Whether your thing is hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains or hitting Disneyland yet again, Christmas Day is a great time to enjoy the lighter freeway traffic and do some local exploring.
The backstory: SoCal might not be known as the Christmas-y spot in the world but L.A. and Southern California have everyone else beat with our gorgeous weather, and there's no shortage of ways to get into the seasonal spirit or just enjoy the outdoors on Dec. 25.
Why now: This year, Christmas also coincides with the start of Hanukkah, so there’s plenty going on for both holidays around the area, too. (And because there's always a need to help those in need, we have included some volunteering options too.)
Los Angeles may not be the world’s most Christmas-y city — I’m pretty sure that moniker belongs to New York City or London with their many shopping street light displays, or somewhere in Norway or Finland with snow and Santa-lore ...
But L.A. and Southern California have everyone else beat with our gorgeous weather, and there's no shortage of ways to get into the seasonal spirit or just enjoy the outdoors on Dec. 25. So we've compiled a list of our favorite things to do on Christmas, and what's still open.
Whether your thing is hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains or hitting Disneyland yet again, Christmas Day is a great time to enjoy the lighter traffic and do some local exploring. This year, Christmas also coincides with the start of Hanukkah, so there’s plenty going on for both holidays around the area, too. (And because there's always a need to help those in need, we have included some volunteering options too.)
Rent a swan pedal boat in Echo Park Lake
A favorite LA destination.
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Echo Park Lake Echo Park COST: $13 per adult, MORE INFO
The iconic Echo Park Lake swan pedal boats are open for rental on Christmas Day, so pretend you’re an extra in Chinatown and take one out for the afternoon.
OC Fair and Events Center 88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa COST: FROM $34, MORE INFO
Head to Winterfest! The OC Fair space in Costa Mesa hosts the area’s largest holiday festival, featuring an ice trail, snow park (yes, with real snow), holiday lights, festive treats, and more. And it’s open all day on Christmas.
Hanukkah on Ice, 4 to 6 p.m.
Consider ice skating.
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L.A. Kings Training Center 555 Nash St., El Segundo COST: $15, MORE INFO
Glide into the first night of Hanukkah as you skate on the L.A. Kings training ice with the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan Beach. The fee includes skate rental and food will be available for purchase.
Hanukkah Menorah Lighting, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Hanukkah starts Wednesday, Dec. 25 this year.
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Third Street Promenade 1300 block, Santa Monica COST: FREE, MORE INFO
Celebrate the first night of Hanukkah at the annual menorah lighting on Third Street Promenade. If you can’t make it out on Christmas Day, the event continues every night of the eight-day celebration.
Stroll the Venice Canals
Venice canals.
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eyetwist via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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Venice COST: FREE
As a Venice resident for nearly 20 years, a stroll through the Venice canals as the sun sets is one of my favorite Christmas time activities. Dozens of the cute houses and all the bridges in this special part of L.A. are all dolled up for the holidays, so take a walk and check them out before the decorations come down.
Head to the movie theater
Timothée Chalamet in 'A Complete Unknown.'
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Various locations COST: VARIES
Movie buffs have been waiting all year for the final Oscar-bait movies to come out. If movies are your thing, head out to your local theater on Christmas Day for the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (starring Timothée Chalamet), Babygirl (starring Nicole Kidman) or The Fire Inside (from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins). And if you want to be scared half to death, there's Nosferatu. Of course lots of new movies have come out in the past month since the Thanksgiving rush, so if you haven’t seen Moana 2, Wicked, The Brutalist, or Mufasa yet, better book your tickets now. Christmas Day is a deceptively busy time at the movies, so make sure to plan ahead or you’ll be in the very front row with a sore neck as your Christmas present.
And if old movies are more your thing, head to the Egyptian for an all-day celebration of their 20th anniversary, featuring screenings of The Polar Express, The Incredibles, House of Flying Daggers, Before Sunset, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Take a hike!
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Take your pick of favorite trails that are bound to be quiet early in the day and of course get busier once the presents are opened and a walk is in order after lunch. Head to Temescal or Palos Verdes for ocean views, do a quick circuit at Runyon, or venture further to Angeles Crest and make a day of it. Just remember services may be closed, so pack snacks and water accordingly!
Head to a theme park
Christmas lights cover "It's A Small World" at Disneyland during the Christmas season.
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All of the major theme parks in L.A. and Orange County are open on Christmas Day — Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios — so while it’s a bit pricey, it’s a fun holiday present to yourself and your family to head to Disneyland or Six Flags for some rides or a real cozy Christmas at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal.
6555 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood COST: FROM $30, MORE INFO
Sure, plenty of bars are open on Christmas Day. But not all of them are decked out to the nines in Christmas spirit (and spirits!). This on-theme bar is more of an immersive experience than a bar and has the price tag to match. But what the heck, it’s Christmas.
