The Brief

Many of us go into the holiday season with the best of intentions. We want to see holiday lights, enjoy hot chocolate, maybe take in a Christmas tree lighting or a Menorah lighting, catch a performance of The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol. Enjoy a holiday sing-along. Tie on some ice skates at an outdoor pop-up rink ...

But somehow, each holiday season slips away and we lament all that we missed.

This year is going to be different! We've compiled a list of our favorite classic holiday experiences so you can pick and choose your favorite and create some holiday memories. Did we miss your favorite thing to do around the holidays? Let us know and we may include it. We especially want to know about free things to do this holiday season.

Now, let's make this a holiday to remember:

Take in the world largest Christmas tree (Free!)

Each year, the Citadel Outlets in Commerce — just outside downtown LA — aims to host the tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree in the world. And this year is no different: This year’s tree is a white fir that stands 115 feet tall. (For comparison’s sake, this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is 75 feet tall.) There are over 10,000 ornaments, and over 18,000 lights. Each night, starting at 5 p.m. until closing, there are "snow flurries" every hour on the hour, and, of course, lots of festive holiday music. Find some hot chocolate, stroll, enjoy the holiday lights, and maybe get in a little holiday shopping.

More Christmas tree fun: Snow falls nightly at the Grove, too, at 6 and 8 p.m. through Jan. 4. And in Orange County, Fashion Island in Newport Beach shows off its 90-foot Christmas tree with music, snow flurries and a choreographed light display nightly, every half hour, from 5:30 through 8 p.m. Through Dec. 28., South Coast Plaza boasts three uniquely spectacular trees — including the traditional one at Town Center Park in front of the Westin Hotel South Coast Plaza, and the Jewel Court tree and the grand tree in the Crate & Barrel/Macy’s Home Store wing featuring Santa figures from around the world. At the Irvine Spectrum, palm trees outside Old Navy are the stars of the show: Starting at 5:15 p.m. nightly, they come alive with light show synced to a festive holiday soundtrack, through Jan. 4.

Debbie Allen's Hot Chocolate Nutcracker

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Courtesy Debbie Allen Dance Academy

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Actress-singer-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen's dance academy is legendary for its take on the holidays with her annual Hot Chocolate Nutcracker at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center: The classic is reenvisioned as a modern musical, with three wise-cracking mice from New York City (The Real Rat Pack) to guide this frolicking new adventure. Runs Dec. 4 through Dec. 14. For pregaming, you can watch the Netflix documentary about Allen's labor of love and devotion, Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Tickets start at $54.59.

Want more Nutcracker? Find performances at the Long Beach Convention Center, the American Ballet Theatre at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, and the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, the Los Angeles Ballet, at the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, and the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

'Home Alone' in concert at The Phil

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Courtesy of Fox Family Entertainment via YouTube

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The LA Phil’s Deck the Hall holiday concert series presents three nights of the 1990 comedy Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin as an 8-year-old accidentally left home by his family during the holidays. Four screenings over three days — Dec. 5, 6 and 7 — at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the score is performed live by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by David Newman. Tickets: $112 and up, depending up upon seating and performance. Arrive early and you can partake in an ugly sweater contest and trivia contest.

Holiday Sing-Along at The Phil ... and more

Also at Disney Hall: There's A Chanticleer Christmas, on Monday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m., featuring the Grammy-winning ensemble for an evening of a cappella choral music (tickets available at last check ranged from $50 and up).

The Walt Disney Concert Hall's famous organ, a choir, a jazz combo and you! Those are the stars of a beloved holiday tradition, the Holiday Sing-Along, where everyone gets the lyrics to holiday songs and carols and are expected to sing at the top of their lungs. Takes place on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11:30 a.m. and then again at 2:30 p.m. At last check, available tickets ranged from $73 and up. Arrive early for hot cocoa, holiday crafting and a picture with Santa.

And check out Arturo Sandoval's Swinging Holiday concert on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. (tickets available at last check ranged from $50 and up), with the Grammy winning legend putting a "jumping, jiving, jingling" twist on holiday favorites.

For more LA Phil and Disney Hall holiday fare, check out this full schedule.

Las Posadas at Olvera Street (Free!)

This is a quaint L.A. tradition that dates back to 1930: each evening sees the reenactment of the Biblical journal of Mary and Joseph as they head to Bethlehem to seek shelter. (You don’t have to be Christian or Catholic to enjoy, all are welcome.) Expect traditional Christmas songs in Spanish, music and colorful costumes. The procession begins and ends at Avila Adobe, considered the oldest house in all of Los Angeles. Visitors can also enjoy a cup of hot champurrado and pan dulce. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. nightly with a pinata party for children aged 3 -12, the procession follows at 7:15 p.m., Dec. 16 through Dec. 24.

Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens

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Courtesy of Descanso Gardens via Facebook

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Descanso Gardens’ Enchanted Forest of Light in La Cañada Flintridge is an interactive, nighttime experience that’s great for families or romantic outings. Take a one-mile walk through lighting experiences in the garden and take in sights such as an entire town of magical “stained glass” creations by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin and sparkling geometric installations from HYBYCOZO in the Rose Garden. Enchanted Forest of Light is open nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 4. Tickets run $17 and up depending upon date of attendance, with members getting a discount. Note: Advanced purchase is required as tickets are not sold on site.

Christmas tree and Menorah lighting ceremonies (Free!)

Palisades Village hosts a Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 6 and a menorah lighting on Dec. 14. Across the South Bay, there will be giant menorah lightings Dec. 14 through Dec. 22. The Commons at Calabasas will host its annual Menorah Lighting Celebration on Dec. 12, including live musical entertainment, family-friendly activities, treats and a fireworks show.

Fiesta Navidad holiday concert

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Courtesy of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts

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The Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Los Camperos headlines the Fiesta Navidad holiday concert at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Dec. 23, at 8 p.m. The night is a joyful celebration of Mexican holiday traditions through music and dance — perfect for the whole family. Tickets start at $39.

Check out the rest of the concert hall slate of holiday festivities here. It includes a kid-friendly performance of the Nutcracker, the American Ballet version, A Rat Pack Christmas with Tony DeSare, Tis the Season with the American Chorale, and a Silent Night Disco, which is exactly what it sounds like.

L.A. County Holiday Celebration (Free!)

The 66th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration takes places from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 24 at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and "offers Angelenos of all ages the opportunity to experience and honor the dynamic, rich cultures of the county." And it is free. Yes, we said free. So what's the catch? Seating is first come, first seated, and the line starts forming around 9 a.m. Slated to perform this year: Angeles Chorale, Ballet Folklórico de Esperanza, Andre Cruz & Chris Lujan and more. If you can't make it in person, you can watch it on PBS SoCal or stream online.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater's Winter Wonderland

If puppets are your thing, LA's iconic Bob Baker Marionette Theater hosts a Winter Wonderland performance through Jan. 14 that includes sleighs, caroling penguins, Santa’s workshop, and more. Tickets for a sensory-friendly performance are also available for Dec. 20. and an American sign language performance is on Dec. 21. Tickets, $25.

Long Beach Floating Christmas Trees (Free!)

This is a holiday tradition that dates back to 1949: floating Christmas trees, made of a wooden frame and ribbons of holiday lights, are visible throughout Long Beach typically starting right after Thanksgiving, until early January. You can spot them at the Colorado Lagoon, Alamitos Bay, Spinnaker Bay, Rainbow Harbor, Scherer Park, El Dorado Park West, Heartwell Park and even on top of the building at the end of Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, according to the Press-Telegram, which has a delightful video diving further into this slice of iconic Long Beach history. Best of all? It’s free. Pack up some snacks, a Thermos full of hot chocolate, and head down to one of the waterfront spots where you can relax and enjoy the fleeting holiday view. The bridges in Belmont Shore and Naples provide great vantage points. If the budget allows, you can also get a group together and rent a Duffy boat out of Alamitos Bay for a closer look.

Holiday festivities at Gilchrist Farm (Free!)

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Gilchrist Farm

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It’s a holiday hoedown at Gilchrist Farm in Santa Clarita: pig races, reindeer pony rides, holiday parades, hot chocolate bar, farm animals wearing their holiday finest ... the list of activities here go on and on. Some are free, others require tickets, some require reservations in advance (such as breakfast with Santa). Gilchrist Farm is located at 30116 Bouquet Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita.

Hooray For Holidays with Wayne Brady

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Gregory Zabilski

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The Gay Men’s Chorus Los Angeles presents Holiday Legends — a tribute to Mariah Carey, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mathis and more. At the Saban Theater, Dec. 13 and 14. Tickets start at $49 to $129.

The Los Angeles Ballet's The Nutcracker

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Reed Hutchinson

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The Los Angeles Ballet’s The Nutcracker puts its unique spin on the classic, with the performance set in 1912 Los Angeles and featuring iconic SoCal elements such as a Spanish style home, calla lilies, bougainvillea, archways of Venice Beach and views of the Pacific Ocean. Performances scheduled at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and Royce Hall at UCLA, Dec. 12 through Dec. 28. Prices vary by seating, and we found tickets for $44 (plus $6 service charge, sigh).

