Photographer Ave Pildas moved to Los Angeles in 1971 to work as an Art Director for Capitol Records. Like many East Coast transplants, it took him a while to adjust to the weather and cultural differences of the West Coast. “Southern California culture is all about health, physical, beauty, surfing, Hollywood,” Pildas tells PDN via email. “The light is very different and so is the landscape; horizontal versus vertical. It seems that all the nuts roll to the West Coast.”

During the holiday season—though people on the East coast are frozen and sometimes snow-covered—it’s business as usual In Los Angeles. Pildas has documented the “peculiar holiday sights” in California for the last 30 years. “Christmas is so different here, everyone trying to identify what is Christmas.”

Though he’s had a successful career art directing, Pildas has been taking pictures for more than 50 years, has published two books with two more on the way, and just released a box set of photos, “10 Jazz Greats.” For more on Pildas, please visit his website.