MrLA

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Celebrate Christmas the L.A. Way: 'Yule' Be Glad You Did!

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is tomorrow morning.  For 90 years, it has defined the tradition of American holiday parades. It gets a huge national audience every year and it's been enshrined in two versions of "Miracle on 34th Street".

Nonetheless, it is Los Angeles and suburbs that hold the most holiday parades in the United States. 


The oldest of them all is what the Hollywood Christmas Parade, held this year (as in every year since it's founding) on the Sunday after Thankgsiving, this year on November 27.  I knew it as the Santa Claus Lane Parade, it's original name for over 50 years. It spans Hollywood Blvd., from Hollywood Blvd. and Orange Drive (in front of the TCL Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel)  to Hollywood and Vine. 

Started in 1928, it, like the Macy's parade, was started to drum up Christmas shopping.  Hollywood was already world famous and the village of 1908 was now a sophisticated, urban suburb of Los Angeles, with movie studios, banks, restaurants, and fashionable stores waiting to serve Angelenos and tourists alike.  Because of the use of film stars as grand marshals from it's inception, the Hollywood Christmas Parade has had a Who's Who in Entertainment its entire history.  While my sister drooled over Jon Provost, the teenaged star of "Lassie" at the 1964 parade, my five year old life was complete seeing my favorite local television host, Hobo Kelly, on a float.  She was live and she spoke to me!!!

In the late 1970's, the parade went through a name change (The Hollywood Christmas Parade) and it attracted major film and tv stars. It sailed through the '90's with few hitches.  By the 2,000's, the parade seemed "old hat" and was no longer attracting the stars of the first magnitude.  After almost being cancelled for good in 2007, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took the parade to cable channels and funded it itself.  The ratings success led to it's new lease on life. It returned to being televised on KTLA, Channel 5, where it had been televised from 1952-2006.  This year's grand marshals are Erik Estrada and Laura McKenzie.  For more information, contact www.hollywoodchristmasparade.org



Southern California's cool but mild winters allow parades to spring up in the most unlikely places.  In Marina del Rey, Naples Harbor in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach are some of the most glittering parades in the United States, except that they are on water with decorated sailboats and other private pleasure craft. 
Naples Harbor, Long Beach, CA

Naples Harbor Christmas Boat Parade, Long Beach, CA
More Christmas Cheer at the Naples Christmas Boat Parade



For more information about the Naples Christmas Boat Parade, visit: www.naplesca.com




Redondo Beach is home to it's own Christmas boat parade.  Here's a photo from last year's parade held at King Harbor.



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For more information, visit: www.redondoevents.com/holiday-events,html

Truly, one unique and breathtaking parade is the annual Venice Canals Christmas Boat Parade in Venice, CA.  Here are three photos from recent parades.  For more information, contact:  www. venicechristmasboatparade.com. 



Of course, there are other good, old-fashioned, land-based parades other than the Hollywood Christmas Parade.  Google for all of them in Southern California but one deserves honorable mention for being a Christmas parade almost as old as the Hollywood Christmas Parade.  Since 1946, the Huntington Park Christmas Parade has attracted a huge following throughout the Southland and across the United States through Spanish-language televising of the event.  Here is Samantha's Folklorico Troupe adding a Caribbean lilt to Christmas:  https://youtu.be/Koc8P40V-Zw

Just as soon as you tire of all the richness of the Christmas parades, you can camp out on Colorado Blvd. or watch from the heated comfort of your home and watch the most famous Southern California parade of all, the Tournament of Roses on New Year's Day. 

Why all this richness of parades?  Why not?  Enjoy! Yule Be Glad You Did!


1 comment:

  1. I'd love to hear from you if you enjoyed (or, did not) this article!

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