South Lake Avenue's Free Holiday Lark to Fa, La, La in the Crown City

Specific shops and stand-alone restaurants known for their especially celebratory spirits, the spunk they show throughout the year?

They're often also associated with super-nice Noël-focused festivities, too, when the yuletide arrives.

A particularly plucky store might display eye-catching decorations or offer seasonal savings. And finding an eatery that places Christmassy dishes at the top of a limited-time menu? That's a common and always appetizing sight, too.

But encountering an entire multi-block area, one that is known for its mid-century charms, elegant shops, and decades-old dining choices, doing it up, holiday-style?

Such charming events don't happen all that often.

Pasadena's South Lake Avenue, though, is the effervescent exception. The handsome thoroughfare has long thrown a community-wide celebration around the early part of December, all to treat shoppers, diners, and anyone who'd like to stop by for a sweet snapshot with Mr. Kris Kringle.

And that December to-do on the happy holiday horizon: HOLIDAYFEST! is back on South Lake on Saturday, Dec. 3.

Several spirit-raisers are on the schedule, including a "mini parade" of local fire engines, the chance to make snowglobes, the opportunity to enter a raffle or try for a prize, characters inc costume, and live music from a line-up of great regional performers.

Carolers, too, will bring the December-fun ditties, and a barbershop quartet will be summoning those vintage sounds.

A Holiday Artisans Market is popping up, should you want to browse unique goodies and chat up the makers.

It's all free, and the parking? Anyone who has been to South Lake knows that several lots are found just off the main area. It was a shopping district that arose during the early heyday of California car culture, after all, and several of South Lake's structures still boast that mid-century moxie.

For everything happening during the festive five-hour window, leg it by the South Lake site now.