VENTURA COUNTY WEEKEND / JAUNTS : Festive Diversions That Boost Holiday Spirit Abound in County : Activities range from evening wagon rides to a tour of decorated homes and a cruise on a tall ship--caroling included.

Well, there are just a few days left before the big day. What with last-minute shopping, cooking, wrapping and decorating, there isn’t time to do much else. But, still, you would like a couple of last-minute ideas on ways to indulge your holiday cravings. Here are three festive activities to keep the spirit alive. But you had better move fast--once Christmas is over, so are they.

A sleigh ride over freshly fallen snow would be a nice touch, but the closest you’re likely to come is a brisk evening wagon ride at Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark. It does come with all the Christmas trimmings, though.

The ranch’s Krissie Breck, who runs Party Animals Farm there, hitches up her two Belgian horses to a wagon that takes people on a 30-minute spin around the ranch. As the wagon bumps along the ranch’s back roads, she plays recorded Christmas carols and people can sing along.

Afterward, the riders gather around a campfire, sip hot chocolate and hear more carols. The outing takes about an hour and costs $5 per person, with children under 1 free. The trips run today through Christmas Eve, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

On Saturday night, the city of Moorpark is running the excursions with an added attraction: Santa will be on board. Families can take a 20-minute wagon ride with Santa and then hang out by the campfire with cocoa. The charge is $10 per person, with children 2 and under free.

Santa might be an impressive sight, but so are the horses, Rudy and Dobbin. Similar to Clydesdales, these guys are enormous--about 2,000 pounds each. Until Breck got them, they were owned by the Ojai Valley Inn.

“They eat a lot,” Breck said. “They like cocoa.”

This is the second Christmas the ranch has offered the rides. The place has a Christmas feel to it. It’s spruced up with lights, a Christmas tree and even battery-operated lights on the wagon. The wagon, which holds 22 people riding on seats, travels through the ranch’s Christmas tree farm. Last-minute tree shoppers can choose and cut their own.

Breck’s advice to riders: Bundle up. Even though it’s Southern California, it’s still winter.

*

Want a little history with your Christmas decorations? The lights are on at Oxnard’s “Christmas Tree Lane.” This is the second year the residents of historic F Street have dazzled visitors with their knock-your-eyes-out displays.

This year is bigger and better than last, said Steve Buratti, who helped organize the light show. The 40 or so decorated houses and yards run six blocks, from 5th Street to Magnolia Street.

The lights are on from 6 to 10 p.m. each night through Dec. 26. You can join the steady stream of bumper-to-bumper viewers or park and take a more leisurely stroll down the street. (Park in the lot on F Street across from Palm Drive.)

Not only are the displays spectacular, but the stately, well-kept, turn-of-the-century homes set back from the wide street are something to see.

“Each house is unique,” Buratti said.

So are the decorations. You’ll see an amazing 36-foot “tree” donated by the Esplanade Shopping Center in Oxnard. The metal and wire tree, enmeshed with greenery, is covered with big, wrapped packages and giant lollipops.

The city donated life-size camels for a nativity scene, and the Fire Department turned up an 18-foot-tall toy soldier to add to one lawn. Buratti, a self-described “wacko” about Christmas, has a moving Santa with elves in a workshop. Down the street is a giant Santa and a “Peanuts” version of Christmas.

A few of the decorations, such as the winter wonderland scene with skaters, might look familiar. When the residents of Candy Cane Lane in Ventura called it quits on their 38-year-old decorating tradition, they passed a few displays on to the Oxnard group.

“It’s wonderful,” Buratti said. “So many people play music. If you stay in your car, you can’t appreciate the ambience.”

To add a final touch, Santa will be there from 6 to 8 p.m. through Saturday.

*

Here’s a new twist on Christmas caroling. The tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain is docked at the Ventura Harbor through New Year’s Day for tours and cruises. But for one night only, and that’s tonight, there will be caroling. The crew will lead the traditional carols from 4 to 6 p.m. and serve hot chocolate. The cost is $5 per person.

The ship is an authentic replica of a 1790s-style rigged topsail ketch, similar to trading vessels of that era. The main mast stands 75 feet tall, and the ship has 11 sails and more than 90 control lines.

On weekdays, the Hawaiian Chieftain, docked below Milano’s Italian Restaurant, is open for free tours from 1 to 5 p.m. Weekend cruises, offered twice a day, are $30 to $35 and include brunch or hors d’oeuvres. For information, call (800) 401-7835.

If you join the caroling dockside, take a stroll around the harbor and check out the Christmas lights on the boats.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

DETAILS

Holiday outings:

* EVENING WAGON RIDES at Tierra Rejada Ranch, 3370 Moorpark Road, Moorpark, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. today through Christmas Eve, 523-2957 for reservations; from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, 531-9100 for reservations.

* CHRISTMAS TREE LANE’S decorated homes, F Street from 5th Street to Magnolia Street, Oxnard, 6 to 10 p.m. through Dec. 26.

* CAROLING, TOURS and cruises aboard the tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain, docked at Ventura Harbor, off Spinnaker Drive, through New Year’s Day; (800) 401-7835 for information and reservations.