A Hollywood Christmas

It's barely December, and Thanksgiving was a mere three days ago, but it's Christmastime in Tinseltown.

Earlier tonight, C and I drove over to Hollywood & Highland -- home to the Kodak Theater, where Oscar hosts its night of nights. That intersection also happened to be the prime spot for the annual Hollywood Santa Parade. No, we didn't actually get to see Jolly Old St. Nick himself, but we did get to see Demi Lovato, which according to Disney and blossoming tweens everywhere, is better than Santa. Better than snow. (Miley Cyrus wannabe say what?)

But it doesn't stop there. We also saw the likes of Fred Willard, Neil McDonough, the cast of "Grease" (yes, three guys from the 1978 movie you wouldn't recognize unless they were sitting on top of a convertible waving at a crowd with the sign "Cast of Grease" attached to its side panels) and, drum roll please, the Church of Scientology "Winter Wonderland" (pictured above).

The best part for me, and speaking for C, too, besides seeing her dad work the swelling crowd, was walking out onto Hollywood Boulevard from H&H and seeing the El Capitan Theater exploding with light for C's new favorite movie: Bolt.

Not that she's seen it, but it's a taste of what's to come. We're all going to the El Cap next weekend to see the movie as part of her birthday present. Including my dad (aka G-daddy), who'll be in town to see his G-daughter turn 2.

I was able to snag a stuffed Bolt dog at work, and he's her favorite toy of the week. So seeing her light up tonight as much as that sign totally thrilled me.

And speaking of something that thrills me, I have an added bonus to this blog post, an early Christmas present, if you will.

C and I went to the Grove last weekend for its annual tree-lighting extravaganza. We didn't stay long, missing out on seeing the tree actually light up, but I did get a short video of the event. You can get an idea of how festive it was about an hour or so before the actual ceremony. You can also see that I've got a child who's used to the camera -- and who, come to think of it, maybe could've used a break from it that night.