IT’S HALFWAY to Christmas. Started your shopping yet? (Shutterstock).

Believe it or not, this week represents the halfway point to Christmas. By Wednesday, you’ll be closer to this coming big holiday than the last one. Time to start planning your party, ordering your tree ornaments and hinting to your significant other about what sort of present you might like.

On a slightly more urgent note, here’s some of what the week ahead holds for those of us in the Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster communities.

WEATHER: If you like it cool and cloudy, you’ll enjoy the outside this week. Temps should be in the high 60s to mid-70s for the first several days, rising slowly into the 70s and 80s by this coming weekend. Longer-term forecasts show that mid-80s temps should extend through the July 4 holiday.

Here is how things look by city.

• Garden Grove: Mid-70s during the day and low 60s at night, warming daily until temps break into the 80s by the weekend.
• Huntington Beach: Highs in the upper 60s during the day, rising to the low 70s by the weekend.
• Stanton: Mid-70s all week, rising to 80 by the weekend.
• Westminster: Mid-70s all week, rising to high 70s by the weekend.

MOVIES:Two major film releases this coming week. “Yesterday” is about a minor singer-songwriter who wakes up to discover that no one has heard of the Beatles or their music. It’s PG-13. The other, “Annabelle Comes Home,” is a sequel to the horror flick about a murderous doll. It’s rated R.

MEETINGS: Garden Grove and Stanton city councils will meet on Tuesday, each at 6:30 p.m. in their respective council chambers. Huntington Beach Union High School District Board of Trustees will also meet on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

EVENTS: The Summer Concert Series sponsored by the Garden Grove Community Foundation will begin on Wednesday at the Elks Lodge (Newhope Street and Trask Avenue). Cat Reed and Back Alley will perform a free blues concert from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

OF NOTE… Friday is the deadline to submit a proposal to the cities of Garden Grove and Santa Ana for development of the 101.5-acre Willowick Golf Course property owned by Garden Grove but within Santa Ana city limits.