Let It Glow, Let It Glow, Let It Glow

Before you could rip November off the wall calendar, Linda Steiner’s front yard was full of Christmas.

The lights were up, fluffy white quilt batting made “snow” for the ski slope on the roof, and snow patches on the ground and a new train layout joined the Santa’s workshop scene in the yard.

When it comes to big-time holiday decorating--the kind that leaves viewers awe-struck--you need to get a jump on the season, experts say.

That’s why Steiner, of Los Alamitos, and her son Jason, 27, built the 4-foot by 6-foot plywood train the week before Thanksgiving.

And on the first weekend in December, while most of us put up the obligatory string of lights, the Steiners worked on a family tradition: a 10-foot-tall tumbleweed snowman, snow-flocked and twinkle-lighted, with a painted wastebasket for a hat, a garland for a scarf and a real carrot for a nose.

“My grandma told me that years ago they didn’t have Christmas trees. They decorated tumbleweed snowmen instead,” said Steiner, who prefers homemade decorations to lots of lights.

“I like to have something we’ve made. For me, that’s the spirit of Christmas,” she said.

Steiner’s neighbors, Zig and Gloria Karolewski, are big on the holidays too. They like lights. Lots of them.

Nearly 12,000 lights cover the couple’s two-story house, bushes, walkway, wrought-iron fence and cinder-block wall. At 78, Karolewski figures he’s strung lights for nearly 60 years. He still goes up on the roof, “but I’m careful,” he said.

Everyone on Linda Way caught the decorating bug last year when Steiner entered the street in a city-sponsored decorating contest. The street won an award and so did her house. This year, residents are going all out again. After all, they have a title to defend.

Judge their efforts for yourself on The Times’ ninth annual tour of Orange County’s holiday lights, which takes in well-dressed streets and neighborhoods from Brea to Laguna Hills as well as boat parades from coastal Newport Beach to inland Yorba Linda.

You need a map book--the driving tour is keyed to the pages of the 2000 Thomas Guide--a flashlight, some canned goods for neighborhood food drives and a camera (you might catch Santa).

Patience might also be required. Although most holiday decorators said they are trying to ignore the state’s sudden electricity shortfall, viewers might find lights go on later and turn off earlier than usual this year.

South County

* Our tour starts in the hilltop community of Nellie Gail Ranch in Laguna Hills, where lavish holiday trimmings abound. Even the most understated decor looks spectacular on the palatial homes in woodsy settings. Drive along Nellie Gail Road and explore the streets that branch off of it. Glen Canyon, Mt. Diablo and Pecos are good bets. Bring a map of the area because the streets twist and turn.

To get there, take the the San Diego Freeway to Oso Parkway and head west about a quarter of a mile to Cabot Road. Turn right and drive north on Cabot to Nellie Gail Road. Turn left and head up the hill. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. through Dec. 25. (Map 922 A-3 through 6 and Map 921 H-5 and 6 and J-3 through 7.)

* Have a cup of hot cocoa and catch Santa and Mrs. Claus tonight at Santa’s Workshop in Mission Viejo, at La Paz Road and Chrisanta. From 6 p.m. until the workshop closes you can also pick up maps and a list of the winners of a home decorating contest that about 50 residents enter each year. Information: (949) 830-7066.

To get there, take the San Diego Freeway to La Paz Road and head east into Mission Viejo to the intersection with Chrisanta. (Map 922, B-1.)

* Then stop by Hugh Yancey’s beacon of brightness at 24272 Cataluna Circle in Mission Viejo, where 10,000 lights outline the house and wrap around the trunks of 30-foot-tall trees. Yancey, a frequent contest winner, has a revolving Ferris wheel, a working train and a musical merry-go-round, teddy bears with umbrellas and a giant stuffed panda on a swing. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1. Santa arrives at 6 p.m. Dec. 24.

To get there from La Paz, continue east to Marguerite Parkway and turn north. Head up Marguerite and just past Jeronimo, turn west onto Pueblonuevo Drive. Follow Pueblonuevo to Cataluna Circle, the second right you can make. (Map 892, C-7.)

