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 California Christmas Holiday Parades - California Events

Are you ready for a California Christmas Parade? Christmas at the Beach can't be beat in California.  There's warm, sunny days where Santa dons his shorts and lugs his slightly-used surfboard around, plopping it in the sand while he works on his tan. From Santa Cruz's Surfin' Santa to the massive production, The Glory of Christmas at Crystal Cathedral, you'll find tractor light parades, boat tours, Nutcracker Ballets and even a dozen or so Santas riding Harley motorcycles.  Some Christmas and holiday celebrations in California include Carols in the Caves; Crystal Cathedral's The Glory of Christmas with live animals, soaring angels, special effects and orchestration by the London Symphony Orchestra; Disneyland special lights and parades; Surfin' Santa in Capitola where Mr. Claus arrives on a surfboard and Tractor Christmas Parade in Calistoga.

It seems the further north you get in California, the funnier the events.  Like the visit from the cows at Ferndale.  How cute is that?  Life in the big city has its uniformity so the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is a hoot, with office workers marching in unison and doing a briefcase drill by twirling briefcases in the air.  What's the most popular parade?  Small towns love their Santa visits and the coast loves its boat parades.  Then there's the irreverent "no parade" parade. Literally you just show up with strings of lights on yourself if you like, and participate in non-conformity. That's Sunset Beach, which is a place for people who like living outside the bounds of organized cities.