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December 15, 2011

San Diego Holiday Light Display Locations

Posted by martikilby under Christmas, San diego Neighborhoods, Staging your home | Tags: , , , |
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San Diego Holiday Light Display Locations

Holiday lights in San Diego

 

A great way to celebrate the holidays is to visit some of the tremendous holiday light displays throughout San Diego County.  Here is a list below, kindly supplied by Kurt Stuber at Fidelity National Title.

 

 

Residential Locations

ALLIED GARDENS, 92120

7048 Hillsboro St. Off Waring and Princess View. Dec. 10-24, dusk-10 pm.

CARMEL MOUNTAIN RANCH, 92128

Fairway Village, east and west side of Stoney Gate Pl. 85+ homes decorated. Dec. 1-Jan. 1, 5:30-10:30 pm. Neighborhood Block Party on Dec. 17 with food, entertainment, Santa, musicians, carolers and more from 6-10 p.m.

CHULA VISTA, 91910, 91911, 91914, 91915

Whitney St./Mankato. Circle between First and Second Ave. off H St. & 1st Ave. “Christmas Circle.” 55+ homes decorated. Dec. 10-26,5-10 pm.

CLAIREMONT, 92117

Lana Dr. & Jamar. Off  Mt. Abernathy Ave. Circular street. 40+ homes deco-rated. Dec. 10-27. 4670 Norwalk Ave. Off Clairemont Mesa Blvd./Moraga Ave. Dec. 11-Jan. 1,7-10 pm, weekends7-11 pm.

EAST SAN DIEGO, 92113

1523 48th St. Off Federal Blvd. & 48 St. Dec. 4-24, 5-10 pm. 4641 Craigie St. Off Highway 94 and 47th. Dec. 10-24, dusk-10 pm.

EL CAJON, 92021

Jingle Bell Hill (also known as Pepper Dr. Lights). Solomon Ave./Pegeen Pl. and surrounding area. Off 67 & Bradley. “Celebrating the Reason” theme. Dec. 9-26, Mon-Th 6-9 pm, Fri-Sun 6-10 pm. 11456 Pegeen Pl. “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme, complete with Jack, Sally, Zero, the Mayor & Oogie Boogie. Dec. 5-26, Mon-Th 6-9 pm, Fri-Sun 6-10 pm. 1838 El Pico Dr. Off  Hacienda Dr. 48th year of decorating the 20-ft. star over 100 ft. in air, overlooking El Cajon valley from Nov. 27-Dec. 31. Also see a 55-ft. train. Dec. 10-31, dusk-10 pm.

LOMITA, 92114 (near Lemon Grove)

689 Meadowbrook Dr. Off Jamacha Rd. South of Lemon Grove. Dec. 8-Jan. 1, dusk-10 pm. Santa and Mrs. Claus may be out from Dec. 17-23.

POWAY, 92064

12631 Stoutwood St. Off Twin Peaks Rd. & Deerwood St. Nicknamed “The Griswolds.” Dec. 1-Jan. 1, 5:30-10 pm week-days, 11 pm weekends. Hickory Ct./Hickory St., 12659 Butterwood Ct. and Rockrose Ct. All off Twin Peaks Rd. & Silverset St. named “Candy Cane Courts.” Entire cul-de-sacs are lit up. Dec. 10-24,6-9 pm.

RANCHO PEÑASQUITOS, 92129

Oviedo St. Off Black Mountain Rd. “Christmas Card Lane.” Also enter off  Twin Trails Dr. & Carmel Mountain Rd. EllinghamSt., Renato St., OviedoSt., Twin Trails Dr., Barrymore St., Rotherham Ave., Talca Ave., Talca Ct., Allenbrook Way, Daven-port Ave., Amber Sky Ln. Dec. 11-31, dusk-10 pm.

SAN CARLOS, 92119

6296 Lake Arrowhead Dr. Between Dallas & Lake Murray. Lights, Santa Claus, animated window scenes. Dec. 5-27, dusk-10 pm. Block of 7900 and 8000 Hillandale Dr. Off Mission Gorge & Deerfield. Dec. 1-31,5-9 pm.

