Fun and festive activities to do over Winter Break

Los Angeles offers a variety of enticing events for the youth during the holiday season. Rather than simply staying home and watching the days go by, students may partake in the activities listed below for an enjoyable winter break.

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade:
The 110th anniversary of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade will begin on Dec. 19 and continue through Dec. 23, bringing fun nights of festivities for friends and families.
According to the Newport Beach Boat parade website, three shows run per day, each of which include a long parade of hundreds of yachts that are extravagantly decorated with lights and special effects that pertain to specific themes.

People can watch the parade from many different locations, including the Balboa Village, the Harborside Restaurant, the Newport Sea base and more. However, sophomore Hailey Bullard stated in an interview that some spots provide a much larger and cleaner view than others.

“I absolutely love the light parade,” said Bullard. “The atmosphere is so exciting! People walk around to see the houses and the boats on the bay. It is a great, festive environment and I would definitely recommend it!”

At the end of the night, a group of judges vote on the most elaborately decorated boat.

Food Kitchen:
End Kids’ Hunger provides students with an opportunity to serve the homeless at the Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in January and February of 2019.

The Calabasas High School club generally volunteers at the church’s food kitchen every other month; however, they are participating multiple times during this holiday season to give back to the community. Not only is this an opportunity for students to gain community service hours, but it is also a great way to get in the holiday spirit and spread happiness throughout the community.

“I think working at the food kitchen is the best form of community service that we do,” said senior and Vice President of End Kids’ Hunger Tara Koda. “Seeing the looks in those people’s eyes when we give them food puts me in awe and I can’t wait for our next event.”
Contact Koda at [email protected] or attend an End Kids’ Hunger club meeting for more information regarding the event.

Santa’s Village at Skypark:
Located in an Alpine Forest in the San Bernardino Mountains, Santa’s Village at SkyPark offers people an abundance of Christmas events and activities from Nov. 15 to Jan. 6. Their goal is to provide fun outdoor activities for families and friends to enjoy in the spirit of the holidays.

The prices for Santa’s Village range from $52 to $259.

“It’s very fun!” said freshman Lily Polvy. “I enjoy the go carts and shopping in the cute stores! I also love drinking the warm hot chocolate when it is cold outside.”

The activities at Santa’s Village range from ziplining, train rides, fishing, and bike riding to lounging around and eating at the many different candy shops and food pubs.

Visit the website skyparksantasvillage.com to get tickets.