Harbor Lights and Holiday Parades : Boats: The Christmas processions have become a tradition in Southern California--from Morro Bay to Dana Point.

Irving Fisher gets into the holiday spirit each year by putting a few lights on the 47-foot sailboat Double Coupon that he moors in Marina del Rey . . . a few thousand lights, that is.

The 3,000 lights are encased in plastic tubing, which makes it easier for Fisher, his wife, Lil, and their crew of 29 family members and friends to string them up.

But the lights, powered by an 8,000-watt generator, are just the beginning. Next come the props and the rented costumes. After a week of planning, the actual decorating takes as much as two days.

“We’ve got it down to a science now,” says Fisher, 64, who has been participating in boat parades for more than a quarter-century.

And when the boat is fully decorated, Fisher enters it in the Marina del Rey Christmas Boat Parade, hoping to win one or more of the many prizes given to the most impressive boats.

Christmas boat parades have become a popular tradition in Southern California. Almost every harbor holds one in December and all are open to public viewing.

The tradition of lighted boat parades came to Southern California in 1908. An Italian gondolier in Newport Beach and some of his fellow small-boat operators piloted a gondola and eight canoes, all lit with Japanese lanterns, into the harbor to celebrate the Fourth of July.

The summer parades were canceled in 1949 because of the traffic congestion they caused. But the parades in Newport surfaced again years later, this time during the winter holidays. Today, the Newport Beach parade is one of the largest with as many as 200 boats participating.

The popularity of the Newport Beach parade has helped spawn others. When Marina del Rey harbor was created, some people who had been mooring their boats in Newport moved to the new marina and the parade tradition moved with them, according to Marina del Rey parade spokeswoman Willie Hjorth. Marina del Rey is holding its 28th annual parade this year, and regularly draws up to 75,000 spectators.

While some of the boat parades are one-night affairs, many drift into a second night, and Newport Beach stretches the celebration over seven consecutive nights.

The decorations also vary. Some boaters, happy just to participate, will simply string up some lights and treat the parade as a good excuse to throw a party. Others, like Irving Fisher, who lives in Sherman Oaks, strive to create a stunning visual effect in an effort to capture a prize. After winning the Marina del Rey parade sweepstakes award in 1965 and 1987, for example, Fisher won a yet another award last year by setting up a mock film set on the front of his boat while a woman played an electronic organ in the back.

Fisher says that by using the same lights each year, he doesn’t go overboard on decoration expenses. But some corporate entries will spend thousands of dollars hiring to create an extraordinary floating entry, says Hjorth.

You can watch boat parades from just about anywhere. Prime viewing may be from a blanket on the grass at Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey to grandstand seating in Newport Beach. In Dana Point, spectators even buy tickets to ride on a parade boat.

But wherever you watch from, be sure to arrive a good while before the boats sail. Parking on land is at a premium. Here is a roundup of upcoming holiday boat parades:

* Morro Bay--The 34th annual parade begins at 7 p.m. Sunday. The procession of about 30 boats will start from Tidelands Park and proceed along the Embarcadero waterfront to Target Rock, and back. Best viewing is anywhere along the waterfront. Organized by the Morro Bay Recreation and Parks Department, Morro Bay Harbor Department, and Morro Bay Yacht Club. Information: (805) 772-1214.

* Santa Barbara--About 60 boats are expected in the fifth annual parade Dec. 16, 6 to 8 p.m. The boats will parade down the coast, east of the harbor, and then back to Stearn’s Wharf. The east side of Cabrillo Boulevard and Stearn’s Wharf are among the best viewing spots. Information: (805) 969-5217 or 564-5519.

* Ventura--The 14th annual parade Dec. 15 starts at 7 p.m. Organized by the Ventura Port District, about 30 boats are expected to parade throughout the harbor, starting at Pierpont Basin by the Harbor Master’s office. The best viewing areas are Ventura Harbor Village, the sidewalk between Ventura Yacht Club and the National Park Service, and the launch ramp area. Information: (805) 642-8538.

* Oxnard--Limited to 40 boats, the 25th annual Parade of Lights in Channel Islands Harbor starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. The boats circle the harbor at least twice with Santa Claus as grand marshal. A good place for spectators is the promenade in front of the Harbor Landing shopping center or anywhere on the west bank, off of Harbor Boulevard. Information: (805) 984-3366.

* Marina del Rey--Television producer David (“Roots”) Wolper will serve as the grand marshal of the parade, set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday. A group of small-boat owners called the Pioneer Skippers Boat Owners Assn. organizes the 120-boat procession in the marina’s main channel. Best public viewing areas are at the north and south jetties (accessible from Pacific Avenue and Vista del Mar, respectively), Burton Chace Park on Mindanao, Fisherman’s Village on Fiji Way, and Aubrey Austin Park at the end of Via Marina.

All Los Angeles County parking lots in the area will be free after 4 p.m. Information: (213) 821-7614.

* San Pedro--The 27th annual Christmas Afloat parade in Los Angeles Harbor starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. As many as 45,000 spectators are expected to line the wharves of Ports O’Call Village, the World Cruise Center and other vantage points along the main channel. The event is co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Harbor Department and the Los Angeles Christmas Afloat Committee. Information: (213) 498-9273, (213) 519-3505 or (213) 831-3950.

* Long Beach--At 7 p.m. Saturday, more than two dozen vessels will begin a circular route from the east end of the downtown Shoreline Village Marina to the Queensway Bridge and back. Shoreline Village Marina (near Parkers Lighthouse restaurant) and the Queen Mary make excellent viewing areas. Shoreline Yacht Club and Shoreline Village are organizers. Information: (213) 435-4093 between 1 and 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

* Huntington--The 28th annual “Music on Parade” takes place Saturday and Sunday, at 5 p.m. each day, sponsored by the Huntington Harbor Philharmonic Society. About 60 vessels will gather in the main channel below Huntington Harbor Yacht Club, 3821 Warner Ave., and proceed past Peter’s Landing, the islands in the harbor and the Shell fuel dock before ending at the corner of Humboldt and Trinidad Islands. The Philharmonic Society also sponsors the “Cruise of Lights” boat tours past the elaborately decorated luxury homes on the shores of this exclusive harbor. Tours run four times nightly Dec. 13-21. Information: (714) 840-7542.

* Newport Beach--The parades here run from Dec. 17 through Dec. 23, starting at 6:30 p.m. each day. Organized by the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, the parade starts and finishes at Collins Island, circumnavigating the bay for about two hours.

Spectator tickets for grandstand viewing at Scout Base on Pacific Coast Highway are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children under 12. Tickets not reserved by 5:30 p.m. the day of a parade will be sold at the grandstand. Shuttle buses run from Newport Dunes Aquatic park, 1131 Back Bay Drive. Information: (714) 644-8211. Tickets: (714) 740-2000.

* Dana Point--The 16th annual parades Dec. 14 and 15 start at 6:30 p.m. About 100 boats will gather at the harbor mouth and make two laps through the harbor. The parade can be viewed from the bridges and the many restaurants in the harbor. Tickets are available for a ride aboard a parade boat ($10 for adults, and $7 for children age 12 and under). Information: (714) 496-5794 or 496-6040.