Christmas will be here in — you might want to sit down for this — two days.
But I’m sure you aren’t worried. I’m sure you’ve gotten all of your Christmas shopping done and you’ve had all of December to enjoy all kinds of holiday activities like gawking at the light displays as you walk through the canals of Naples with hot cocoa in hand.
That was a joke.
For many of you busy bee workers, parents, students, folks functioning under capitalism, etc. — I don’t need to tell you how hard it is to make time for such pleasantries in your busy schedule. But if you were looking for an excuse to find time for that, blame it on the Long Beach Post, (“The media made me do it, oh no!”). We’re telling you to drop everything, grab your loved ones and go see some holiday lights ASAP.
And no matter where you sit on the Cindy-Lou to Grinch spectrum, it’s hard to hate on the twinkly-sparklies.
You’ve got about three-ish days before the big holiday to hit one or more of these well-lit areas in Long Beach that we’ve listed below, so you better get ready.
Naples Island Christmas Lights
We’ll start with a real special one. If you haven’t been, it will blow your sockets.
Naples Island, just south of Belmont Shore is one of Long Beach’s highest-heeled hoods. It’s a place where (most of) the canal-facing dwellers light up their homes from foundation to chimney — and all of those sparkles are reflected back on the water.
Last week, a few friends and I hit the canals for the 77th annual Naples Island Boat Parade. One of those friends told me: “I feel like I’ve spared the expense on Disneyland this year just by coming here.” Yep, it won’t leave you wanting for more.
Pro-tips:
- Snag yourself a hot beverage or a treat for the walk. While it’s easy to hit Colossus, Philz, Cinnaholic, Sweet Jills or any of the other nearby spots beforehand, Carmen’s Coffee, Naples’ resident turquoise espresso truck, will be slanging hot cocoa and other treats nightly near the entrance to the canals.
- Bring some cash. If you turn the right corner on your way through the canals, you’ll find some folks handing out goodies and kids selling hot cocoa.
- Make it a boozy canal cruise by making a pit stop at K.C. Branaghans on your way in. They will fix you an excellent Irish coffee.
Daisy Lane
For almost 70 years, a street in the Wrigley neighborhood has transformed itself into one of the city’s most beloved holiday landmarks. Each year, houses and medians on Daisy Avenue are decked out in holiday scenes, Christmas villages and more with the help of residents and local officials.
Pro-tip: Swing by The Hawk (with a saintly designated driver) on your way over for a boozy lighted tour.
This holiday landmark is at 1800 Daisy Ave.
Miracle at the Ordinarie + Convention Center
Let’s say you’re in the mood for a shorter walk through holiday lights and you’d like to elongate the boozy element we’ve tacked onto a few lighted tours. Then might I suggest that you, yes you, hurry to The Ordinarie in Downtown to get a seat at their yearly Miracle pop-up.
Adults rejoice, their cocktail list is comically crude, but the ingredients in each drink are guaranteed to serve up all of the cozy jolly feelies we loved about the holidays growing up. Take some of these for example:
- Jingle Balls Nog: Cognac, cream sherry, almond milk, cream, egg vanilla and nutmeg
- Yippee Ki Yay Mother F****r!: Barbados rum, rhum agricole, Trinidad overproof rum, ube & coconut orgeat and acid-adjusted pineapple juice
- Elfing Around #2: Cognac, mulled wine reduction, champagne, lemon, aromatic bitters and absinthe
You can also ask for a Nice or a Naughty Shot. Your call.
After you’re done, take a stroll down the Promenade toward Ocean Boulevard. Hang a left, then another right (safely, safely) at the crosswalk toward the massive display of some 500,000 lights and a 67-foot Christmas tree in front of the Long Beach Terrace Theater.
There, you’ll also find Instagrammable installations, the BestHibachi Japanese food truck reliably parked nearby from 5 p.m. to midnight — and plenty more razzle-dazzle. Take a long gander, taxpayers. And remember to use one of the city’s free shuttles, Uber, or bring a sober friend if you’ll be merry-making.
The convention center is at 300 E. Ocean Blvd. and The Ordinarie is at 210 The Promenade N.
Trees on the bay
For more than seven whole decades, Long Beachers have been rubbernecking the sight of massive floating and illuminated wooden trees in the Colorado Lagoon, Spinnaker Bay, Alamitos bay and Rainbow Harbor.
It won’t give quite the same level of stimulation as Naples, but perhaps you were looking for something with a bit more of a calming effect. We’d suggest packing some snacks, a hot beverage and walking around one of these bodies of water to really enjoy these floaty trees.
Lights on Falcon
Here’s a unique and saintly resident offering a literal light show for the folks of Long Beach to enjoy. Joe Hayden of Bixby Knolls has created “Lights on Falcon” from his own home and driveway. The free show is running Sundays through Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 11 p.m.
The 30-minute show features over 40,000 LED lights, all individually programmed and synchronized to music that you can listen to on your car radio at 97.7 FM or 88.7 FM as you cruise by.
And you can even choose the music if you plan ahead. Visit Hayden’s website (which asks “Are you ready to get lit?”) to choose from over 40 different songs ranging from Christmas music to pop hits (they’ve got “Cha Cha Slide”) and Disney favorites. For the kiddos, there will also be glow sticks and bracelets that flash and change color in synchronicity with the blinking light show.
Hayden just asks that you return those light sticks and bracelets at the end of the show. Or, you can buy them here.
Lights on Falcon is at 4128 Falcon Ave.
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