* Get ready for snow in Rancho Santa Margarita, where many residents on El Corzo whiten their lawns with quilt batting. All the houses have icicle lights, and a candy-cane “fence” with chaser lights unifies the street. Decorations include a motorized fishing penguin (new this year), ice skaters who twirl and circle on a pond, snowmen made of stuffed sweatshirts with black buttons, an animated angel and a large-scale model train.

Drop your food donations in the collection barrel--it’s part of the decor. Donations benefit San Francisco Solano Catholic Church food bank. Hours are 5-9:30 p.m. through Dec. 28.

To get there, take Santa Margarita Parkway to Melinda Road and turn east, heading toward the Foothill Transportation Corridor. (You can reach Santa Margarita Parkway on the corridor or via surface streets such as El Toro Road or Alicia or Marguerite parkways.) Head up Melinda Road to Las Fieras and turn right, El Corzo is the first left you can make. (Map 892, H-2.)

Coastal Area

* The bridge to Balboa Island is strung with white lights and candy canes, and lights sparkle in merchants’ windows, but holidays on the island really reside at 204 Amethyst Ave., where Kathy and Mike Bell have created a country home Christmas. A mini-forest of pine trees adorned with white lights glows from the front yard and the Bells leave their drapes open to show off the inside, decorated floor to ceiling with garlands, lights and antique Santas.

There are a number of other nicely decorated homes on the island, so if you don’t mind driving along narrow one-way streets choked with parked cars, a journey up and down the lanes can be fun.

To get there from Pacific Coast Highway, turn toward the ocean on Jamboree Road and cross the bridge onto the island. Amethyst can be reached by taking the first right after the bridge onto North Bay Front, then the second left, onto Amethyst. (Map 919, C-1.)

* In Newport Beach on Dec. 24, the soft glow of 500 luminaria--candles set in sand inside brown paper bags--outlines the walk and garden wall in front of Joan Sue Betson’s house at 1311 Galaxy Drive. Several other houses a block up the street also follow the tradition. Betson lights hers at 5 p.m. and they are often still burning at midnight. Turn off your headlights for a better view.

To get there, take Pacific Coast Highway to Dover Drive. Drive north on Dover to Mariners Drive and turn east. Turn south on Galaxy and follow it along the edge of Upper Newport Bay until you see the lights. (Map 889, C-5.)

* Contemporary white lights wrap around tree trunks and illuminate reindeer figures at the entrance to Harbor Ridge, a gated community in the hills above Corona del Mar. The Harbor Ridge Women’s Club does the decorating.

To get there, take MacArthur Boulevard to San Joaquin Hills Road or San Miguel Drive. From San Joaquin, head south to Spyglass Hill Road and turn left; from San Miguel, head north to Spyglass and turn right. From either direction, follow Spyglass up the hill to the Harbor Ridge entrance. Hours are 5 p.m. to midnight, through Dec. 25. (Map 889, H-7.)

* What can you do with 17,000 feet of red ribbon? Turn 600 street trees into giant candy canes. Before it gets dark, visit Dutch Haven, a Huntington Beach neighborhood where Roxanne Purzycki and her helpers wrap tree trunks with foil and ribbon. The trees aren’t lighted, so afternoon or early evening is the best time to view them. Decorating, which extends to telephone poles on Edinger Avenue this year, should be finished by Sunday.

To get there, take Edinger Avenue to Fantasia Lane (west of Bolsa Chica Street) and turn south. The rest of the streets in the tract are off of the “U” formed by Fantasia, Scenario Drive and Waikiki Lane. (Map 827, C-6.)

* If you need an electric buzz while you’re in Huntington Beach, swing by “Icey” Cinocco’s house, at 8051 Driftwood Drive, where “lots of lights” have been a family tradition for 41 years. This year, 6,000 lights in all colors blaze away. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m.

To get there, take Beach Boulevard to Indianapolis Avenue and head east a block to Seven Seas Lane. Turn south on Seven Seas and you’ll quickly hit Driftwood, where you can only turn west. (Map 858, A-7.)

