It's amazing all the gifts that you will find when you spend your Christmas in California. A woman at a beachfront house in Newport Beach strikes a pose wearing her Santa hat as her relaxed, bare feet are propped on the beach-walk wall.

On the Newport Beach Pier a family with two bright-eyed kids (a little girl & a boy) catch their very first fish from the Pacific Ocean. The kids are so excited, it seems like this adventure may eclipse all other gifts.

A dog sitting on the newspaper stand box barks as hundreds of visitors pass by. He wants to be petted and scratched...and all day long he gets his just rewards. What a happy day for him out in the sun as his owner works in one of the shops overlooking the beach, keeping a careful eye on his "charge".

Couples & friends with glasses of elegant California wines and artisanal cheeses sit merrily on their verandas overlooking Catalina Island. There's not much breeze, but the air is oh so warm and pleasant. They "clink" a toast and take a drink to Christmas in California.

From the mountains where excited skiers try out their new boards and wear new threads to the beaches where people have fled from snow and are getting a healthy dose of sunshine, Christmas in California 2010 reminds all that the best things in life don't necessarily come in boxes with wrapping, ribbons & bows- good health, good friends, nice pets, and being in California to celebrate. Now that's living. Merry Christmas and Greetings from California!