Christmas in SoCal (Santa Ana: city hall, homes, theater)

[LAHopeful]

Hey everyone,

I was just curious to see how Christmas and the whole season is celebrated down in SoCal. We just had a mini festival where they lit a large Christmas tree outside City Hall, they are currently icing a rink in the main park downtown. So yea, just wanted some insight so let me know how you guys do it down there?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Christmas isn't celebrated or even spoken of because it might offend someone. Happy Holidays!

[user_id]

Christmas in Southern California is pretty much like the rest of the country, they are lights in many trees around town, there is an outdoor ice-rink, there are Christmas related shows at the theater (the real theater), people decorate their homes with Christmas lights (actually people seem to do this more here than other places I lived), etc.

One difference perhaps is that Christmas in California is largely secular.

[Snort]

Just remember what Christmas is really all about.



Chicken boy!

[LAHopeful]

Haha, and I am a firm believer that it should be called Christmas not Happy Holidays. I myself was born in India and came to Canada at the age of 6, and I believe that new comers should respect the cultures and traditions of their new land and not enforce or enfluence change to age old traditions.

HOWEVER, we are all immigrants (other than the Red Indians), and I acknowledge that ... just saying.

[user_id]

People say "Happy Holidays" to refer to the multiple holidays that occur during this time of the year, for some reason people have made it into some plot against Christmas. That is, "Happy Holidays" is not another word for Christmas, so suggesting that "it" (multiple holidays) should be called Christmas doesn't make much sense.

Happy Holidays everyone!

[proudmommy]

People are programmed to to think christmas is some sort of snowy, cold, sleigh bells type holiday so they do things like spray fake snow on their trees and white fake snow paint on their windowsills to pretend like they are back east "where people really know how to celebrate the holidays".
Also, kids are marketed to as if it is cold outside so kids want all these stay inside toys like video games and such. In reality, kids in CA play outside because they aren't stuck inside like the marketers on Madison avenue in new york.
Still, women will break out their fashionable cold weather coats and boots and wear them when the temps fall below 65F - as if they lived in the midwest or east coast. It's a crack up seeing them walking around town dressed for the arctic when the guy right next to them is in shorts - in December.
Finally, there's always decent chance we'll have a Santa Ana Winds event and it will be 88F yet grandma will insist we light a fire in the fireplace because that's what you're supposed to do on christmas - after all, that's what the people back east do.

[user_id]

You are forgetting that California has very diverse weather, it snows in many locations in the winter. Also, wearing a winter coat is hardly dressing for the arctic, what I find absurd is the guy wearing a t-shirt and shorts when its 50 degrees out. It gets fairly cold at night even in coastal Southern California, should people just freeze?

[proudmommy]

Originally Posted by user_id

what I find absurd is the guy wearing a t-shirt and shorts when its 50 degrees out.

How else is everyone going to see this guy's tattoos?

[Narfcake]

Originally Posted by user_id

what I find absurd is the guy wearing a t-shirt and shorts when its 50 degrees out.

Meh. It's just another warm day, then.

Everybody's different ... if they feel fine, then let them be.

Several years back, I was visiting a friend in Buffalo NY during the end of winter (which means there was only 3' of snow on the ground). Daytime high - 35 degrees. I was fine with a sweatshirt and jeans.