Santa Claus and the Snow Faeries

Downtown businesses stay open late tonight to welcome shoppers. That’s hospitality -- Laguna-style.Laguna Beach will kick off the holiday season tonight.

Hospitality Night festivities will begin at 5 p.m., leading up to Santa’s 6 p.m. arrival at City Hall to light the pepper tree, the traditional signal that the holiday season has arrived in Laguna Beach.

Downtown merchants will stay open late to dispense cheer to browsers and buyers at the biggest block party of the year.

Hospitality Night has been a Laguna tradition since 1952.

Businessman Mark Christie remembers cruising Forest Avenue on Hospitality Night as a kid growing up in Laguna.

“Our folks used to let us ride our Stingrays all the way downtown,” Christie said. “That was a really big deal.”

Now his son celebrates the same big deal.

“He starts looking forward to it in mid-September,” Christie said. “He wants to know what we are going to do.”

Christie organizes in-store activities for Hospitality Night. Last year he held a talent show at Hobies, one of the two shops he owns on Forest Avenue. The year before it was karaoke.

“We’ll do something different this year,” he said.

And Santa’s House will be parked for the holiday season in front of Christie’s other store, Tuvalo, on the corner of Forest Avenue and Glenneyre Street.

“That’s pretty cool,” Christie said. “Tennis and golf have their grand slams. For me, the Patriots Day Parade, locals night at the Sawdust, Little League opening day and Hospitality Night are Laguna’s grand slam.”

The city and the Chamber of Commerce sponsor Hospitality Night. The city plunks down $35,000 for the lights in the trees downtown, and chamber volunteers install them. Community groups add to the festivities.

“This is the night for the community to reconnect with the merchants and their unique holiday offerings,” chamber president Dennis Junka said. “It’s a great night for kids and adults.”

Scheduled Events:

The Laguna Presbyterian Church Open House, starting at 5 p.m., will include a craft bazaar, a sing-along and a performance by the Bell Choir.

Savvy shoppers also know that the early birds are the only ones who will find those delicious tamales at the La Playa booth near the church at 415 Forest Ave. The tamales sell out early.

The Thurston Middle School Band will perform at City Hall, starting at 5:30, just about the time that Santa will be leaving on his tour of town.

Santa will be chauffeured in the city’s venerated 1931 Seagrave fire engine, with retired Fire Capt. Eugene D’Isabella at the wheel. “Diz” is probably the only one in town cleared to drive the icon up and down the hilly route that starts at the Laguna Beach Unified School District parking lot, with his departure set for 5:30 p.m. The Seagrave will pass by Aliso Creek Shopping Center in South Laguna, head north to Boat Canyon and Crescent Bay Drive, and then circle back to City Hall.

Mayor Elizabeth Pearson will ride with Santa and participate in the City Hall festivities.

St. Catherine’s children’s choir will carol.

Following the tree-lighting ceremony, Santa will head down Forest Avenue to his holiday home, where children will meet with him to confide their hopes for Christmas and get their pictures taken.

The Snow Wish Fairies will flit around Santa’s house and invite those in line to make three wishes -- one for themselves, one for others and one for the world.

“Making a wish for what is not yet so is like sprinkling seeds in the sands of time,” said one Snow Faerie, a.k.a Jessica Destefano. “By making a wish for the world, we unite the consciousness of our planet in joy, love and peace, which is the true meaning of the holiday season.”

Miss Linda and her hand puppets will entertain during the wait to see Santa. The Exchange Club will hand out free popcorn.

The Laguna Beach Community Concert Band will begin its outdoor concert at 6 p.m. at the Forest Avenue Plaza at Forest and Second Street. The Laguna Beach High School Band will set up at 6: 45 p.m. two blocks up the avenue in front of the Candy Baron near South Coast Highway

California Choreographers will dance at 6:15 p.m. on Forest and at 7:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Ocean Ave.

The San Clemente Bagpipers will march and play throughout downtown, and the Showpros will be filming the crowd for viewing throughout the night on a big screen set up on Forest Avenue.

Portions of Forest and Ocean avenues, Beach and Third streets and the Peppertree Parking Lot will be closed to vehicular travel during the event, scheduled to end at 9 p.m.

For more information, call the chamber at (494) 494-1018.20051202iqsnvnkn(LA)The Snow Faeries, a.k.a. Jessica Destefano, left, and Vicki Haslett, bring good wishes to Laguna.