Polar Express Train Ride in Perris

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Courtesy of The Polar Express Train Ride

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Climb aboard the Polar Express Train Ride in Perris: Accompanied by the music of the motion picture soundtrack, passengers will step into the classic Christmas story by Chis Van Allsburg as they journey along a one-hour train ride to meet Santa. All aboard for caroling, cookies, singing and dancing, and the first gift of the season a keepsake silver sleigh bell. Through Dec. 30. Tickets start at $49 for kids and go on up to $88 for adults.

Newport Beach Boat Parade (Free!)

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Visit Newport Beach

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Sailing into the holiday season for their 117th year, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade will feature a nightly flotilla of festivity when the sun goes down starting Dec. 17 through Dec. 21. Once again hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, parade "floats" will include everything from decorated yachts to spirited kayaks and canoes. Waterfront homes are also decked out for the occasion and compete for awards in the categories of lights, theme, animation and more.

Winter Fantasy at The Sawdust Festival

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Courtesy The Sawdust Art Festival

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For the 35th year in a row, the Winter Fantasy holiday art festival presents a special holiday market amidst wood shavings and an abundance of creative ambiance. Decorated with thousands of lights and showcasing the work of more than 160 local artisans, the event will include live music, carolers, puppeteers, complimentary art workshops, concession stands, daily appearances by Santa and, of course, shopping. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 21, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission, $12 adults, $10 seniors, $5 children ages 6-12, younger children are free.

Winter Frolic at Kidspace Children’s Museum 

The Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena hosts the Winter Frolic: get ready to hit the Sock Skating Rink ($5 with admission), explore a Snow Dome, and climb, play, dance, hike, bike, dance, create and more. Through Jan. 7. Tickets for non-members start at $15.50, with a discount for seniors.

Griffith Park Train Ride

The popular Griffith Park Holiday Lights Train Ride is about 10 minutes long, travels a one-mile track and is decorated with thousands upon thousands of Christmas lights and festive scenes. “Suitable for humans of all ages,” according to the website. Through Jan. 11. Rides run 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. $8 per person, children aged 18-months-old and younger ride for free. $14 for priority entry.

Writers Bonnie McCarthy and Christine N. Ziemba also contributed to this report, which has been updated.

As Los Angeles homeowners grapple with the expense of rebuilding after last year’s devastating fires, an L.A. City Councilmember is putting forward an idea that could lower some costs.

Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, has introduced a motion to explore waiving part of the city’s portion of the local sales tax for fire victims who purchase rebuilding materials in the city.

The 1% of the local 9.75% sales tax that goes into the city’s general fund would be given back to consumers under the proposal. The waiver could apply to lumber, appliances and other rebuilding goods purchased within the city.

The motion, introduced Friday by Park and seconded by Councilmember John Lee, says: “The City should do everything within its power to alleviate the financial burden for these residents and businesses in order to facilitate their return and stabilize the Pacific Palisades community.”

Would it make much of a difference? 

Economists told LAist the proposal could help many homeowners mitigate the high cost of rebuilding, but likely wouldn’t tip the scales for under-insured, under-resourced property owners.

“It wouldn't hurt if it's very well designed and easy to use,” said Alexander Meeks, a director at the Santa Monica-based Milken Institute. “But I'm not sure if it's really going to tackle the scale of the financial challenge that survivors are facing.”

Meeks noted that the tax waiver wouldn’t lower up-front costs such as environmental testing, architectural design and permitting. And it may not help homeowners sourcing raw materials from outside the city.

Zhiyun Li, a UCLA Anderson School of Management economist, said the waiver could help some homeowners justify the additional cost of rebuilding more fire-safe structures.

“Homeowners must typically pay out of pocket to upgrade to IBHS+ standards, which are more stringent,” Li said. “The tax waiver could encourage upgrading to IBHS+ standards or investing more in mitigation, thereby reducing future risk and improving the likelihood of maintaining insurance coverage.”

What’s next for the proposal? 

The proposed tax relief would not be available to properties that have been sold since the fires started in January 2025.

The motion has been sent to the City Council’s budget and fire recovery committees. If approved by the full council, it would require the city administrative officer, the Office of Finance and the city attorney to report back to the council within 60 days on options for crafting a tax relief plan.

The motion calls for the report to consider factors such as how to minimize the burden of administering the tax relief, what documentation homeowners would have to submit and what it would cost the city to oversee the program.