Take a drive to Palm Springs or Big Bear
There's a new chair lift at Big Bear.
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Big Bear Mountain Resort
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The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is open on Christmas Day, as are the Big Bear ski lifts at Big Bear Mountain Resort, so enjoy the easy ride and take a day trip for some great views, hiking, or skiing. In Big Bear, the first new chairlift in 30 years just opened last week, so skiers can expect shorter lift lines all winter long.
Whether you’re hoping for a big Chinese feast or a fancy Christmas splurge, there’s plenty of great options open in the area, just make sure to plan ahead.
A few suggestions in a range of locations and a variety of price points:
San Gabriel Valley Newport Seafood, 518 W. Las Tunas Dr. COST: VARIES, MORE INFO
San Gabriel Valley, of course, is the go-to for incredible dim sum and other Chinese delights; Newport Seafood is one suggestion for great eats in the SGV; many others in the area are also open Christmas day, but check opening times and make a reservation to be sure.
Hollywood Genghis Cohen, 740 N. Fairfax Ave. COST: VARIES, MORE INFO
Come for the Chinese food, stay for the McConnell’s Hanukkah ice cream collab “Baby Got Mac(caroon)”.
Downtown San Laurel, 100 S. Grand Ave. COST: $179 per person, MORE INFO
Jose Andres’ outpost at the gorgeous Frank Gehry-designed Conrad hotel on Grand Avenue is a Christmas feast worth the splurge. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day the restaurant will have a special tasting menu featuring Coca Escalivada, an olive oil bread topped with mussels in escabeche, red peppers, eggplant, and caramelized onion, and Vermicelli “Mac N’ Cheese” featuring fideuá pasta, baby squid, egg yolk sauce, and crispy shallots, as well as luxurious offerings like lobster tails with sherry wine and lobster bisque.
Volunteer in your community
If you have free time on Christmas, put that time toward helping others — that’s what the holidays are all about, right? Help give out produce, set up Christmas Day activities for unhoused neighbors in Hollywood, or help with meal distribution in Venice. You’ll feel good and help our community at the same time. What could be better?
Exterior of the SAG-AFTRA Labor union building on Wilshire boulevard in Los Angeles, CA.
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Topline:
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors, reached a tentative agreement with major studios yesterday Saturday on a new contract covering films, scripted TV dramas, and streaming content.
Why it matters: The tentative agreement still needs to be approved by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, which the union says will meet in the coming days to review the terms. Details of the new contract won’t be released before then.
The backstory: The actors'union began negotiating with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in February. In 2023, actors went on a four-month strike along with Hollywood writers after negotiations for their respective contracts fell through. In late April, the Writers Guild of America approved their new labor contract.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rule changes for the 99th Oscars, including AI protections for actors and writers as well as expanded eligibility for international films.
Details: Among the most noteworthy changes, the Academy now explicitly states that only roles, "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" are eligible for Acting awards. In other words, AI creations like the much-hyped Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a Best Actress Oscar anytime soon.
Why now: In a statement to NPR, the Academy on Saturday said the changes are in response to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rule changes for the 99th Oscars, including AI protections for actors and writers as well as expanded eligibility for international films.
In a statement to NPR, the Academy on Saturday said the changes are in response to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process.
The Academy added that its rules and eligibility standards have always evolved alongside technologies such as sound, color, and CGI, and that AI is no different. Awards rules and guidelines are reviewed and refined each year.
A blow for Tilly Norwood
Among the most noteworthy changes, the Academy now explicitly states that only roles, "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" are eligible for Acting awards. In other words, AI creations like the much-hyped Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a Best Actress Oscar anytime soon.
Particle6, the production company behind Norwood, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment on Saturday about its creations' ban from consideration. In March, Norwood commented, "Can't wait to go to the Oscars!" in an Instagram post announcing its newly released music video.
The Academy also requires screenplays to be "human-authored" and said it reserved the right to investigate the use of generative AI in any submission.
Meanwhile, qualifying flesh-and-blood human actors can now be nominated for multiple performances in the same category if those performances get enough votes to land in the top five. So, someone like Anne Hathaway, who has five major movies scheduled for release in 2026, could now theoretically sweep the nominations – though that outcome seems extremely unlikely.
"If an actor has an extremely prolific year, might we even see someone swallow up three of the five nominations?," wrote Deadline's awards columnist and chief film critic Pete Hammond about the changes. "Probably won't happen, but it's now possible."
Under previous rules, an actor could only receive one nomination per category. If they had two high-ranking performances in Best Actor, for example, only the one with the most votes would move forward.
