Wrapping paper covers the walls. Twinkling lights and glittering garland zigzag the ceiling. Mariah Carey and Bing Crosby croon carols from crackling speakers. Festive drinks boast punny names and red and green sprinkles. All the ingredients needed for a holiday cocktail bar. For me, the holidays and fellowship go hand-in-hand. And a holiday-themed cocktail bar…
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Crystal Cove State Park, especially the historic 1930-1940-era cottages and the beach Christmas tree, is among my favorite places to relax and enjoy the happiness and cozy feeling of the Christmas season. Even if the weather is a bit nippy, there’s never a bad day at the beach. Unlike the over-indulged ornamented trees of the…
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There’s a nip of cold in the canyon air. Elfin kids play in Town Square’s gingerbread house while their parents line up to see Santa at the Sawdust Art Festival’s Winter Fantasy in Laguna Beach. There’s a marionette show, bubble snow, musicians on three stages, free art classes, twinkling lights and, of course, more than…
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As a self-proclaimed “kidult” (yes, I’m almost 28, but plush toys have my heart), Jini Mini is my unexpected holiday haven. Every corner of this Irvine store feels like it was made just for me – and probably for anyone who’s ever had a borderline unhealthy obsession with plush toys. The boutique may be small,…
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Soak in the holiday spirit on the sea. Each harbor in Orange County has its own spin on holiday boat parades, a festive tradition in Newport, Dana Point and Huntington harbors. In Huntington, boat tours meander through the waterfront houses that get decked out on Dec. 14 and 15. People sing from the bow of…
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As a little girl full of Christmas spirit – also stuffed with conchas and Nestle’s Abuelita hot chocolate – a slow drive on North Yale Avenue in Fullerton was always on the top spot of my wish list. Sitting in the backseat of Nana’s car, listening to Christmas music and looking at the holiday lights…
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It starts with the smell that welcomes you. You’ll get a whiff when you visit a See’s Candies store in a mall, but that is nothing like the divine smell that envelopes you entering this stand-alone store in Anaheim, with its much larger showroom of chocolate confections. Many a holiday season has kicked off with…
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We don’t care how many adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” you’ve seen. Forget them. This one at South Coast Repertory is the only one that counts. There’s singing. There’s dancing. There’s transformation as the growling, snarling wretch that is Scrooge becomes a spritely, joyous evangelist of Christmas cheer, keenly aware that…
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Everyone has a favorite spot to get in the holiday spirit, and no one is wrong. Still, we at the Register cover Orange County – with its 34 cities and 3.2 million people – and have some ideas to share in case you’re stumped or simply looking for a new spot to check out. We…
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Last winter’s television reports of EV drivers waiting in long lines at crowded public charging stations drew a line in the snow for many electric-vehicle intenders. Why would drivers in the North and Northeast subject themselves to such frigid range anxiety for a vehicle they might not be able to use year-round? In truth, electric…
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