Senate and House Republican leadership have resurrected a stalled plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a record 47-day funding lapse.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of September.

Republicans would then attempt to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years using a party-line budget reconciliation bill that would not require support from Democrats.

"In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited," Thune and Johnson wrote.

The agreement comes nearly a week after House Republicans dismissed an identical plan, refusing to take up the Senate-passed measure and instead passing a 60-day short term funding bill for all of DHS that had little chance of overcoming Democratic opposition in the Senate.

Johnson called the agreement a "joke" and President Donald Trump declined to publicly endorse the deal. Trump had previously resisted any package that did not include his push to overhaul federal elections known as the Save America Act.

"I think any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy with it," Trump told reporters last week.

Democrats welcomed the agreement as in line with their pledge not to give ICE any more money without reforms after immigration enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the deal does not include any of the policy demands Democrats are pressing for, such as a ban on masks for immigration enforcement officers and requiring warrants issued by a judge, not just the agency, to enter homes.

"For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement Wednesday. "Throughout this fight, Senate Democrats never wavered."

Trump seemed to bless the revived plan earlier Wednesday, writing on social media that he wants a party-line bill to fund immigration enforcement on his desk by June 1.

"We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won't be able to stop us," Trump wrote.

Despite the shutdown, ICE has been minimally impacted because Republican lawmakers approved $75 billion for ICE through another party-line budget reconciliation bill last year.

Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects.

Even during a recess when most members are not in Washington, this could be unpredictable, especially in the House, where many hard-line conservatives oppose a deal that does not fully fund DHS.

"Let's make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again," Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, wrote on X. "If that's the vote, I'm a NO."

If a member does object, that could require waiting for another vote when all members are back from recess.

Claudia Grisales contributed reporting.
Copyright 2026 NPR

California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season.

It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.

Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.

But experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains.

On Wednesday, state engineers conducting the symbolic April 1 snowpack measurement at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe found no measurable snow in patches of white dotting the grassy field.

“I want to welcome you call to probably one of the quickest snow surveys we’ve had — maybe one where people could actually use an umbrella,” joked Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “We’re getting a lot of questions about are we heading into a hydrologic drought? The answer is, I don’t know.”

State data reports that California’s snowpack is closing out the season at an alarming 18% of average statewide, and an even more abysmal 6% of average in the northern mountains that feed California’s major reservoirs.

Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record, measuring in at just 5% of average on April 1st, when the snow historically is at its deepest.

“I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.

“Without a snowpack, and with an early spring, it just means that there’s much more time for something like that to happen.”

‘It’s pretty bizarre up here’ 

In the city of South Lake Tahoe, which survived the massive Caldor Fire in the fall of 2021 without losing any structures, fire chief Jim Drennan said his department is already ramping up prevention efforts.

“It's pretty bizarre up here right now. It really seems like June conditions more than March,” Drennan said. “People are already turning the sprinklers on for their lawns.”

Without more precipitation, an early spring may complicate prescribed burning efforts. But Drennan said fire agencies in the Tahoe basin can start mechanically clearing fuels from forest areas earlier than usual.

“That means we can get more work done,” he said.

It also means homeowners need to start hardening their homes now, said Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuels management officer for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which protects unincorporated communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s south shore.

Goldberg urges residents to scour their yards for burnable materials, create defensible space and reach out to local fire departments with questions. The risks are widespread — from firewood, wooden fences, gas cans, plants, pine needles — even lawn furniture stacked against a house.

“In years past, I wouldn't even think of raking and clearing until May,” Goldberg said. “But my yard's completely cleared of snowpack, and it has been for a couple weeks now.”

‘A haystack fire’

Battalion chief David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said fire season is shaped by more than just one year’s snowpack.

Climate change has been remaking California’s fire seasons into fire years. And California’s recent average to abundant water years have fueled what Acuña called “bumper crops of vegetation and brush.”

“Most of California is like a haystack. And if you’ve ever seen a haystack fire, they burn very intensely because there's layers of fuel,” Acuña said.

Like Quinn-Davidson, Acuña wasn’t ready to make specific predictions about fires to come.

But John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced, said the temperatures and snowpack conditions this year offer a glimpse of California in the latter decades of this century, as fossil fuel use continues to drive global temperatures higher.

How this year’s fires will play out will depend on when, where and how wind, heat, fuel and ignitions combine. But it foreshadows the consequences of a warmer California for water and fire under climate change.

“This,” Abatzoglou said, “is yet another stress test for the future in the state.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.