Candy Cane Lane is an annual neighborhood holiday decor extravaganza — the kind of 60-plus-year tradition that happens when homeowners work together and get a little competitive about who has the best light display. This is a pretty informal event, without any specific spokesperson, but the lights typically go on the second Saturday in December — and stay on through the end of the year. This is a slow-drive-through-the-neighborhood-and-gape event.

Christmas Tree Lane celebrated its 100th year of elaborate neighborhood holiday decorations in 2020. It enters its second century of nearly a mile worth of lights and decor strung among the 135 massive Deodar Cedar trees lining both sides of Santa Rosa Avenue. Admiring is free, but the association accepts $35 memberships online to offset the cost of stringing lights in the century-old cedar trees and keeping them healthy.

You can walk or drive through Oxnard’s 70-acre district of 139 historic homes, most built before 1925, representing various architectural styles, including Mission/Spanish Revival, Bungalow, Craftsman and Colonial Revival. These homes are extraordinary to view any time, but during the holidays, the lights and decor in the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District of Oxnard make the walk all the more special. This is a free event.

Descano’s annual holiday light show stretches a mile through the gardens, with an exhibit that includes a new “town” of stained-glass buildings in the Rose Garden created by sculptor Tom Fruin, along with favorites such as the field of glowing tulips that constantly change colors. Tickets start at $25 for members and $32 for non-members.

The L.A. Zoo’s holiday event returns after a COVID-19 hiatus with more oversize glowing animals, a “magical disco ball forest” and the world’s largest illuminated pop-up storybook, among other displays. This is a ticketed event that runs through Jan. 9.

Lightscape 2021 is the resumption of the arboretum’s annual nighttime holiday event, which was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. This year’s show is a new collection about a mile in length, including a walk-through winter cathedral of white lights and a “fire garden” along paths that are wheelchair accessible. This is a ticketed event through Jan. 16.

South Coast Botanic Garden is meshing music, food and drink with an underwater theme to transform its gardens into a winter-wonder light show called GLOW (Garden Lights & Ocean Waters). This is a ticketed event that runs through Jan. 17.

Santa Clarita locals know this Wakefield Court neighborhood as “Candy Cane Lane,” but it’s better known on social media as the Wakefield Winter Wonderland, a double cul-de-sac street of about 41 homes all lavishly decorated, complete with a ceiling of lights strung over the streets from home to home. Exact dates for this year’s light show haven’t been announced so check the Facebook page before you go. This event is free.

Pro tip: The Mission Inn covers a full city block and is draped with lights and moving figures on all sides, but if you want to see the elaborate holiday decor inside without renting a room or buying a meal, make a reservation to tour the Mission Inn. The history is fascinating. You’ll get a peek inside this storied hotel, and if you take the last tour of the day, the outside lights will be ablaze when you emerge. The 75-minute tours are by reservation only.

This year's event is called "Hikari: Festival of Lights at Tanaka Farms." Hikari means “shine” in Japanese, and Tanaka Farms is living up to that name with a wagon ride to the “Land of a Thousand Lanterns” and a walk through the Gingerbread Forest with more lights, live music, food for purchase, arts and crafts, barnyard animals, a Christmas tree lot and a chance to take photos with Santa. This is a ticketed event.