The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade makes its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Who needs Rudolph’s red nose when you’ve got bright headlights like those in the annual Califia Holiday Car Parade to guide holiday spirits?
The 26th annual parade, led by Bill Hatch’s 1969 Mercedes 280SL, traversed Mission Viejo Sunday night, Dec. 17 — an annual and festive tradition for the Califia neighborhood. The cars were decked out with oodles of Christmas lights, bright reindeer and inflatable Santas.
The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade makes its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
A decorated vehicle arrives at the staging area at the start of the parade on Sunday. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade made its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17th, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
People visit in the staging area prior to Sundays parade. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade drove through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
A huge Santa sits atop a car in the staging area prior to the parade. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade made its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Decorated cars line up prior to the start of the parade. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade made its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
(Left to right) Audrey Cassidy, Emily Foster and Emma Forlesi play with their light-up wands as they wait for the parade to begin. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade made its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Musicians sing Christmas songs in the staging area. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade drove through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Decorated cars line up in the staging area before the parade Sunday night. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade drove through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Cars arrive in the staging area before Sundays parade. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade drove through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Roger Perez, right, helps decorate a car prior to Sunday’s parade. The 26th annual Califia Holiday Car Parade made its way through the neighborhood near Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)
Hatch, a longtime resident of the community, started the parade as a “landlocked” answer to the annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. His daughters were only 4 and 6 years old that first year, he said, and it was “about as down-home as you could possibly get.”
Hatch constructed a Christmas tree out of PVC and ran lights around it, hoisting it up in his Mercedes convertible with an umbrella stand.
“It was ugly,” Hatch recalled of his first effort with a laugh. And back then, he used hot incandescent lights rather than LEDs to illuminate the tree. “It was basically taking your life in your hands because you could pop a light in your car.”
Since that inaugural holiday parade 26 years ago, the decorations have grown safer — and more ornate. There are inflatable holiday characters — Santa, the Grinch, reindeer and dragons — adorning the tops of the vehicles. Christmas lights stretch all over the cars, over the hoods and down the sides.
Hatch still erects a fake tree for his car, and he estimates he puts about 2,000 to 3,000 lights on his vehicle.
Some two dozen cars now participate in the parade — there is a cap so as not to impact traffic too much — and Hatch works with the city and Sheriff’s Department to ensure they’re OK to roll through the neighborhood. Drivers toss out candy canes and other treats for the kids lining the streets, and the parade culminates in a potluck dinner.
“It’s become an expectation and an event within the community,” said Hatch.
“It was and is and always will be fully intended as an event to just feel good coming into the holidays,” he said. “It sets a tone, sets a vibe. It’s for folks that are in the neighborhood and out of the area. It’s just a fun event.”