Central County

* To crank up the wattage even more, cruise by the Karolewskis’ 12,000-light display at 11346 Linda Way in Los Alamitos, where a lighted Santa with reindeer and sleigh waves from the front lawn. All 16 homes in the cul-de-sac on the northern edge of the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center sport decorations that include gingerbread people and giant lollipops. The Steiners’ house, complete with tumbleweed snowman, is at 11296 Linda Way. Santa visits the street Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

To get there, take the San Diego Freeway to Seal Beach Boulevard and turn north. Head up Seal Beach to Farquhar Avenue (Seal Beach Boulevard turns into Los Alamitos Boulevard at about that point). Turn right onto Farquhar to Rochelle Street. Make a right on Rochelle, a left at Denwood Avenue and then a quick left onto Linda Way. (Map 797, A-3.)

* When it comes to sheer elaborateness, it’s hard to beat the Dahlia tract in Fountain Valley even though all of the 75 homes aren’t decorated these days. The neighborhood, bordered by Heil and Edinger avenues and Brookhurst and Bushard streets, has been lighting up for years. There are yards full of snow and scores of animated figures such as skiing penguins and a life-size Santa waving from inside a second-story window. Painted sets turn one house into a two-story nativity scene.

To get there, take Brookhurst Street to Mile Square Park and turn east into the Dahlia tract on Thistle Avenue, midway between Edinger and Heil. Visitor traffic can be so heavy here that the police sometimes barricade the tract and only residents are allowed to drive in. If that’s the case, park in one of the shopping center lots along Brookhurst or in a lot at Mile Square Park and walk into the tract. Hours are 5-10 p.m. through Dec. 25. (Map 828, D-6 and E-6.)

* Get a glimpse of Christmas Past at Orange’s Old Towne plaza at Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street, where a Santa, a snowman and a nativity scene are set up and street decorations from another era ring the historic downtown. Dec. 17 is a good time to tour the mile-square area because judging takes place then for a home decorating contest sponsored by Old Towne Preservation Assn. The 100 block of North Shaffer Street won the best street category last year but the 400 block of South Grand Avenue is always a contender. Individual houses stand out in the 100 block of North Center Street, the 300 block of South Center and the 500 and 700 blocks of East Washington.

To get there from the Costa Mesa Freeway, take Chapman Avenue west to the plaza, which is at the center of the one-mile square Old Towne neighborhood bordered by Cambridge Street on the east, Batavia Street on the west, Walnut Avenue on the north and the the Garden Grove Freeway on the south. The best lights are in the neighborhoods west of Cambridge and east of Glassell Street. (Map 799, G-4 and 5 and H-4 and 5.)

* More than a dozen homes light up--some with lights on every bush, tree and walkway--each year on Cobblestone Drive and Blackberry Cove in East Orange on the edge of Cowan Heights.

To get there, take Chapman Avenue to Newport Boulevard and head south to Canyon View Avenue. Turn west on Canyon View and then north onto Oak Tree Lane a short block to Cobblestone. (Map 800, G-4.)

* Feeling grinchy? There’s a new Grinch scene on Tustin’s Basswood Circle, where all 14 houses are decorated. Besides the green one, a nativity scene in white lights has been added this year. Neighbors such as Trish Grencik sit outside in front of an outdoor stove and watch the cars drive by. Hours are 5:30-10 p.m. through Dec. 31.

On nearby Caper Tree, all-out decorations include a garage turned into a miniature world with forests, volcano, waterfall and stream, lighted houses, sound effects and a nativity scene. Canned food donations for the needy are collected.

To get there, take Walnut Avenue east to Raintree Lane, turn south and drive two blocks to Basswood and take a left. Caper Tree is three blocks farther south on Raintree. (Map 830, C-7.)

North County

* Carnation Way in Anaheim Hills is a nicely lighted street that leads into a tract of homes with several other streets where neighbors have gone all out. Follow your eyes from Carnation onto Blueberry, Basil and Loganberry streets to make the trip out to this end of Orange County well worth it.

To get there, take the Riverside Freeway to Weir Canyon Road, then Weir Canyon south to Monte Vista Road. Turn right on Monte Vista and drive past Sycamore Park. The first left after the park is Kennedy, and Carnation is the first right off Kennedy. Hours are dusk to 10 p.m. (Map 741, A-7.)

