FOR THE KIDS : Some Holiday Activities for Little or No Cost : Things to do range from viewing Christmas lighting displays to visiting a fish hatchery or a maritime museum.

Does this sound familiar? You’ve shelled out money for Christmas, and now yourcash flow is a trickle. Plus, the kids are on vacation with nothing to do.

Fret no more. Here is a list of fun things for you and the kids to do that cost nothing, or nearly nothing.

* Christmas lighting display: Ventura’s famous Candy Cane Lane isn’t around any more, but taking its place this year is “Christmas Tree Lane” on Oxnard’s F Street. The decorated houses run almost four blocks between 1st and 5th streets. You’ll see a Charlie Brown Christmas, Santa’s workshop, Nativity scene, a winter scene with a skater, merry-go-round and more. The lights are on from 6 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 26. Information: 385-7545.

* Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center: One of the best deals around is the man-made indoor tide pool at the center, at the end of Spinnaker Drive at Ventura Harbor. It is loaded with underwater creatures such as starfish, urchins, lobster and even a two-foot-long horn shark. On Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m., a ranger talks about the tide-pool dwellers and even takes them out for the children to touch and sometimes feed. The center is open daily (except Christmas), and kids can also see an exhibit about the Chumash Indians. Then they can climb to the top of the building for a great view of the harbor. Information: 658-5730.

* O.K. Kids Club at the Oaks Mall: This is another great freebie. The Thousand Oaks mall brings in top children’s entertainers every Thursday for a 10:30 a.m. performance. Today, it’s Scott Land and his marionettes. On Dec. 29, it’s Bob Harrison on guitar. During the holidays, the show is in the Robinsons-May courtyard at the west end of the mall. Information: 495-2031.

* American Theatres at the Esplanade Shopping Center: It’s not quite a freebie, but it’s close. On Wednesdays, the theater has a special deal: Movies are only 99 cents instead of the usual $2, which isn’t a bad deal either. The theater is adjacent to the Oxnard shopping center, off Oxnard Boulevard. Show information: 485-0201.

* Gull Wings Children’s Museum: This is just a short hop from the Esplanade Shopping Center. The museum, at 418 W. 4th St., is usually closed Mondays and Tuesdays, but during the week following Christmas, it will be open those days as well as the rest of the week, from 1 to 5 p.m. Also, during Christmas vacation, the museum will have a craft table set up with such activities as making snowflakes. The rest of the museum is a hands-on place where kids 12 and under can do everything from making huge soap bubbles to trying out crutches. It’s not free, but it’s a bargain: $3 for adults, $2 for children 2 to 12 years and free for kids under 2. Information: 483-3005.

* Fillmore Fish Hatchery: If your kids don’t have the patience for fishing, they might like this place, one of several hatcheries operated by the state. They’ll see thousands of rainbow trout squiggling in the water-filled troughs that house them before their release into lakes and streams. Feeding time, which goes on throughout the day, is a frenzied sight. The fish jump out of the water. Located off California 126, the hatchery is free and open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: (310) 590-5132.

* Kids World: If you want to take a cheap outing to Santa Barbara, go to this mega playground in the heart of the city. It was built last year at Alameda Park, at Garden and Micheltorena streets. Using architectural plans, the Santa Barbara community supplied the volunteer help to put up the wooden structure, a gigantic labyrinth of slides, ropes and cubbyholes. It’s free, and picnic tables there make it a good place to do lunch too.

* Paramount Ranch: This is a re-created Western town near Agoura in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. This is the spot where movies were made during the early days of filming. Lately, the television series “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” has been filmed here. It’s open daily. Park rangers give free tours of the ranch; the next one is at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 31. Information: (818) 597-9192.

* Ventura County Maritime Museum at Channel Islands Harbor: An amazing assortment of model ships are on display here, some of them big, but all of them intricately built to scale. There are other nautical knickknacks as well. The museum doesn’t charge a fee, but visitors are asked to make a donation. It’s open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Information: 984-6260.