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Six events that will get you into the holiday spirit

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Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season, and so this week I take a much-needed break from the political scene and turn my focus to a few of my favorite events to ignite the holiday spirit.

Check out the Costa Mesa Home Tour from 3 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1. I love looking at creatively decorated homes, and the 2016 tour features some of Costa Mesa’s finest decked out for the holidays and chock full of design and style tips from some of the top O.C. designers.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online costamesahometour.com.

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Proceeds benefit the Costa Mesa High and Middle Schools Foundation and the Heroes Hall Veterans Museum at the O.C. fairgrounds.

This past summer, Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley approached me with the idea of including Heroes Hall in this fundraiser, and I was delighted to.

Supporting Heroes Hall is a passion of mine, as I sit on the foundation board and my husband, Stan Tkaczyk, is an OC Fair Board member.

For added fun, enjoy musical performances and designer demonstrations at the reception hosted by Room & Board SOCO, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

Check out the YouTube promo video of this year’s tour, youtu.be/AzKwPKDlJg8.

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On Dec. 2 and 3, one of my favorite musical groups, MenAlive, Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus, comes to Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, with its annual holiday concert, “Christmas Vacation.”

These guys put on quite a show, singing and dancing to some of your favorite Christmas music.

There are three performances: 8 p.m. Dec. 2 and 3 and 8 p.m. Dec. 3. Reserved seats start at $39. Check out their special “$30-Under-30” tickets, available one hour before each performance with valid ID. Tickets are available at menalivechorus.org.

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And it wouldn’t be the holidays without the Snoopy House Holiday Display, which is slated for Dec. 10 to 23.

Since 1996, the Snoopy House has been a tradition in Costa Mesa, attracting about 80,000 annual visitors.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the fun begins from 5:30 to 9 nightly in front of Costa Mesa City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

In addition to displays featuring scenes with “Peanuts” characters, Santa will be on hand to take photos from 7 to 9 each night.

For information, check out the city’s promo for Snoopy House 2016 at youtu.be/lcZUS0jvHQg.

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No holiday would be complete without the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights, set for Dec. 14 to 18.

It’s the 108th year of the nation’s longest-running lighted holiday boat parade, deemed “Newport Beach’s Christmas Card to the world.”

The parade is hosted annually by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. To view the 14-mile route of the harbor each season, visit www.christmasboatparade.com.

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Don’t forget about Orange Coast College’s Poinsettia sale, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 9. Preorder and pick up from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 8. This is a really good idea, since they do run out at the public sale. Go to bit.ly/2fD4PMt.

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And last but not least, I highly recommend Winter Fest, Southern California’s largest winter experience, Dec. 16 to Jan. 1 at the OC Fair & Event Center.

Winter Fest is the newest attraction on the local holiday scene.

In its second year, the event has added 15 new attractions, including a two-million-light “Festival of Lights” show.

There’s also an outdoor ice skating rink and live shows with kids’ favorite characters, including Barbie, Bob the Builder, Angry Birds and more.

Winter Fest offers private rink-side cabanas, starting at $69 per session, perfect for hosting holiday office, birthday or family parties.

Mirage Entertainment, which produces Winter Fest, is a big supporter of Heroes Hall. As a co-chair of Heroes Hall Haunted Halloween Costume Gala last October, I worked with Mirage as they donated their services to create an amazing haunted “Sleepily Hollow” experience for the event.

And their generosity continues with Winter Fest.

Buy an adult ticket, $15, or the Heroes Hall combo package, $25, including one adult ticket plus an ice slide fast pass, and $5 of each purchase goes to the museum. Buy tickets online at winterfestoc.com, using promo code HEROES.

During opening weekend, all active-duty military and veterans with a valid Military or Veteran ID get in free with a guest.

There’s also a similar offer for first responders.

Ho, ho, ho, the holidays are here, so get out and enjoy!

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com.

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