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Make your holidays merry and bright with this South Bay & West Side city-by-city guide to Christmas, Chanukah, drive-thru light displays, Nutcrackers and more. (Shutterstock)
REDONDO BEACH, CA The holidays are nearing in Redondo Beach!
Christmas this year falls on a Friday, Dec. 25. Hanukkah is underway, running through Friday, Dec. 18. And Kwanzaa is Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
Celebrations are markedly different for 2020, to be sure. Many annual community extravaganazas were canceled throughout Redondo Beach and the Greater L.A. region this year due to the pandemic and stay-at-home orders.
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But festivities still abound throughout the area as towns and organizations are getting creative with drive-thrus, virtual and socially distanced events many with limited availablity and required reservations.
“Bah, humbug!” It’s not a cliche; it’s a lifeline.
The words from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” are worth their weight in counting-house gold to local theater companies this time of year. As is the graceful familiarity of “The Nutcracker.” The uplifting notes of Handel’s “Messiah” too.
These holiday touchstones aren’t lost just to audiences this year. They’re lost to small arts groups that rely on the bountiful revenue to refill depleted end-of-the-year coffers. But more than that, leaders said, these shows deliver so many intangibles sowing company camaraderie, strengthening ties to core audiences and attracting new fans for the coming year.
How to safely enjoy COVID Christmas, from a NASCAR track to a tea party MORE With Christmas still the granddaddy of all the holidays when it comes to decorating, festive displays have sprung up all over Southern California. The Irwindale Speedway has gone all-in on holiday lights while staying true to its motorsports roots. Photo Matt Guilhem/KCRW
It might feel like we’re in the 35th week of March, but with Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year” in regular rotation these days, there’s no fighting the calendar. It’s December.
The 1963 holiday standard talks about “kids jingle-belling” and “everyone telling you be of good cheer.” Well, it’s 2020 and there’s a pandemic happening. Can the jingle-belling happen over Zoom? In spite of the year it’s been, we could all use more than a little good cheer.