All right, Christmas-light chasers, we’ve reached the time of the year where you’re hunting for colorful displays. Like in years past, we’ve put together a guide to houses that do something a little different — they create dancing lights shows set to music.
Inspired by that viral video turned Miller Lite, these tech-savvy homeowners add a different element to light-looking. Something beyond Christmas Tree Lane and Cindy Lane. This is more like a choose-your-own-adventure outing, where the family piles into the car and criss-crosses the city to watch these shows one at a time. There’s no official map or organization behind the displays. We’ve tracked the houses the past few years. But the light shows come and go, depending on the year. So feel free to send us updates! Look below for a Google Map.
Wee Mike Oz had the rosiest cheeks and a smile on his face when Mommy took him to see Santa way back in 1983 (ish). He probably asked for a Power Wheel. Or some G.I. Joe’s. Or whatever else pre-schoolers wanted back then.
When grown-man Mike Oz found this picture last year, he had to wonder what Mom was thinking. This guy passed for Santa?!? And someone let me sit on his lap?!? Maybe it was the times. Maybe all Santas looked drunk and downtrodden in the early 80s.
This weekend’s Santacon (Saturday night in the Tower District) got me to thinking about horrible Santas. More than likely — at a pub crawl where participants dress in Santa costumes — you’re going to see some things that wouldn’t fly in the mall. You might see Santa making out with some ho-ho-hos, barfing in the bushes or dancing to LMFAO songs.
So here’s the question: Has anybody encountered a worst Santa than this guy? If you have a pic, great, post a link. If not, use your words and make us all feel the disgust oozing off the page.
Christmas is long over and for many of us, it’s back to work tomorrow.
For those of you who are not yet ready to let go of the holiday, here is a video that will tap into the part of you that tries yearly to recreate the feeling of Christmases past. It’s not the most amazing video, but it’s oddly touching.
For 25 years, a father videotaped his kids coming down the stairs on Christmas morning. Watch as the kids grow, pets arrive, and new additions come into the family:
With reruns running twenty-four hours a day, it’s hard to miss “Scrubs,” but I am happy to see the show’s best couple, J.D. and Turk (or Zach Braff and Donald Faison to those who don’t believe actors are their characters), reunited for a little holiday duet.
As promised, here’s this year’s list of local houses with their Christmas light shows synced to music.
If you’re new to this: It makes for a good self-guided tour for Christmas-light seekers. The houses are like the one in that famous Miller Lite commercial. Each show is about 10 minutes. You tune your car stereo into the specific station and watch the lights dance. It’s free, fun and local.
If you enjoyed the list last year, here’s a word for you: Two of the last year’s houses aren’t doing it this year, but tell me they hope to return in 2012. However, this is a new house on the list (the last one).
Looking to re-capture some of that holiday spirit after the Shankmas Tree Lane news? Then head over to Fulton 55 tonight, which is a hosting a soulful seasonal concert. It features some nice up-and-coming local soul/R & B talent. I’ve heard a lot of great things about both Desirae Monique and Epiphany Tones. And B. Wash is back too, after his recent Crest Theatre-headlining show.
Remember on Halloween when Jimmy Kimmel challenged parents to trick their kids into believing their hard-won candy had been eaten overnight? Well this time he’s asked parents to deliver to their kids “terrible” presents, all in the name of comedy.
Fewer outright tantrums this time, but the kid at the end who wants to deliver a special message to Kimmel pretty much justifies my lack of faith in future generations (and present ones, as this kid surely learned from his parents).
Ya know, Fresno, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear news about someone getting stabbed at the mall or the fair or outside of the Walmart. But Christmas Tree Lane?!? Is nothing sacred to the hooligans in this town?
One person was stabbed at Christmas Tree Lane on Tuesday night after a fight escalated, Fresno County sheriff’s deputies said.
One person was in custody in connection with the stabbing, a sheriff’s spokesman said Wednesday morning. There was no immediate information about the suspect’s age or identity.
Around 8 p.m., deputies were dispatched to Griffith Way and Van Ness Boulevard for a call about a stabbing. The victim was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, officials said. The condition of the victim is unknown.
Perhaps you should count this as another reason — aside from it being just a better light display — to visit Cindy Lane in Clovis.
