By Michele E. Buttelman and Alicia Doyle
Sunday Signal Writers
The holidays are the most anticipated time of the year. Every year we promise ourselves we’ll do something really special, something different and fun. Then, in all the frantic demands on our time, we often push aside those plans for holiday fun. Make this the year for last-minute holiday fun.
Ice Skating
Is there a more festive holiday activity than ice skating?
The Cube
27745 Smyth Drive, Valencia 91355; (661) 257-2823
Info www.thecubesantaclarita.com
Your closest ice-skating venue for the holidays is right in your own backyard. The CUBE, owned by the city of Santa Clarita has a festive Christmas tree on the ice and public skating and skate rentals seven days a week.
Open public daily skating hours are 1:30-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday hours also include 9-11 a.m. From Friday through Sunday additional times are 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Pershing Square Ice Rink
448 S. Hill St., Los Angeles 90013
Info holidayicerinkdowntownla.com/
Glide into the holidays while ice skating outdoors in Pershing Square in downtown L.A. Open daily through Jan.11, you won’t want to miss this magical winter wonderland that promises to delight all ages.
One-hour sessions start every 1.5 hours, noon-10 p.m. daily. General admission including skate rental: $22.
Ice at Santa Monica
1324 5th St., Santa Monica 90401
Info iceatsantamonica.com
The Ice Rink at Santa Monica is presented by Disney+ and Hulu. This will be the 17th season for this holiday experience. Located in the heart of Santa Monica, the outdoor rink offers the unique opportunity to skate under the California sun by day and the stars by night. Open daily noon-10 p.m. through Jan. 19. Admission including skate rental: $22.
Lights, Lights, Lights
The best part of the holidays are all the festive lighting displays throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. You can drive down nearly any street and enjoy the beautiful displays offered up by your neighbors for the season. Here is a list of some of the truly spectacular displays in the SCV and beyond. Free neighborhood light displays.
Wakefield Winter Wonderland
21965 Wakefield Court 91350
Wakefield Winter Wonderland on Wakefield Court between Seco Canyon and Haskell Canyon off Copper Hill Drive and Courtland Way in Saugus is a holiday tradition in the SCV.
The 41 homes on Wakefield Court feature thousands of lights and creative, elaborate displays. Best viewed by parking your car and walking the dual cul-de-sac. Hours are 5:30-10 p.m. Please remember these are private homes and be respectful of others.
Clearidge Drive/Meraweather Place
Valencia 91354
Clearidge Drive and nearby streets have been “lighting up” during the holidays for more than two decades. Fridays-Sundays, residents light up the curbsides with glowing luminaries. Drive through, or walk through this festive neighborhood with true holiday spirit. You might even catch Santa on his sleigh. Hours: 6-10 p.m.
Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills
Lubao Avenue and Oxnard Street, Woodland Hills 91367
Open 6-10 p.m. until Dec. 31. Candy Cane Lane is one of Los Angeles County’s oldest holiday light spectaculars. It started in 1952 as a neighborhood tradition where residents coordinated their festive holiday lights and decorations, turning the streets of Lubao, Jumilla and Oakdale into themed winter wonderlands.
This eight-square-block area in Woodland Hills has annually transformed for more than 70 years into Candy Cane Lane with a celebration of lights, figures and artificial snow.
105th Annual Christmas Tree Lane Altadena
Santa Rosa Avenue, Altadena 91001
Along Santa Rosa Avenue in Altadena from Mariposa Street to Woodbury Road, thousands of holiday bulbs adorn a short stretch of deodars originally planted in the 1880s. The tradition of illuminating Santa Rosa Avenue stretches back to 1920. It is the oldest large-scale outdoor lighting display in the country.
Despite damage from the Eaton Fire, the display has been rewired and rehung with thousands of new light strands on the trees that miraculously survived the fire.
Holidays at the Farm
30116 Bouquet Canyon Rd. 91390
Info (661) 645-2517
Gilchrist Farm’s “Holidays at the Farm 2025” offers families a full day of affordable, mostly free seasonal fun on the first three weekends of December, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission and free parking make it an easy yes for budget-minded parents looking for holiday cheer close to home.
Free activities include visits with Santa from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 10 a.m. each day, a holiday parade will showcase festive pony carts, a real fire truck, lovingly restored classic tractors and Santa himself, with an extra-special parade planned for Dec. 13 and 14.
In other free offerings, young horse lovers can watch students from the Gilchrist Farm Equestrian Program ride and lead the farm’s horses and ponies in costume, and catch a live horseback riding demo by the Gilchrist Farm demo team. Families can stop by the letter-writing station to pen wish lists to Santa, cheer on the “Jingle Pigs” in festive pig races at noon and 3 p.m., and enjoy live music, including the Orchard Bluegrass Band and other performers. An on-site artisan marketplace will feature handmade gifts and holiday décor from local vendors, from jewelry and trendy crafts to soaps, candles and home accents.
For a small fee, families can add extra experiences like the Festive Farm Animal Visit for $5 and a Caroling Wagon Ride for $5. Kids can also tackle the all-day Giant Jingle Slide for $10, or engage in the Coin Hunt Maze for $5.
Special Celebrations
As the holidays grow near take time to enjoy special celebrations with family and friends.
Salt Creek Grille Winter Drinks
24415 Town Center Dr #115, Valencia 91355
Info saltcreekgrille.com/valencia
Salt Creek Grille has stocked the bar with a quartet of seasonal drinks, available only for a limited time. Take a few minutes from your hectic schedule and invite a few good friends to join you for special seasonal cheer.
This year’s offerings include:
The Drunken German Chocolate Made with vanilla vodka, chocolate liquor, coconut rum, splash of cream and topped with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.
Buffalo Bill’s Coffee Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream, butterscotch schnapps, topped with coffee.
Marshmallow Espresso Martini Toasted marshmallow whiskey, coffee liquor, fresh espresso and topped with toasted marshmallow.
Winter Wonderland Rumchata liquor, vanilla vodka, blue curacao and finished with a sugar rim.
‘Amahl and the Nigh Visitors’
Info www.missionopera.com
Experience the magic of the Nativity story like never before. In the desert lands of the first century, a young boy catches sight of a giant star. As his mother hopes for the family’s future, they are visited by three mysterious kings on a journey to find a newborn child. Visit the website for tickets.
All shows are 4-5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 21 St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 24901 Orchard Village Road, Santa Clarita 91355.
Sunday, Dec. 28 Trinity Episcopal Church, Fillmore, 600 Saratoga St., Fillmore 93015.
Saturday, Jan. 3 Valencia United Methodist Church, 25718 McBean Parkway, Santa Clarita 91355.
Saturday, Jan. 10 St. Kateri Catholic Church, 22508 Copper Hill Drive, Santa Clarita 91350.
Mission Opera is an OPERA America professional opera company located in Santa Clarita, serving the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys. As an educational performing arts charity, we present live theater, opera, musical theater, and various educational outreach initiatives, in addition to our diverse programming of concerts and events around Southern California.