* Yorba Linda’s Eastlake Shores has a special treat in store for visitors tonight and Sunday evening--the annual parade of boats around the community’s many-fingered lake. As many as 40 of the electric runabouts and leg-powered paddle boats, decked out in lights and decor, will make the one-mile circuit. There is seating on the banks of the canals. And if you miss the parade, which starts at 6:30 p.m., you can walk the community to view the brightly lit homes. The man-made lake makes a spectacular reflecting pool for the lights.

To get there, take the Riverside Freeway to Imperial Highway, then head north on Imperial to Esperanza Road. Turn right on Esperanza to Fairmont Boulevard. Turn left on Fairmont to Paseo de las Palomas. Turn right on Paseo de las Palomas to Village Center Drive and you’ll be on the boundary of Eastlake Shores. Hours are 6-10 p.m. through New Year’s Eve. The boat parade is at 6:30 p.m. tonight and Sunday only. (Map 740, F-5.)

* The homes of Windemere Village provide another Yorba Linda venue to tour. Neighbors here go all out, dressing homes in scads of lights and yards with scores of wooden cutout characters. Many of the homes feature theme displays, such as the Scottish holiday house and the Candyland home, and the neighborhood’s common area showcases a life-size nativity scene.

To get there, take Rose Drive (Tustin Avenue in Orange) to Buena Vista Avenue and turn east. At Windemere Drive turn left into the tract. Hours are dusk to 10 p.m. through Dec. 25. (Map 739, H-5.)

* If there were a countywide prize for the best and brightest holiday display, Brea’s Eagle Hills neighborhood likely would get it. The 100 or so extravagantly lit and decorated homes probably are part of the reason the folks at Southern California Edison Co. are nervous about rolling blackouts this time of year, but hey, it’s the holidays. It is easy to spend an hour or more slowly cruising the streets here, ogling homes and wondering if Eagle Hills wasn’t the inspiration for Chevy Chase’s light-happy Mr. Griswold character in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” There’s even a Santa Claus to greet passersby on several evenings, including Dec. 16 and Dec. 24.

To get there, take the Orange Freeway to Imperial Highway, turn east to Kraemer Boulevard. Turn left on Kraemer to Birch Street. Turn right on Birch to Flower Hill. Turn left onto Flower Hill and the lights will guide you. (Map 709, F-7.)

* There are only three houses on Minerva Place in Anaheim, but what the neighborhood lacks in size it more than makes up for in grandeur. Matt Simpson, the architect of Minerva’s yule splendor, says he’s strung a staggering 85,000 lights this year. Homeowners on Minerva are all related, but Simpson and his father-in-law, Harry Saehlenou, do most of the work. (They started in September.) In addition to the light show, the rooftops are adorned with cutout figures of--what else--the Simpsons cartoon family. Decor also includes a Ferris wheel, carousel and ski lift. And this year Simpson and Saehlenou hung a lighted “Season’s Greetings” sign across the street. Typical of the scale of things on Minerva, the sign is 50 feet long and is suspended 20 feet above the street. No doubt it will help Santa find the place; he’s scheduled to be there from 7 to 8 p.m. Dec. 19-24 to greet visitors and dispense candy canes.

To get there, take Ball Road to Nutwood Avenue. Go north on Nutwood to Beacon Avenue and turn left. Take another left when Beacon ends at Minerva Avenue. Minerva Place is the first left after that. Lights are on from 5 p.m. until midnight through Jan. 1. (Map 768, E-7.)

* Now head over to Cypress for another small but lively display on the 9900 block of Denni Street in Cypress where three houses light up the sky across from Veteran’s Park. To get there, take Ball Road to Denni Street, turn north and the houses are at the corner, Hours are dusk to 9:30 p.m. through Jan. 1. (Map 797, B-1).

* The last dry stop on our tour is at La Palma’s Dallas Drive, a long cul-de-sac where everything that doesn’t move is decorated--there’s even a guy wire strung across the street from rooftop to rooftop and festooned with some of the tens of thousands of lights the neighbors put up each year. One house features a digital Yule clock that ticks off the days, hours, minutes and seconds until Dec. 25. But most decor is of the more traditional variety and there are plenty of lighted reindeer, Christmas trees and holiday snowmen.

