A Cinderella Christmas - Pasadena Playhouse
The Lythgoe family treats us to another round of its immensely and deservedly popular Christmas panto tradition at the Pasadena Playhouse, combining a classic tale with a pleasing array of holiday cliches, popular music, shoulda-seen-it-coming humor ("Oh no they didn't!"), audience participation ("Oh yes we did!"), and stars we love (your kids can count actors from Best Friends Whenever, Glee, and Shake It Up, while you find out whatever happened to Morgan Fairchild). The young TV stars in this production will knock your Christmas socks off with their singing and dancing, and the gender bending comedy keeps the guffaws rolling. The Playhouse always delivers high production value (and a snow flurry at the end); there is enough fun for all ages in this show to merit driving to Pasadena from anywhere in the Southland—though OCers actually have their own Lythgoe panto as well. 

Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight - Laguna Playhouse
The Southland is treated to not one but two holiday pantos by Lythgoe Family Productions; Pasadena's former production of Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight (see our review from 2014) has a run now at the Laguna Playhouse. Celebrity performers in the OC production include Joely Fisher, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, and Barry Pearl, with song and dance sure to be just as wonderful and jokes sure to be just as corny as they were in Pasadena. We love these silly, modern holiday twists on the classic tales, and we have a feeling Orange County will, too.

A Christmas Carol - A Noise Within
The good folk of Pasadena hog more than their fair share of the good theater. , A Noise Within, not long ago, and the result is a fabulous new theater staging large scale professional productions on Foothill Blvd. The company's production of Charles Dickens' Christmas classic has been a tradition for many years, offering a rendition of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge that follows closely to the the original story and keeps much of Dickens' original language. The costumes and set effectively transport audiences to Victorian London in the midst of a Pasadena winter, and the 90-minute production combines music, dance, ghosts, and - of course - one very frightened old man in long johns learning not to say "humbug" so often.

A Christmas Carol - Miles Playhouse
Pasadena too far to drive for your annual dose of Dickens? This year Santa Monica Rep has its own production of the Christmas classic. This production promises puppetry mixed in with the live action and music, and a round of caroling and eggnog with the cast after the show. The Miles Playhouse in Reed Park is a great venue for family friendly productions, with a lovely playground adjacent for anyone who gets antsy.

A Christmas Carol - South Coast Rep
No, that isn't a typo; if we can have 26 productions of The Nutcracker, why shouldn't we have three of A Christmas Carol? This one is for Orange County dwellers and offers a classic Ebenezer Scrooge production that's returning to the Segerstrom Center for its 36th year.

All About Santa - Santa Monica Playhouse
Another option for Santa Monica families is a holiday show for little ones, at this delightful theater just a block away from Third Street Promenade. Santa has disappeared, and Mrs. Claus has to save the day.

Disney on Ice
The family ice show comes through the Southland every holiday season, with stops in Downtown LA, Anaheim, Long Beach, and Ontario, and it makes for a great Christmas tradition for SoCal families in search of chilly festivities. This year's show, Worlds of Enchantment, features every Disney star a child could want—including those gals from Frozen. Disney's ice shows always feature enough athletic feats to keep adults delighted and a thrilling level of princess time for the little ones.

Looking for more holiday season fun? Our Holiday Activities Guide has you covered all month - and we're not just talking tinsel!

Originally published Decemeber 8, 2014, with annual updates.