International films prioritizes filmmakers over countries
While international films can still be the official selection of their countries, now they can qualify by winning the top prize at a major international festival such as the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, or the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Historically, countries "owned" the nomination, and only one film per country was allowed. The new rules allow multiple films from the same country to compete if they are critically acclaimed, and it shifts the honor from a geopolitical entity to the filmmakers themselves.
Largely positive response
The changes have prompted a largely positive reaction from the film community on social media, such as on the popular The Shade Room entertainment and celebrity-focused Instagram feed, where commenters widely praised the "human-only" move to protect creative jobs.
The Academy's Awards Committee oversees the rules in tandem with branch executive committees, the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee.
The rules are scheduled to go into effect next year, covering films released in 2026.
Copyright 2026 NPR
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Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published May 3, 2026 5:00 AM
The main structure of the Verdugo Lodge.
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Topline:
Even in rapidly changing and often paved over L.A., there are still places where you can find ruins that tell a tale. Take the Verdugo Lodge: a long-forgotten speakeasy for old Hollywood near La Crescenta.
The background: According to Mike Lawler of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, the timeline isn’t perfectly clear, but some of the compound was built in the 1920s. It was set up kind of like a timeshare where people bought 10 x 10 foot "tent lots" that gave them access to on-site amenities. There was a golf course, stables, trout stream, a swimming pool... and a lodge with gambling and alcohol.
From speakeasy to 'Mountain Oaks': Sometime around the early 1930s, the tawdry Verdugo Lodge and the surrounding land were purchased and then renamed Mountain Oaks by the Kadletzes — an entrepreneurial family who had run everything from a Turkish bath to a mini golf course. Over the next few decades, the family would rent the place out to local groups for recreational retreats.
Los Angeles changes fast, and oftentimes that means some of the architectural relics of our shared past get swept up and paved over in all the "progress." (RIP Garden of Allah.)
But there are still places where you can find ruins that tell a tale, like a long-forgotten speakeasy reputedly for old Hollywood near La Crescenta.
The ruins are still there
On a recent afternoon, author and local historian Mike Lawler led me just beyond the boundary of Crescenta Valley Park. Joggers like me might have seen an old, towering stone arch shrouded by bushes there — and wondered what lies beyond.
Turns out there was once a place called the Verdugo Lodge back there and Lawler has spent years excavating its history.
A car speeds away from the lodge onto New York Avenue. The stone archway that still stands can be seen in the background.
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“It was a very high-end speakeasy for a time,” Lawler, who also helps run the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, said. “An amazing thing. And all the ruins are still here, just like this arch.”
Lawler said we don’t know exactly when the lodge was built, but we do have some of the picture starting in the late 1920s. The place was set up kind of like a timeshare where people bought 10 x 10 foot ‘tent lots’ that gave them access to on-site amenities. There was a golf course, stables, trout stream, a swimming pool — and a lodge with gambling and alcohol.
“The Crescenta Valley in the teens and '20s was a hotbed of moonshine, prostitution, all that stuff," Lawler said. "It was a quiet little community. But in all these canyons up here, stuff was going on. Illegal stuff!”
We don’t have a full guest list, but Lawler said it’s likely at least a few Hollywood types had gone up to the lodge to circumvent Prohibition era laws.
In some ways, it was kind of like the original glamping. Lawler said patrons probably weren’t doing much sleeping, though.
“They might have been unconscious!” he said with a chuckle.
Lawler led me to a road that swooped around a meadow. We passed by a massive swimming pool nestled into the hillside.
Once known as the “Crystal Pool,” it’s now empty and fenced off, with pitch black locker rooms below.
The exterior of the locker rooms for the old Crystal Pool.
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We continued our journey up the hill and eventually arrived at a cascading stone stairway.
And at the top, the big show: overgrown with orange monkey flowers and goliath agaves lies the foundation of the old Verdugo Lodge, with lofty stone fireplaces the only guardians keeping the surrounding oak trees at bay.
Lawler takes out a floorplan that one of the former owners drew up for him.
“This is what it was laid out like on the inside. So a dancehall, and band stand on that side... And then upstairs was the gambling,” Lawler said.
Lawler had in hand a copy of a Los Angeles Times article from 1933 he found. The headline reads: “Revelers Flee in Lodge Raid.”
“The police that raided it were here at 3 o'clock in the morning. And there were still 500 people here. And they said it was the classiest joint they had ever raided... Anyway, people were diving out of windows and everything,” Lawler explained.
In a ruin like this, covered with moss and overgrowth, the imagination can run wild, too.
The archway that still stands outside of what's now known as Mountain Oaks.
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Lawler pointed out a questionable door jam below the old dancefloor that’s been cemented over.
“That is a door. So what is behind there? So there’s a room in there that got walled in for some reason,” he said.