To get there, take the Riverside Freeway to Orangethorpe, go half a block west to Walker Street, turn left and drive about a mile to Houston Avenue. Turn right onto Houston, then onto Dallas Drive, the first street on the right. Hours are dusk to 10 p.m. through Dec. 25. (Map 767, D-2.)

Boat Parades

Huntington Harbour Cruise

of Lights

Reflection off the water doubles the punch of the elaborately decorated homes in Huntington Harbour and the narrated cruises through the man-made lagoons raise money for a good cause, Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s children’s music programs.

The tours, Thursday through Dec. 23, are offered at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for children, Monday through Thursday; and $10 for adults and $6 for children, Friday through Sunday. Family Night is Dec. 19; tickets are $8.50 for adults, $5.50 for children. Reservations: (714) 840-7542. From land, the Admiralty Drive bridge that links Pacific Coast Highway with the community’s Admiralty Island, is a good viewing spot.

To get there, take Pacific Coast Highway north past Warner Avenue to Coral Cay Lane, the first of several streets that lead into Huntington Harbor. The Admiralty Lane bridge is about a half-mile farther north on Pacific Coast Highway. (Map 827, A-6 and 7, and B-6 and 7; Map 857, A-1 and B-1.)

Newport Harbor Christmas

Boat Parade

True enthusiasts don’t just decorate their houses, they tackle their boats too, creating floating holiday visions on vessels that range from $1-million yachts to simple kayaks. The Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade (Dec. 17-23) has it all, and the event attracts 1 million viewers a year, according to the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce. Translation: Get there early, by 4 p.m. locals say, to find a waterfront spot. Information on viewing locations, restaurants with views and charter boats: (949) 729-4400.

The parade of about 150 boats starts at 6:30 p.m. each night and passes the American Legion Hall at about 7:30 p.m. You can get a hot dinner and a seat on the patio for $10 for adults and $8 for children. Seating is first-come, first-served, with reservations accepted for groups of 20 or more. Information: (949) 673-5070.

A few spots are left on the Argus, a wooden sailing ship that leaves the Boy Scout Sea Base and joins the parade Dec. 20. Tickets are $25. (949) 642-5031.

From land, Balboa Island’s south-facing beach, along South Bay Front, is a prime viewing spot.

To get there, take Pacific Coast Highway to either Jamboree Road or Balboa Boulevard. Turn toward the ocean on either street. If you take Balboa onto the Balboa Peninsula, drive until you find a place to stand on the bay side. On Jamboree, head down to the intersection with Bayside Drive, then park where you can along Bayside and walk across the bridge to the island. (Map 919, A-1 and 2 through D-1 and 2.)

Dana Point Boat Parade

The parade of 80 to 100 decked-out boats continues tonight, Friday and Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Any boat owner can join the parade by paying the $5 entry fee and registering with Dana Wharf Sportfishing, which also has a boat that joins the parade. Tickets are $15 adults; $10 children. Information: (949) 496-5794. You can watch from a grassy area at the back of the harbor on Dana Point Harbor Drive. Dana Island offers another good view. Early arrival is recommended because of limited parking.

To get there, take Pacific Coast Highway to Street of the Golden Lantern and turn south. Street of the Golden Lantern ends at Dana Point Harbor Drive. (Map 971, H-6 and 7.)

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Take Care How You Light Your Holidays

Are you concerned about blaring your holiday lights during an energy shortage?

Here’s what Gil Alexander, spokesman for Southern California Edison, says:

“We don’t want our customers to feel that they have to cancel Christmas. As a father of three kids, I don’t plan to shut down the celebration. There should be enough electricity to add the beauty of lighting to the season, but we must keep in mind that our state is in the seventh month of a serious power crisis and some moderation would be appropriate this Christmas.

“It’s not the year to double the lights on the house. And specifically on days when reserves are low, as they are now, we recommend that people wait until 7:30 p.m.--after the peak period--to turn on lights.”

For more conservation tips, visit Edison’s Web site at https://www.sce.com.