Upcoming holiday historical events

A 1921 postcard depicting Mission San Juan Capistrano, from the collection of Phil Brigandi.

The Christmas season has rolled around again, and the lineup of holiday historical events is starting to fill the calendar. The beautifully restored 1889 Dr. Howe-Waffle House & Museum, 120 Civic Center Dr. West, will kick off the festivities with the Santa Ana Historic Preservation Society's Holiday Open House, this Sat., Dec. 1st, 11am-4pm. If you'd like to soak up the vibe of a Victorian Christmas, with all the decor, goodies, fellowship, and caroling around the (1870s) piano, this would be a good place to do it. An arts and crafts boutique will also be featured on the back patio, and all items in the gift shop will be on sale. (A historic/architectural walking tour of Downtown will also be available at 2:30 for $8. RSVP to 714-547-9645.)

Looking for an event in South County? Get a sneak peek at the Dana Point Museum (still a work in progress) at City Hall, Suite 104, on Sun., Dec. 2nd. This event is the Dana Point Historical Society's Holiday Open House and will run from 2pm to 5pm. (If you'd like to participate in the concurrent potluck, please bring a finger-foodish dessert or appetizer for about a dozen people.)

Also, the Orange County Historical Society will hold their Holiday Social and "Show & Tell" program on the evening of Dec. 13th. I'll write more about that in another post, soon. Meanwhile, be thinking of what interesting artifact or tchotchke of local history you want to bring that evening.

The San Clemente Lifeguard Headquarters decked out for Christmas.

Less Christmas-y but still worth checking out: Groundbreaking surfer and Hobie retail founder Dick Metz will speak and share his amazing collection of classic surfing photos at the The Surfing Heritage Foundation,110 Calle Iglesia, San Clemente, on Thurs., Dec. 6th, 6pm. Most of the programs I write about on this blog are free, but this one is $10 (a fundraiser for SHF) -- but I think you'll find Metz more than worth the price of admission. We had him speak at the Orange County Historical Society a couple years ago, and even the non-surfers in the crowd thoroughly enjoyed his stories about the development of the sport and the industry.