Lord Jacks, Duke of Schneiderton

This year I couldn't wait until Christmas morning for one specific reason: I had decided to surprise the family with a regal painting of Jacks, dressed as "The Aristocrat," via the popular Crown & Paw design service. My Variety colleague Elaine first alerted us to the ridiculous joy of Crown & Paw — and it was worth it. 

For $71 (yes, that included a 30% discount), I ordered The Aristocrat a custom pet canvas measuring 12" x 18" x 1. It was as simple as sending a photo of Jacks, and a week or two later they sent a copy of the painting to be approved. It came a few days before Christmas, early enough to wrap and stick under the tree without anyone even noticing. It was a hit!

Christmas in Los Angeles 2020: A Bit Different, Yet Still the Same

 

 

 

Despite nothing being the same this year, at least one Christmas Eve / Blogger Teen tradition remained: The pedal boats at Echo Park Lake remained in business, and allowed for an hour-long ride around the water.

 

 

But speaking of water, this was an unusual sight on Christmas Eve: Overcast skies... and rain! Really, rain!

After that, nothing was quite the same. Our annual Christmas Eve mass at the Our Lady Queen of Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles was replaced by watching the livestream.

We were back on track on Christmas morning with a breakfast feast (including homemade ube waffles!).

Jacks doesn't quite understand all the commotion, but Santa was good to him as well.

Another successful Christmas, especially for these three.

Take a Ride on a West Coast Kick: 'Holiday Road' Brings Lights and Cheer to King Gillette Ranch

 

 

Up at King Gillette Ranch, deep in the hills near Calabasas, Holiday Road is putting on a socially distanced, COVID-safe light show for people in their cars looking for a bit of holiday cheer.

The display promises "vast grounds of lights and holiday moments welcoming visitors as they drive through a winding trail around the history-filled ranch. Expect to see everything from the North Pole, Elf Village, Gingerbread Lane, light tunnels, Christmas tree forests, and more."

The Holiday Road will be open to the public until January 10, nightly from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Located at King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, tickets start at $75 per vehicle.

More pics:

Scenes from Christmas Eve 2019 in Los Angeles

Another Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, and we stuck to most of the traditions: Brunch at Square One, followed by paddle boats in Echo Park, in honor of the Blogger Kid's birthday. (Or is it Blogger Teen now? He just turned 15.) Followed in the afternoon by mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. But our tradition of catching the last half hour of the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is over. A new ticketing policy prevented us from walking in, like we have in the past. So instead, we took in the lights at Grand Park. Farewell, LA County Holiday Celebration, I think that's now history.

Scenes from Christmas Eve in LA:

L.A. Zoo Lights Return, With Some New Surprises (But Giving the Reindeer a Break) For 2019

We've made visiting the L.A. Zoo Lights an annual holiday tradition, and many of you have too. The Lights are back for 2019, and promises "the world's largest illuminated pop-up storybook and more light animals than ever before."

Among the highlights are the return of the Lights' disco ball forest, 3-D animations, a water-laser show and more. And then there's the extended "Twinkle Tunnel." Santa is also back, and the reptile lair is open to catch the creepy crawlers — but this year the reindeer have thankfully been given a break and aren't doing nighttime duty.

The L.A. Zoo Lights returned on Nov. 15 and will continue through Jan. 5 — with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas. Visit LAZooLights.org for more details, and tickets can be purchased at lazoo.com/eventperformances. Check out photos below: