The rest of the world may be a wee bit jealous, because – based on his upcoming appearances – Santa absolutely loves the Bay State.

From cozy Back Bay parlors to Cape Cod seashore backdrops, the Big Guy (and the Mrs. most times) – will hop across Massachusetts until he returns to the North Pole for his Big Night. Consider these day trips/visits.

Santa in the Hub: Like all of us, Santa loves a true Back Bay vibe, which is why he not only has his own brownstone to kick off his boots in; he invites us all to visit him in his own city-based open house.

“Santa In the City,” takes  place Dec.13 and Dec. 20 from noon to 6 p.m. in the brownstone directly across from Sweetgreen in Hynes Place. Stop by and be welcomed into the brownstone with classic Back Bay decor, holiday decorations (but of course), and Santa himself. Santa is happy to review wish lists, discuss gift choices and pose for photos. Santa will have his personal photographer there as well to capture your visit.

There ‘s bonus fun too: Right across the road at the Pru you’ll find Treehouse Brewing’s Winter Garden, as well as an immersive winter light show. (https://www.prudentialcenter.com/experiences/events/santa-in-the-city-2/)

Santa shares his posh holiday escape: You can’t blame Santa for needing some posh TLC pre-game so it’s no surprise he finds time to stay a night or two at The Dagny Boston (https://www.thedagnyboston.com/). Their holiday “Gilded Suite” is available to him – and to you – all holiday season.

The limited-time decor immerses you in holiday ambiance, with twinkling garlands and more. You’ll be greeted by Santa’s favorite scent – fresh baked cookies (from the Tradesman Coffee Shop). The lights of Boston via the impressive view out your window add the perfect touch.

Even better: if you book now, Santa promises to find time for a private visit in your suite. He’s not only bringing his love of all things Christmas, he’ll also come with stories to share, a smile for photos and Boston-themed gifts.

No time to stay over? No worries: Santa will appear in the hotel’s beautifully decorated lobby Dec. 18-22 where you can take your own photos or grab the hotel’s classic Polaroid to capture one. Times vary each day and can be found on the hotel website.

Santa likes grown-up holiday fun too : Which is why he applauds Cambridge’s Kimpton Marlowe (https://www.hotelmarlowe.com/) and its annual “Miracle” pop up bar.

In its eighth season, the pop up bar surrounds you in holiday cheer with lighted garlands, a crackling fire and festive decor.

And then there are the adult holiday cocktails, with names like Dancing Sugar Plums, Candy Cane Lane, Cherry Cherry Chocosaurus, Blitzen Barrel, Miracle Mouse and Coconut Hot Chocolate. Their  “Nice and Naughty” shots are back too. Santa knows we don’t all imbibe though, so they’ve introduced new non-alcoholic options like  the Snow Day Sipper, Silent Night and Mellow Mouse.

You’ll sip on season-themed cocktails served in cool glassware shaped like Santa’s head, a “Santa-saur” and a holiday unicorn. You can purchase the limited edition glassware for holiday gifts

Santa near the sand: As any Bay State lover knows, Santa understands a good escape to the Cape is always in order. That’s why you’ll find him at the Pelham House (https://www.pelhamhouseresort.com/) the beautiful resort set right on the beach in Dennisport. There, on Dec. 21, he’ll be up close and personal at his annual brunch.

Brunch takes place at the resort’s Rooftop Restaurant. While you’ll feel like you’re outside thanks to the floor to ceiling windows taking in the expansive seaside view, you’ll be snug since it is enclosed and heated in the winter,

Santa will be on hand to mingle, take gift requests, pose for photos and just plain celebrate with you. Reservations via the website are required.

Saturday, June 13, 9 p.m.: Haiti vs. Scotland, Group C.

Tuesday, June 16, 6 p.m.: Norway vs. whoever emerges from the qualifying playoff tourney between Iraq, Bolivia, and Suriname, Group I.

Friday, June 19, 6 p.m.: Scotland vs. Morocco, Group C.

Tuesday, June 23, 4 p.m.: No. 5 England vs. Ghana, Group L.

Friday, June 26, 3 p.m.: Norway vs. No. 3 France, Group I.

The June 26 matchup will feature arguably the two top strikers in the world, Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappe.

For a Round of 32 game Monday, June 29, the winner of Group E will play one of the third-place finishers from Groups A, B, C, D, or F. Should the US national team perform below expectations in a Group D it is favored by most to win, there is a chance it could play at Boston Stadium in that June 29 match.

A July 9 quarterfinal match will be played at 4 pm.

While Brazil is one of the teams that will not be playing at Gillette, local organizers are still pleased with how everything shook out, both from a high-caliber soccer perspective and seeing a robust group of international fans visit greater Boston and pump dollars into its economy.

“We got two highlight matches, which is amazing,” said Brian Bilello, Boston 26 board chair and president of the Revolution. “We’ve got France-Norway, where you wind up with two of the top five players in the world in Mbappe and Haaland playing against each other, that match is going to be a pretty special one.

“And the other top Pot 1 team is England, which is always a popular team and that should be a fun match against Ghana.”

For fifth-ranked Brazil not to play in Boston will come as a disappointment to many, especially in Framingham with its large Brazilian population. But Bilello, without elaborating, fueled widely available rumors that Brazil will play France in a friendly at Gillette on March 28.

