Christmas

Roger's Gardens opened the 2012 Christmas Boutique last week, drawing crowds who were circling the parking lot and cramming the aisles for a sneak peak at the shop's holiday displays. "It's crazy," said Eric Cortina, Roger's Gardens' creative director. Cortina, who has a line of ornaments and decorations in the boutique, said he loved the shop's front room with its Victorian, H.G. Wells theme featuring clocks, gears and kaleidoscopes, and an enormous tree decorated in silver and gold.

The Newport Beach City Council reworked the budget for special event financial support at its recent meeting, deciding the Newport Beach Film Festival and Christmas Boat Parade were iconic events that deserved the most support and generally deciding that the entire process needs to be reworked, possibly in a future study session. The Corona del Mar Christmas Walk sought $10,000, but staff suggested it receive $3,000. In the end, the council voted to award the event $6,000. This was the second year that city staff and a Special Events Advisory Committee sought applications from special events organizers, then conducted public interviews, in order to decide which groups would get fee waivers or other financial assistance from the city.

The 2012 Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade will celebrate the beach. The 104th annual event's theme "Surf, Sand and Santa" was submitted by local Adam Gafke and was chosen out of more than 100 submissions. Gafke won two VIP spots on the official Santa Boat, which leads the parade. Newport Harbor residents decorate their homes, yachts, kayaks and boats with Christmas lights based on the theme every year for the five-night event hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

For most of her 13 years, Kacey Mathieson has missed her father's presence for months at a time. There were some birthdays he couldn't make, holidays when he was far away. And until Friday evening, she didn't know if the man she calls "my bestest buddy" would be home this Christmas. But when Kacey went to dinner with her mother and grandmother at Duke's in Huntington Beach, the "waiter" who approached the table was none other than her dad, an Air Force reservist who was granted a five-day leave and made it home in time to surprise his daughter.

Candles have been used for more than 5,000 years. Although the ancient Egyptians may have been among the first to use them as torches, the Romans are credited with developing the wicked candle. In the ancient world, candles were the major source of light. During modern December celebrations, candlelight continues to shed light, traditions and comfort. Every year, for example, Jews gather to brighten their homes with candles and feast for eight straight days in celebration of Hanukkah, which started more than 2,000 years ago. At that time, there was a great temple in Jerusalem, Judea (now Israel)

It was almost the end of August, almost the end of summer. The tourists were all heading home. There was a good chance the national park would close in the next week until the following May. Snow was on its way. Summer's end was near. But for the park staff, it was a party. Maybe it should have been a goodbye party. Most of the staff would not see each other for nine months. They jokingly called it their city deployment. Or their pregnancy leave. So it should have been a time of tears and farewells, blended with vague promises to see you next season.

Now that Christmas Eve has become a popular night to dine out, it's easy to find great restaurants open for dinner — but not so much on Christmas Day or evening. But we found four, with different price points, including Royal Khyber, which is one of our favorites. In Laguna Beach, Las Brisas will be serving their popular four-course Mexican Riviera brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., which includes complimentary champagne, freshly baked Mexican pastries, and choice of coffee or tea. Entrée choices include sand dabs Puerto Nuevo, pasta con camarones and filete de res con huevos.

In a foreboding first message as your new school board president, David Brooks did his best Ebenezer Scrooge "Bah! Humbug!" impersonation by saying, "We don't need critics" who are "bad-mouthing schools. " So to the many educators and others who have emailed me privately with your outrage, and to those who appear before the board to complain, Brooks would like you to put that coal back in the scuttle and get back to work. Teachers, you'll get back to work on Jan. 2, while the rest of the country observes a federal holiday.

Over his prolific century on this planet, Irving Berlin composed many memorable songs, including the best-selling record in history. That would be "White Christmas," introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1942 movie "Holiday Inn" and identified with the crooner for the rest of his career, most notably in Crosby's 1954 flick "White Christmas," which now, after all these years, has become a Broadway musical. The touring version of that show, now in residence at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, is a sumptuous holiday treat, reconfiguring the movie plot and adding a few show-stopping surprises.

COSTA MESA — Snoopy's new digs may be bigger than that one-story doghouse. As Costa Mesa couple Jim and Linda Jordan battle Wells Fargo in court over the deed to their home on Santa Ana Avenue, city officials have assured them that if the battle is lost, their cherished Christmas tradition doesn't have to be. "[City CEO] Tom Hatch offered me a home [for my decorations] there as long as we want, and I think that's outstanding," Jim Jordan said Wednesday, tired but happy after his family's annual Christmas setup premiered the night before on City Hall's front lawn.