The Holidays is such a magical time of year, but Disneyland at Christmas time is a whole new level of amazing. The decorations, food, characters, and Christmas spirit is a one of a kind experience.
We’ve been to Disneyland a lot as a family and by far our most favorite memories are when their Christmas decorations are up. Every corner you find a new surprise or a beautifully decorated Christmas Tree. You will also experience snowfalls at night as your leaving the park and while watching fireworks.
Best Time to See the Christmas Decorations at Disneyland
I’ve found the best time to visit with the least amount of crowds is the week before Thanksgiving. They switch our their Halloween decorations and replace them with Christmas right after Halloween. The decorations are complete a few weeks before Thanksgiving. We pretty much walked on all the rides and had minimal wait times at the others. Once Thanksgiving comes around, the crowds tend to pick up. I’ve also heard the week after Thanksgiving is good too, before all the college kids get out of school and before the crunch weeks before Christmas start.
Christmas Decorations at Disneyland
At first glance when you’re walking in you will see Elsa’s snowflakes on the Entrance doors. To start of, you see a huge Christmas Tree just past the front entrance and from there on the surprises start. Main Street is decorated with different garlands, lights, and wreaths. Every window display is changed to Christmas as well. As soon as you get past Main Street you look up to see Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle. Once the castle is lit up, its as if it’s adorned with glistening icicles and snow capped turrets. It is truly breathtaking. During the holiday firework show the castle and other places in the park undergo a magical snowfall. My kiddos loved this part. New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Critter Country, Fantasy Faire, and Mickey’s Toontown are all transformed in their own special way. Each place has unique and different decorations according to the theme of the town. It’s truly amazing to me how they decorate each area with class and charm. A “MUST SEE” is The Haunted House. The whole entire house is changed for Christmas. It is decorated after the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and my kiddos find it more fun than scary. Another “MUST SEE” is the Christmas Fantasy Parade. This is a Holiday treat for sure. The floats, music, characters, and princesses are decorated to the max with holiday cheer. And the surprise ending is Santa. My last “MUST SEE” is “It’s a Small World”. The outside is decorated with over 50,000 lights and illuminated images are also projected on the front. This is jaw dropping for sure. The inside is also completely changed into Christmas delight. And the little kids sing Christmas songs. My kids kept wanting to go on this ride over and over again.
Christmas Decorations at California Adventures
As you enter the park and stroll down the town you are once again met with holiday cheer. The lamp post are adorned with festive wreaths. All along the buildings are beautiful garlands with red, green and everything in between. Each land is decorated in a different way. In Car’s Land you are sure to be smitten by the auto-themed decorations that adorn the streets and above the street. Don’t miss the 50 foot tall Christmas Tree in the middle of Buena Vista Street. The Olaf Snow Fest is a fun attraction as well. Inside the you will find “REAL” snow for the kids to play on and slide down, and a meet and greet with Olaf. Also in this park is “The World of Color- Season on Light.” This is a special holiday version of “The World of Color.” You can also sample different countries holiday foods in the “Festival of the Holidays.”
As you can tell I really love Disneyland but I especially love it during the Holidays. I promise you won’t regret it and it will be a memory you will cherish. I feel like every time I go back with my kids I want to go during the Holidays. It was that memorable, the colors alone were worth it. It was a great start to the Holidays, and brought that cheer and joy that we all want to feel in our lives and hearts during Christmastime.
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