Things to Do This Weekend: Enjoy Hanukkah Fests Around SoCal

Happy Hanukkah: Lovely latkes, soul-stirring stories, spirited celebrating, and the sweetness of close community are just some of the many gifts to be found during the Jewish Festival of Lights. Menorahs will begin to glow across Southern California on Dec. 18, with some spots offering ebullient gatherings to start the festivities. The Skirball Cultural Center's beloved Hanukkah Festival dances on the afternoon of Dec. 18, with klezmer music, stories, crafts, and a candle ceremony at sunset. At the Original Farmers Market? Tunes, activities, and a menorah lighting are on the party's celebratory schedule. And Pretend City will have dreidels, stories, and more on Dec. 18, sweet.

Menorah Lightings: Several cities, shopping centers, attractions, and cultural destinations will be lighting the menorah each night during Hanukkah, so do check with your town or neighborhood if you'd like to participate. Local lightings include Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica (head for the 1400 block), Chabad of Pasadena's spirited ceremony at City Hall on Dec. 18 (look for a menorah brimming with chocolate and dreidels), and Chabad of Hollywood's Dec. 18 Menorah Lighting at Ovation Hollywood. Some happenings will feature festive events throughout Hanukkah, while a few will host a special event on the holiday's first evening.

Shogun Santa: Little Tokyo is one of the ultimate spots to eat and shop come the Christmas season, but the amazing foods and giftable finds aren't the notable neighborhood's only delightful draws. There are visits with Shogun Santa to look forward to, and the chance to take a picture with the legendary fellow. He'll be calling upon the downtown district on both Dec. 17 and 18, with a stop by Japanese Village Plaza around the middle of each day and Little Tokyo Galleria in the late afternoon. Eager to soak up more of Little Tokyo's many wonders? Look into joining the Holiday Hop.

PEANUTS House: The traditions we remember from when we were very small are sweet, but if our parents also enjoyed the same annual must-dos during the merriest stretch of the year? The sweetness becomes something deeper. And for thousands of Orange County families, the homegrown PEANUTS House has become one of the most important sights of the season. You can find the free-to-see display at Costa Mesa City Hall, along with a few festive activities. It's on view from Dec. 16 through 23.

Ugly Sweaters to Festive Pajamas: "Lightscape," the immersive illuminated experience at Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Garden, is currently bewitching visitors with all sorts of unusual displays and sparkly sculptures. But the whimsy is set to get even whimsier when guests show up in their ugliest holiday sweaters on Dec. 16 and their favorite PJs on Dec. 17 and 18. A ticket to the Arcadia outing is a must, and so are sensible shoes (yep, this is all taking place outside, so pair that unicorn onesie with your sturdiest hikers).

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade: Spectaculars packed with vibrantly decorated vessels are often fabulous, it is true, but this absolute icon of the genre? It has been around for a century, plus another 14 years on top of that. That means that the ships seen in the procession are elaborately themed, there are all sorts of awards for the bulb-iest boats, and finding a place to watch? You've got plenty of tempting options, from the decks of nearby boats to restaurants boasting large windows to a spot on a nearby shore. How big is this mondo slice of aquatic awesomeness? It runs for five nights, with a conclusion on Dec. 18.