Getting into the spirit

Bryce Alderton

If the Christmas season hadn’t begun already in Corona del Mar, then

Sunday kicked it off in style with something for everyone at the 23rd

Corona del Mar Christmas Walk Festival.

Red, white and gold tinsel spiraled around light posts, madrigal

singers sang favorite Christmas carols like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed

Reindeer,” children and dogs took pictures with Santa Claus, and Corona

del Mar restaurants and businesses in and around Coast Highway offered

discounts and free samples on merchandise and food.

Under partly sunny skies Sunday afternoon, stores and restaurants in

Corona del Mar Plaza and along Coast Highway between Avocado and Poppy

avenues opened their doors for holiday shopping, food sampling and

entertainment, with balloon makers, clowns, bands, musicians and carolers

walking around delighting visitors.

The festival is an opportunity for businesses to thank the community

for its support while bringing the community together, said Luvena

Hayton, who started the festival in 1978 when she was president of the

Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the event.

Now 80, the 50-year Corona del Mar resident serves on the Chamber’s

executive board of directors.

“I never dreamed it would be this big,” Hayton said. “It began as an

open house for the neighborhood, as kind of a big neighborhood party when

people would put lights and poinsettias all around.”

The festival keeps getting bigger and bigger each year, Hayton said.

“This is one of the best things we can do,” Hayton said. “It has the

feel of a small-town festival.”

Hayton expected 6,000 to 8,000 people to come out to the festival on

Sunday.

Bill Porath, a chiropractor with Priestley Chiropractic Group Inc. in

Corona del Mar, has been a regular at the walk for 20 years.

He has seen his share of children taking their pictures with Santa.

On Sunday, dogs and children lined up to get their pictures taken with

Santa at Priestley Chiropractic’s booth.

“I’ve been doing this for so long, so it’s really neat seeing the same

people like the [children] who I saw at 2 [years old] when they had their

pictures taken [with Santa] grow up to now, when they’re 15 [years old],” Porath said.

In addition to complimentary pictures with Santa, Priestley

Chiropractic offered complimentary massages.

“It’s an opportunity to give back to the community, talk to people

about what we do, and answer any questions,” Porath said.

A steady stream of children came to decorate the gold, silver and

clear ball ornaments as part of “Sparkle Ornaments and Christmas Cheer,”

hosted by Subtle Tones in Corona del Mar Plaza.

Renee Hunter, a two-year Newport Beach resident, brought her three

children, T.J., Alana and Alyssa, to decorate ornaments.

“They’re doing it so quietly,” Hunter said. “If they were doing that

in my house, it would be a different story.”

Alyssa smiled and lifted her ornament, which sparkled with silver

glitter and boasted purple and red lines painted around it.

“I want to do some more,” said Alyssa, 8, as she held up the ornament.

Sunday was a perfect day for strolling Coast Highway for Alex Brana,

an eight-year Corona del Mar resident, and Carina Ibsem, a one-year

resident who moved to the city from her native Denmark.

“We’re strolling the street and I have a friend working up the street

that I want to see,” Brana said.

The two stood together, next to the long line of hungry walkers ready

to delve into the free pizza slices Gina’s Pizzeria & Pastaria offered.

“It’s fun people-watching and enjoying the day,” Ibsem said. “The

people and the weather are nice.”

* Bryce Alderton is the news assistant. He may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .