more; $40 per bus. 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. (619) 793-5555.

The Rose Bowl Family Festival is four days of food, floats, flowers and fun. Don’t miss the exhibitions by the marching bands and equestrians that will participate in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. Festival hours are Dec. 28-29, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Dec. 30, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Dec. 31, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festivities take place outside the Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena. Free. (626) 449-4100.

Little ones get an up-close look at Santa’s reindeer at the annual Reindeer Romp at the Los Angeles Zoo, through Jan. 4. 5333 Zoo Drive. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. (213) 666-4090. Included in zoo admission, $8.25; ages 2 to 12, $3.25.

The Children’s Holiday Craft Corner, for kids 3 to 12, takes place at the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market, 200 block of North Canon Drive, Sunday, , 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Materials fee is $1 to $1.50. (310) 550-4796.

Hanukkah festivities at Colorado One continue in Old Pasadena. The menorah--so big it takes a ladder to light it--will be lit tonight at 5 p.m., at 3:30 p.m. Friday, and at 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free. (626) 564-1066.

The fifth annual Tikkun L.A. Community Volunteer Day returns to Westside Pavilion on Christmas Day. The event, sponsored primarily by the Jewish Federation, provides an opportunity to work on volunteer projects including preparing and serving holiday meals and distributing toys. Activities begin at 9 a.m. on the third floor, Westside Pavilion, 10800 Pico Blvd., West L.A. Free. (213) 683-3433.

Kwanzaa is an African American celebration of the harvest season. Kwanzaa Gwaride, on Dec. 26, marks the beginning of the new year. In Leimert Park, festivities include music, food, arts and crafts Dec. 26-28, 10 a.m. to dusk. On Dec. 26, at 10 a.m., a parade will roll from Adams and Crenshaw boulevards to the park at 43rd Place and Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles. Free. (213) 965-0935.

Dozens of groups from Los Angeles County will perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the L.A. County Holiday Celebration. Highlights include four performances based on “The Nutcracker,” gospel choirs, Korean and folkloric dance groups, Jewish ballads and folk songs and a touch of Latin jazz. Dec. 24, 3 to 9 p.m. Free. (213) 974-1396. The event will be broadcast live on KCET-TV and KPFK-FM (90.7).