“We know our Brazilian fans are going to be somewhat disappointed but hopefully we have a way of making them happy this spring with something else,” said Bilello.

Besides Brazil, the final draw eliminated these teams from visiting Boston: Group I’s Senegal, and Croatia and Panama from Group L.

There are 16 host cities, 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

Martha Sheridan, a Boston 26 honorary board member and president/CEO of Meet Boston, said she was “generally very pleased” with the draw results.

“We’re getting folks from Norway and England and France, who tend to travel well for their matches,” said Sheridan. “And I also love the fact that we have Morocco and Haiti, which from a local perspective is just lovely. The community can have some pride in their teams because we do have a considerably high Haitian (in Boston) and Moroccan population (in East Boston and Revere).”

With approximately 32,000 hotel rooms available in Boston, Sheridan does not expect any challenges in accommodating visitors.

One unknown is if fans from Haiti will be allowed to visit. Haiti is on a list of countries that the Trump administration has banned its citizens from traveling to the United States for terrorism and national security concerns.

“My hope is that the federal government is wanting to have a very successful World Cup here in the US, so maybe they will look differently at those bans in light of the fact that Haiti does have a team coming here,” said Sheridan.

FIFA spent Friday night and into Saturday morning figuring out the final pieces of the logistical puzzle of placing the 48 teams in those venues, balancing travel, time zones, recovery, and preparation factors.

The Revolution’s training center near Gillette will be used by national teams in the days before each match.

Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., will be paired with one team playing in Foxborough as a base camp for the duration of its tournament survival. Other Boston area locations may yet be announced. (FIFA controls the process.)

With Scotland and Norway each playing two matches in Boston, chances increase they will want to set up a base camp in the area.

“Now that we know who’s coming, the excitement is just going to continue to build,” said Sheridan. “It will be here before we know it and we cannot wait to welcome the world to Boston.”

Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.

But the Celtics willingly and methodically disposed of the roster that was placed in front of them, roaring to a 29-point first-half lead before cruising to a 126-105 win, their fourth in a row.

“I thought we were the harder-playing team right from the jump,” Sam Hauser said. “Obviously we got off to a great start and maintained that.”

Jaylen Brown had 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists to lead the Celtics, who buried Los Angeles with another flammable shooting night. Boston made 46 of 84 shots overall, and 24 of 45 3-pointers (53.3 percent).

The Celtics failed to reach the 40-percent mark from the 3-point line in their first 12 games of the season, and their 5-7 record was a direct result of that. During that grisly shooting stretch, coach Joe Mazzulla insisted that the poor numbers were more due to shooting misfortune than shoddy execution.

On Friday, he acknowledged that the shooting luck might have tilted in the opposite direction. He was still pleased with the overall approach.

“I thought we had great execution,” he said. “I liked the shots we got.”

The Celtics are averaging 121.9 points per 100 possessions, tied for the second-best offensive rating in the NBA. Following all of the notable departures this summer as well as Jayson Tatum’s absence because of his Achilles injury, this level of production would have seemed unfathomable at the start of the year.

Despite these gaudy numbers, guard Payton Pritchard does not think the offense has reached its peak. He said it’ll “be exciting” to continue the ascension.

“If everybody’s just focused on, ‘How can I just get a little bit better each day, each game, no matter win or loss?,’ ” Pritchard said, “then eventually we’ll become the team we want to become.”

Jordan Walsh followed his strong game Thursday against the Wizards by making 6 of 7 shots and scoring 17 points Friday. He is 18 for 19 from the field over the last three games, and his rise since joining the starting lineup has been Boston’s most encouraging development.

Austin Reaves had 36 points to lead Los Angeles, but the Celtics mostly bottled him up during the first half, when he was just 2 for 7 from the field and his team stumbled into a deep hole.

Surprisingly, some of the night’s loudest cheers were reserved for James’s son, Bronny, the second-year guard. Following scattered “we want Bronny” chants during the second half, he checked in to some applause midway through the fourth. The crowd erupted when Bronny had a one-handed dunk and a 3-pointer, although the lopsided score probably factored into the warm reaction.

Celtics guard Derrick White started 3 for 4 from the 3-point line, and his pull-up from the top of the key with 6:18 left gave Boston a 19-7 lead. Its advantage remained in double digits the final 39 and a half minutes.

Brown was a distributor for most of the opening quarter. He passed up a few challenging shots to find teammates closer to the rim, but he scored 7 points in the final three minutes — all inside the arc — helping the Celtics extend their lead to 39-17.

The shooting cooled slightly in the second quarter, but the big lead left room for that. A 3-pointer by Hauser with 10:06 left stretched the advantage to 49-21 and provided another example of Boston’s balance. Nearly midway through the quarter, no Celtic had attempted more than five shots.

Boston’s defense let up in the third quarter — five turnovers added extra stress — and Reaves found a second wind following his slow start.

He poured in 16 points in the period, and the Lakers shot 63.2 percent from the field, helping them pull within 97-82 after three quarters. But the Celtics started the fourth with a 9-0 run.

“These last two games, we kind of just put our foot on the gas and took care of business,” Pritchard said.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.