LA's Most Unusual Christmas Traditions

Unique Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in Los Angeles

In compiling my list of LA Christmas Traditions, there were some that struck me as a little out of the ordinary, so I decided they deserved their own list. From visiting a cemetery to watching other people's old Christmas slides, Angeleno's have some unusual ways of celebrating the holidays. They might just make your December visit to Los Angeles a little more interesting.

• Share a kiss under the mistletoe dangled by King Kong on Universal City Walk, outside Universal Studios Hollywood. Of course it's giant mistletoe, so it better be some kiss!
  
  
• Take a Gondola Ride to admire the Christmas and Hanukkah lights on Naples Island in Long Beach. There are other more economical boat tours available, but snuggling under a blanket while a gondolier serenades you with O Sole Mio or O Holy Night is the most romantic way to see the festive holiday decorations around Naples Island in Long Beach. It's not quite as romantic, but still fun if you hire a gondola for 10 instead of two. Note: Not all gondoliers sing, but you can do your own caroling through the canals.
  
  
• Take the kids to visit the Scientology Santa at the L. Ron Hubbard Winter Wonderland on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard between N. Mccadden Place and N. Las Palmas Ave. I don't know if undergoing a personality test is a requirement to see Santa, but you can be sure someone will be around offering to give you one.
  
  
• Take a trip to the cemetery to see Light and Hope: The Forest Lawn Christmas Windows. The annual exhibit features 5 stained glass windows created in 1903 by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany that tell the story of the birth and early childhood of Jesus. Forest Lawn has over 1000 stained glass windows in its renowned collection. The exhibit is open 11/27/09 - 2/07/10 from 10 am to 5 pm in the Forest Lawn Museum at 1712 S. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA 91205.
  
  
• View other people's vintage holiday slides at Charles Phoenix's Retro Holiday Slide Show. This year Phoenix will be presenting his off-beat collection of other people's New Years, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas slides from the 1950s and 60s at shows in Pasadena, Pomona and Hollywood.
  
  
• The Bob Baker Marionette Theater presents their annual seasonal puppet show, Bob Baker's Holiday Spectacular, including everything from the eight days of Hanukkah to a trip to Santa's Workshop. The show runs from Nov 14, 2009 through January 10, 2010.

If you know of any other unusual annual LA traditions that should be added to this list, send them for consideration to golosangeles.guide@about.com.

Return to Los Angeles Christmas Traditions.