Catalina Island's Festive December

A First Friday at the museum, shopping to-dos, and more dot the calendar.

THE NO-SNOW CAROL: While Christmas songs run the glittery gamut, from ditties about talking snowman to halls being delightfully decked to carriage rides in the woods, few deal with the notion of a snowless holiday. There are a few examples, however, and one of the most charming is "Christmas Island," a standard that's been covered by Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and a host of famous songsters. It's a pleasing idea, the notion of getting away from it all but still making merry, in honor of the holidays, on some ocean-surrounded burg. But how to find such a place? We here in California don't need to look too far, with a host of nearby islands beckoning us with sportsy doings, cultural pleasures, or the chance to commune with nature. It so happens that Catalina Island boasts all three elements, and then some, and as it sits a short boat ride from Southern California, celebrating in Avalon is a possibility. But you don't even need to plan a Christmas day trip to the island, for several happenings are already revving up. Look to...

THE CATALINA ISLAND MUSEUM, which is giving a festive feel to its First Friday night on Dec. 2, complete with a hot chocolate bar and a visit from the Claus family. The fa-la-la-ish first weekend of December continues in Avalon with a shopping- and deal-oriented evening on Saturday, Dec. 3 and a tree-decorating fundraiser on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 4. A Holiday Open House at beautiful Mt. Ada follows on Dec. 8, and, then, on New Year's Eve? The Casino Building has the balloons, and band-big sounds, for the final party of the year. Best hum "Christmas Island" now as you plot your getaway to the fair shores of Avalon, Two Harbors, and one of the Golden State's most fair isles.

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