1. START A NEW CHRISTMAS TRADITION
This weekend brings us a couple of new holiday-themed events that are a little different than the usual Christmas fare. It’s something I wrote about in my Bee column today. There’s the inaugural SantaCon Fresno happening Saturday with people dressed as Santas bar-hopping around the Tower District. Then there’s Fresno’s first-ever festival celebrating the “Seinfeld”-created holiday, Festivus, which is happening tonight at Fulton 55. It’s organized by the Dirty Dowdy Podcast and features local bands and comics as well as many of the Festivus traditions as outlined on “Seinfeld” — the Festivus pole, Airing of Grievances and so forth.
Looks like next weekend is taking shape as a big Christmas celebration in downtown Fresno. There’s the annual Christmas parade — which was resurrected after being canceled — at 10 a.m. Saturday. Afterward, the city has organized a variety of activities around downtown as part of something it’s calling WinterFest.
The cool thing about WinterFest is a “passport” game where attendees can win prizes while exploring downtown:
Ah, the holidays. A time of merriment, joy and barely contained hate for humanity. Watch as Julie Chang of MyFoxNY spreads some holiday cheer to a kid innocently waving to the camera.
In a few weeks I’m heading to Anaheim to get my holiday on at the Happiest Place on Earth. I’ve been to Disneyland once before during the holidays, but this time I want to make sure I don’t miss out on anything. I’ll be there for three and a half days, so, in theory, I have time to do everything a lot.
So, I’m asking for your suggestions. In addition to all of the new, non-holiday stuff at the resort (Star Tours, The Little Mermaid), and the stuff that goes without saying (churros, more churros) what are the things I absolutely have to do on this trip? Drink hot chocolate on Main Street? Buy an ornament in New Orleans Square? Visit the Grand Californian Christmas tree?
The Disney Parks blog has posted about some stuff that’s new for the holidays this year, including an 18-foot cartoon-style tree in Toontown, a holiday addition to DCA’s “World of Color,” and a Phineas and Ferb holiday-themed street show, but I want to hear about your Disneyland holiday traditions. What’s your absolute December-at-Disneyland must-do?
Every day in December, I checked my mailbox hoping my Christmas card from Julio Iglesias would arrive. I returned to The Bee today after being gone for 11 days to find that I had one last Christmas present waiting for me. My card from La Familia Iglesias.
The short version of the backstory, for those who haven’t followed in the past: A few years back I interviewed Julio before a Fresno show and I’ve been on his Christmas card list ever since. It’s an annual reminder that he and his model wife have disgustingly beautiful children. The younger ones — not Enrique and the like.
It’s Christmas. Shopping right now is, to put it nicely, a Kim Kardashian’s ass-sized clusterf***. And somehow, no matter which line you choose, you always seem to be in the slowest one. Wanna know why? Here’s a science guy to explain it:
That actually made sense. Now, if I can just get the Savemart by my house to open more than one checkstand at a time, I can put his theory to the test.
Still looking for that perfect gift for your friends and family? The Beehive is here to help with suggestions for some cool gifts you can find locally.
BIRDSTONE WINERY: If you’re looking for a gift that gives back to the community, head to Birdstone Winery in Madera for a bottle of Alegria Reserve Chardonnay or Dolcetto, both of which benefit the Alegria Guild of Children’s Hospital Central California. Can’t get much better than buying alcohol in the name of charity!
TWEE BOUTIQUE & GALLERY: Don’t know what you’re looking for? Then head to the cutest little shop in town selling hand-made goods. It’s called Twee, and it’s full of fun, quirky and original gift ideas, many of which are made by local folks. You know those Fresno-themed buttons that you’ve seen people wearing all over town? Well, you can get those here and stick them in someone’s stocking. Twee also carries everything from stationary to stuff for your dog.
1. GET FESTIVE
All the Christmas-related stuff revs up this weekend around Fresno. That includes the opening of Christmas Tree Lane (and the first walking night tonight), the tree lighting at City Hall, Tuba Christmas and the Tower District’s Christmas festivities. Here’s a list of 12 different Christmas things to get out and do this season that includes details on all those plus more. For a deeper look behind some of your favorite Fresno light displays, check out this Bee story.