SAN MARCOS, 92069

1639 Knob Hill. Off  Nordahl Rd. Between Tam O’ Shanter Dr. & Augusta Dr. 23rd year of decorating. 90,000+ lights plus Carnival, North Pole and Santa’s WildAnimal Park themes. Nov. 24-Dec. 30,5-9 pm. See Santa from 6:30-8 pm from Dec. 10-23. http://www.ChristmasOnKnobHill.com

SANTEE, 92071

Sunburst Santee. Tomel Court, off  Magnolia. Many homes, Starlight Circle. Dec. 17-26, 7-10 pm. 9835 Pebble Beach Dr. Displays on house and yard set up to music. Dec. 1-31, dusk-10 pm.

SERRA MESA/MISSION VILLAGE, 92123

2621 Raymell Dr. Yard decorated like Christmas Town from “A Nightmare Before Christmas”. Dec.10-30, dusk-10 pm. 2133 Seagull Ln. Horse & carriage, doe, tree & gifts. Dec. 10-24, dusk-10 pm.

TIERRASANTA, 92124

5306 Belardo Dr. Off  Via Valarta & Via Playa Del Cortes. 95,000 lights, including many homemade decorations, all sequenced and animated to music. Tune radio to 89.7 FM to hear the lights dance. Nov. 26-Dec. 26, 5:30-10 pm.www.belardolights.com 11626 Papagallo Ct. Off Colina Dorado or Calle De Vida. “Thomas the Tank Train Engine” theme. Dec. 3-30, 6-10 pm. 10927 Baroque Lane. A “North Pole” themed Christmas featuring a 20-ft lighted Santa and aChristmasVillage. Dec. 9-28,6-9:30 pm.

VISTA, 92081

1 505 Roma Dr., corner of Lupine Hills and Roma Dr. Inflatable’s and over two 2 dozen homemade plywood cutouts of Disney and other holiday characters. Nov. 26- Dec. 31, Sun-Th6-10pm, Fri-Sat6 pm-midnight.

Commercial Holiday Light Displays

Del Mar Fairgrounds Holiday of Lights

Jimmy Durante Blvd./Via De La Valle. Off Highway 5. Animated holiday lights. Nov. 24-Jan. 1, Sun.-Thurs, 5:30-10 pm; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-10:30 pm.Closed Nov. 28, Dec. 5 & 12. $14/vehicle (up to 5 people), $19/van or car (6 or more), $49/bus. 858-755-1161. http://www.sdfair.com., www.holidayoflights.com.

Gaslamp for the Holidays Downtown San Diego. http://www.gaslamp.org.

Hotel del Coronado

1500 Orange Ave. Tree in the lobby is beautifully decorated plus 100,000 lights illuminate the resort from Nov. 30-Jan. 1. Lighting of the tree outside Nov. 30, 4-7 pm. 619-522-8490. http://www.hoteldel.com.

LEGOLAND Holiday Snow Days

Real snow! Snowball targets, build a snowman with LEGO accessories, see holiday LEGO displays. Nov. 19-Jan. 2. Nightly tree lighting at 5 pm, Dec. 1-24. Nightly fireworks, Dec. 26-31. 760-918-5346. http://www.legoland.com.

Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights

Over 100 vessels. Begins on Quivira Basin. Dec. 10, starts at7 pm, fireworks at 9 pm. 858-488-0501. http://www.missionbayparadeoflights.org.

Oceanside Harbor Parade of Lights

Boats decorated in holiday lights circle Oceanside Harbor.  Sponsored by the Oceanside Yacht Club. Dec. 10,7 pm.760-722-5751.

San Diego Bay Boat Parade of Lights

40th Anniversary, “Back to the Future” theme. Dec. 11 & Dec. 18. Fireworks,5:30 pm then parade til9 pm. Starts off Shelter Island, goes through the harbor and ends at the Ferry Landing, Coronado. http://www.sdparadeoflights.org.

San Diego Botanic Garden “Garden of Lights”

230 Quail Gardens Dr., Encinitas. 100,000+ lights illuminating the plants and trees. Dec. 8-23 and Dec. 26-30,5-9 pm. Nutcracker ex-hibit, marshmallow roasting, live music, kid crafts. Adults, $12, children 3-12, $4. 760-436- 3036. http://www.SDBGarden.org.

San Diego Zoo’s Jungle Bells

Balboa Park. Dec. 11-23, Dec. 25-Jan. 2. Lighted animal figures, bell ringers, nightly tree-lighting ceremony, “Night Before Christmas” interactive show. 619-231-1515. http://www.sandiegozoo.org.

