Christmas in L.A.

We had a great Christmas in Los Angeles! Sure, it didn’t snow on Christmas day nor was it cool enough to have a fire in the fireplace, but there are other ways Angeleno’s celebrate the birth of Jesus.

1. We spent 30 minutes waiting for our food at In-n-Out on Dec. 23rd. In-n-Out never freezes its beef for the hamburgers (I prefer a cheeseburger “animal style”) and all of its ingredients are fresh. It is the greatest fast food place in the planet! Even the guy who wrote “Fast Food Nation” mentioned it was the best choice for “healthy” hamburgers on the dvd of “Super-size Me.” While we there inside the restaurant in Alhambra, the order numbers started at #58 and went all the way back around to #20 (after #99 was #1). That place is popular!

2. We enjoyed real snow brought in from the mountains at “The Christmas Experience” at Mosaic in Pasadena. We had 15 friends of ours that came. After a snowball fight and sledding, we all enjoyed the show which was a great combination of dance, sketches, and music!

3. We opened presents with a fire “burning” on the television. Every year Channel 9 has the “Yule Log” on for about 3 hours. Thanks to my parents, I now have a dvd so we can have a “fire” going anytime!

4. After opening their presents and toys, the kids played outside in the 65 degree weather.

5. We drove to see Christmas lights at Griffith Park, Christmas Tree Lane, and the Balian House in Pasadena. For some reason, the lights in Alta Loma weren’t up this year, but we still drove out there to have some Chick-Fil-A.

6. At Mosaic, Debbie was part of an ensemble that sang on Christmas Eve. It was beautiful! Erwin McManus, our lead pastor, shared some really incredible messages during our “Awaken Humanity” series. On Dec. 17th, he shared a great message on the missing character from the nativity set: the red dragon. Listen for free at www.mosaic.org/podcast!

7. We skipped Disneyland this year, but we have gone the last few years only to get the fake snow bubbles in our eyes. Fortunately, no long term damage occurred.

8. We continued our tradition of eating at Islands in Pasadena (across from the theater where the American Idols compete when they first arrive in “Hollywood” as well as the theater where the last season of “Last Comic Standing” took place). Several years ago we ate there on Christmas Eve since it was one of the few places open and had a shorter wait. We have continued ever since. This year we ate there on Dec. 26th. Somehow Christmas would not be the same without their Hawaiian Chicken Tacos.

9. With the offices closed this week, we have enjoyed sleeping in, playing with new toys, and watching new videos.

10. The Rose Bowl Parade is coming up again on Jan. 1st. Every year we go see the floats up close as they are parked for a couple of days near the parade route. Last year we actually watched the parade from the patio of The 35er, a bar owned by some of our friends from teeball. The Rose Bowl Parade completes a perfect holiday season in Southern California!

Hope you and your family enjoyed the holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Eric