Growing up in Los Angeles, I enjoyed a New Year's Day tradition that my own children have yet to experience up close: the Rose Parade. My parents staked out curbside viewing several times when I was small, and one year we even watched the floats get decorated before the parade. It nags at me that the closest my own children have come to this quintessential, rain-or-shine LA experience is the television screen in our living room. I can't guarantee we will get there this year, either; nevertheless, I am highlighting two opportunities this week—one before and one after the parade. See the floats as they are assembled, or see them as they are disassembled. Or just get your family to the parade.
There may be a few of you who have not made it to Star Wars:The Force Awakens yet, and others whose children are clamoring for a second viewing. There’s nothing better than a movie matinee in the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s. A fun alternative to Star Wars is the Marx Brothers double feature at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre.
Finally, New Year’s Eve is not a holiday aimed at children, but the Discovery Cubes in LA and OC have a few ideas, as do the Zimmer Museum and Kidspace. One kid-friendly thing that caught my eye is the Skating Plus New Year’s Eve Party in Ventura. The roller rink celebrates with the clocks set forward to reach “midnight” at 3pm, after which parents can take the kids home, tuck them into bed, and crack open a bottle of well-deserved bubbly.