Sea World Christmas Tree of Lights

The Skytower lights will sparkle after dark. Nightly a t6 pm.Weekends Nov. 19-Dec. 11, daily Dec. 17-Jan. 1. http://www.seaworld.com.

Victorian Mansion/The Forward House

108 Ivy St., corner of First and Ivy, downtown San Diego. Nov. 24-Jan.1,5-10 pm. See Santa on the roof on Dec. 16 from5:30-8:30 pm.619-533-7900. 

For information on buying or selling in any these great San Diego areas, just give me a call!  Happy Holidays!

Marti Kilby

619.846.9249

marti@kilby.com

 

All times and dates subject to change.

 

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June 2, 2011

In Defense of Stuff

Posted by martikilby under American values, Christmas, Possessions | Tags: , , |
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One of my daughter’s very good friends recently wrote a compelling blog post about how we as Americans are often much too attached to material things.  It was very well written and got me thinking about my relationship with stuff, and after some thought, I decided that an emotional attachment wasn’t all bad.

With the recent tornado and flood devastation we have once again been reminded just how precious life is.  As long as your family, friends and pets make it through alive, nothing else really matters…..and yet it does.  Following every disaster, as soon as people are accounted for, families return to what’s left of their homes to search for things.  Not just anything, but items that hold a special meaning and are often irreplaceable; a wedding photo, a child’s first doll, or granddad’s journal from the war.  They may not be things of monetary value, but the things that we sift through debris to locate are treasured because of our emotional attachment.  In some way, we lose a bit of who are when we lose our special things.

Things can evoke a connection with a special moment in time…they add richness and color to the memory and allow us to recapture and relive some of the emotions of an experience or event otherwise lost or buried.  It might not have even been a moment we lived, but a love note to an ancestor or a bracelet handed down from generation to generation, can connect us with our past and allow us to dream and wonder about the lives that preceded ours.

For me, it’s the Christmas ornaments.  Not shiny perfect balls bought at Target, but the decorations that all have a story, gathered with love for over 70 years.  There’s the pale blue peacock made from the thinnest of glass that used to grace my grandmother’s tree, mom’s funky ‘50s baubles, and all the hand-crafted ornaments my family and I have carefully brought back from every corner of the world.  Each year when I fold back the tissue paper and unwrap each ornament I reconnect with people, places and memories that are a part of who I am.

There is of course no question that the people I love and who love me are what make life worth living.  I’ll never be a hoarder, or even a serious collector, and as anyone who knows me will attest, I don’t need to have the latest electronic gadget or designer handbag.  But amidst all of the stuff that I could easily live without, I do cherish and enjoy the special things in my life.

 

December 14, 2010

My Favorite New Gadget

Posted by martikilby under Christmas, Home Improvement, Home Ownership | Tags: , , , |
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First, let me just say that I don’t own a wonder hanger and wouldn’t be caught dead in a Snuggie, but I did recently buy something that I saw on TV, and was stunned at how well it worked.

Last weekend, we were getting ready to decorate the front of the house with green Christmas garland.  Several years ago I had carefully intertwined 300 little white lights through all 90 feet…not a quick task.  So before hanging the garland, I of course plugged in the lights to test them and was annoyed to discover that two sections of 50 lights each didn’t work.  I wasted about 30 minutes messing with each bulb to make sure it was all the way in its socket, but to no avail.  Now fuming, I realized that the only solution was to de-construct the garland and re-string it with new lights – a total waste of time when I was already so behind on Christmas!

So I made my way to Home Depot and was picking up some new lights when something clicked in my head, and I remembered a gadget I’d seen on TV that supposedly fixed strings of mini lights like mine.  And there it was on the shelf right in front of me, the Light Keeper Pro.  Kind of expensive at $19.95, but I reasoned, if it happened to work and saved 2-3 hours of my time it was money will spent.

I read the package, and had no idea how it really worked, but followed the directions by removing one of the dead bulbs and putting the socket in the little hole on the Light Keeper.  I squeezed the trigger, and voila, the lights came back on!  I put the bulb back in the socket and like magic all the lights worked. 

I was elated!  And even happier when I discovered and fixed “dead” sections in the  lights I was going to put on the tree.  No more throwing out strings of mini lights!  This little gadget definitely made my Christmas brighter 🙂