Well, this is definitely one of the more quirkier traditions we've celebrated since moving to CA. All around the neighborhoods are these random large white painted stars on the streets. I had no idea what they were for, until our first Christmas here. Santa gets pulled on a sleigh-trailer behind some city pick-up trucks through the neighborhoods, with a police car blaring its siren and shouting on the loud speaker for everyone to come out of their houses to meet Santa. Every year I'm caught off guard and have always been home by myself with the girls. We hear a siren way too close for comfort, and so with my heart pounding, I run to the windows (so do the girls) and see the Santa spectacle. Of course, the girls HAVE to go to the star at the end of our street and see the jolly old man. Someone is there passing out candy canes, there are a couple of girls trying to sing Christmas carols on a loudspeaker that doesn't work, and there's a Rudolph and Snowman. You can take pictures of your kids with Santa, while standing around embarrassed with you neighbors because you're all in your pj's by now.

Since I'm embracing everything about living here, I won't compare it to the Christmas traditions we enjoyed in St. Charles, IL... (Geneva Christmas walk, real chestnuts roasting, daddy/daughter dance, OK I'll stop!)