Lolita Harper It was hard to tell...

Lolita Harper

It was hard to tell which shone more brightly: the thousands of

lights that adorned El Navigante or the eyes of the Burnand triplets

as they watched the boat float by.

“Look at that one,” 5-year-old Steele Burnand said while pointing

a mittened finger. “Wow.”

His sisters, Carter and Kendal, were equally amazed by the

dazzling vessels in the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. Carter

and Steele were nuzzled in their mother’s lap, near the water’s edge

on Balboa Island, while Kendal took in the view from the safety of

the front lawn.

Every now and then, a boat would draw Kendal’s attention, and she

would venture over for a closer look. The curly-haired blond could

not resist a modest boat pulling a water skiing Santa Claus and made

her way to the bank to get a peak at the craft, which was dwarfed by

the surrounding yachts.

The Burnands, who live in Newport Shores, have a tradition of

watching the parade from their own boat, but decided to join the

land-loving spectators this year. Bundled in warm jackets, hats and

scarfs the triplets joined dozens of other children, adults, young

couples, lasting married folks and myriad other viewers at the

shoreline.

Not able to fully ditch the nautical aspect of the holiday ritual,

the family drove their own boat from Newport Shores to Balboa Island

and avoided the traffic and parking problems that accompany the

annual world-renowned holiday event.

Balboa Island was alive with holiday spirit. Hundreds of people

walked the quaint village streets, dined at the waterfront

restaurants and warmed their hands with steaming cups of hot

chocolate.

Jonathan Holbert uses the boat parade as a homecoming, bringing

his family all the way from Hong Kong to see it.

“I grew up in Southern California and I come back every year to

see this and mom and dad,” Holbert said.

Daughter Sarah Holbert, 10, said she was having a good time

sharing her father’s stateside tradition, but wanted to get back

inside where she could be warm. Clutching her father’s leg tightly,

she said her favorite part of the evening so far was the dinner.

Daniel Holbert enjoyed the cool night air a bit more than his

older sister.

“I like the one with the dancing Santa,” he said.