THE TOP HOLIDAY EVENTS

The Newport Boat Parade is one of the country's largest spectator events:
Photo: John Blom Photography.

But there is more to the season, and here are some of the top Holiday happenings around the USA:

• Newport Beach Boat Parade, Newport Beach, CA. One of the top Holiday events in the entire USA – if not THE biggest – gets a million viewers during its five-day run.

Everything from luxury yachts to Duffys are decorated with lights, flashing Santas, Christmas trees and reindeer. Sexy elves? Of course! Still more party boats join the parade, making this one of America's Top Holiday Party Events.

This event regularly occurs the third week of December, primarily in the area around the Balboa Bay Yacht Club, from Wednesday thru Sunday.

Other boat parades in L.A., are in Redondo Beach, Marina del Rey, Huntington Beach and Long Beach. None dare to compete with Newport and are held a week or two before the biggest one of them all.

Manhattan Beach puts the Holiday welcome signs out early.

• Holiday Open House, Manhattan Beach, CA. There may be a Santa Claus in shorts roaming around L.A., but that doesn't mean there's no Holiday spirit in this city. In fact, the season begins the Wednesday the week prior to Thanksgiving with this annual event which attracts a couple of thousand people.

Carolers patrol the streets and the shops in downtown Manhattan Beach swing open their doors to eager locals from 6-9 p.m., many enticing shoppers and potential customers with food and even adult beverages. The appeal of the latter makes this a "must attend" event for single people in the Beach Cities, for it is an ideal environment for meeting and mingling. When the event concludes, the many bars of downtown Manhattan Beach become packed watering holes.

It has become such as success that the city expanded it to include another date (first Wednesday of December) in North Manhattan Beach and surrounding cities of Hermosa and Redondo have followed the format. Even West Hollywood now gets into the act with its Holiday Walk Along the Avenues.

This event regularly occurs the third Wednesdayof December.

It's a dog's day for pets but the beer garden is the heart of the action.

• Corona de Mar Walk, Corona del Mar, CA. There's no free booze offered by the stores along the mile corridor of Corona del Mar on Pacific Coast Highway in South Orange County, but there IS a beer and wine garden.

Just about every single person in Orange County attends this event and uses it as a warmup to hit the many CDM bars by late afternoon. Yes, it's a party.

This event regularly occurs the first Sunday of December.

More: Corona del Mar Walk

This Holiday event is a real blast.

• Holiday Fireworks, Manhattan Beach, CA. With several surrounding cities having big blasts on the Fourth of July, this scenic seaside city developed a brilliant and distinctive alternative: Have fireworks in December and make it a festive event for the season.

It's a spectacular show and involves caroling and Santa (of course). Thousands of area residents look forward to it for weeks. They flock downtown to set down blankets or beach chairs on Manhattan Beach Blvd., facing the Pacific Ocean, bringing food and refreshments. Nearly every house along the beach (known as the Strand) has a party, be it a raging kegger or small gathering of friends, and the restaurants and bars are packed. The latter, especially, are filled to midnight with festive revelers.

This event regularly occurs the second Sunday of December at the Manhattan Beach Pier.

More: Manhattan Beach Fireworks.