What we do know is that, sometime after the raid, the tawdry Verdugo Lodge and the surrounding land were purchased and then renamed Mountain Oaks by the Kadletzes — an entrepreneurial family who had run everything from a Turkish bath to a mini golf course. Over the next few decades, the family would rent the place out to local groups for recreational retreats.
The future of Mountain Oaks
After they sold it in the ‘60s, Lawler said Mountain Oaks faced a “nightmare” of development threats. Over the years, some of the subdivided "tent lots" had been combined and sold off, Lawler said. A dozen private homes now stand on these pieces of land, next to the ruins of the Verdugo Lodge.
A map showing the Mountain Oaks public property acquired by The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA).
Paul Edelman, MRCA's director of natural resources and planning, said his group will continue to manage the land, doing things like brush clearance, trash pickup and sign maintenance. And he said there are no current plans to remove the ruins or make any major changes to the property.
“If somebody comes up with a grand idea where they can find some funding for us to do something to enhance it, we’re always open to it,” Edelman said.
The purchase was good news for local preservationist Joanna Linkchorst.
“I grew up directly up the hill. But I always saw the sign that said ‘private property’ and didn’t really think about it until several years ago when I finally asked Mike. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, we got a resort speakeasy down the street,’” Linkchorst said standing among the oaks and overgrowth.
“There’s almost like these little ghosts in your head as you imagine what it was like when there was a beautiful wood floor and there was a second floor that people came jumping out of,” Linkchorst said.
Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published May 3, 2026 5:00 AM
A screen capture of one of Chieh's 3D rendering of the Colorado Room inside the fictional Overlook Hotel
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Topline:
A local architect who hails from South Pasadena has meticulously crafted a 3D model of the iconic and fictional Overlook Hotel made famous in the Stanley Kubrick film, The Shining.
The background: At his day job, architect Anthony Chieh mainly works on residential and boutique commercial spaces. But over the course of five months, he spent his nights recreating a virtual replica of the Overlook Hotel.
What’s next? Chieh says he’s thinking about giving the spaceship from “2001: A Space Odyssey" the virtual treatment next. Or maybe turning to a local non-fictional space, like the Stahl House.
Now, let’s check in to the Overlook Hotel.
That’s the fictional place Stanley Kubrick brought to life in his 1980 film The Shining, loosely based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name.
A local architect who hails from South Pasadena meticulously crafted a 3D model of the iconic space so Shining fans everywhere never have to check out.
‘I just couldn’t stop’
At his day job, architect Anthony Chieh mainly works on residential and boutique commercial spaces. But over the course of five months, he spent his nights meticulously recreating a virtual replica of the Overlook Hotel from the film that first scared him when he was 12.
Of course he started with the deeply haunted Room 237. That’s where Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, has a terrifying encounter with a ghostly woman.
Chieh's 3D rendering of Room 237
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Anthony Chieh
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“But once I started, I just couldn’t stop,” Chieh told LAist.
“I ended up modeling the Colorado Lounge, and then after that I was thinking maybe I should make the lobby and then arriving to the Gold Room, and then Grady’s bathroom.”
“It’s like a rabbit hole,” he said.
Experience the virtual Overlook Hotel You can download Chieh's digital model of the Overlook Hotel by clicking the link in the comments section of his YouTube essay on the subject.
Users who download Chieh’s free 3D model can fly through all of those spaces, immersed in atmospheric sounds and music from the film.
“It’s interesting to dive into these kind of fictional environments and try to make sense of it,” Chieh said. “And the hope is people will get a different perspective once they’re in there.”
Kubrick’s take on the Overlook was famously inspired by real hotels like the Timberline Lodge in Oregon and the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. But the interiors you see in the film were created on sound stages in England.
“Real architecture, physical buildings, are built for people to live. And for movies, these are more meant to express the emotional aspect of things. It’s a psychological construct,” Chieh said.
In a recently published video essay on YouTube, Chieh dives deep into those psychological constructs and how, as he puts it, “Kubrick designed the Overlook Hotel not as a backdrop, but as the film's true villain.”
How spaces scare
Chieh said during the monthslong process he was reminded of the power of architecture and design in the real world too – whether it’s an uncomfortably repetitive carpet design or a claustrophobic hallway.
“A physical construct can affect your emotion,” Chieh said.
“You can use it in a way to make people feel comfortable and you can also use it in a way to create fear.”
Chieh's 3D rendering of the Torrance's apartment in 'The Shining'
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What’s next for this architect moonlighting as a 3D modeler?
Chieh says he’s thinking about giving the spaceship from “2001: A Space Odyssey" the virtual treatment next. Or maybe turning to a local non-fictional space, like the Stahl House.
That is, of course, if he can ever escape the Overlook.
