Spending time at the Disneyland Resort is awesome no matter what time of season, but there's something about it that's that much more spectacular. Maybe it's because they go all out. A smattering of what it takes to make the holidays happen on Main Street at Disneyland (according to the Disney Parks Blog)
And that's just Main Street! But that's not the only thing that makes the Disneyland Resort a great place to spend your holidays. There are great opportunities to meet Santa. At Disneyland there's Santa's Reindeer Round-Up at Big Thunder Ranch, where you can hang with the man himself and meet his reindeer. At Disney's California Adventure, Santa takes up residence in a gazebo on Paradise Pier with an ornately decorated tree acting as the perfect backdrop to your photo.
Food! The food is good any time you visit the resorts, but at the holidays? Sublime. A number of restaurants throughout both parks offer holiday-inspired treats, but to really get the holiday experience down, you need to hit the bakeries and candy stores. At Blue Ribbon Bakery in Disneyland, you can get egg nog lattes, peppermint mocha lattes and other delicious treats, while right next door at the Gibson Girl ice cream parlor, they have their special seasonal peppermint ice cream.
At both parks' candy stores, you can get a Mickey gingerbread man with chocolate-dipped ears, special holiday chocolate-and-caramel dipped apples, and more. But the real go-to treat are the candy canes made by Disneyland's Candy Palace. Hand made, these suckers are so popular that they often sell out - and once you've had one, you'll see why. For one, they taste so much better than the factory-made junk. And two, they're as big as your forearm! Buy one and it'll last you all year.
The holiday entertainment is awesome. Not only do you get Disneyland's awesome Christmas parade, but their fireworks display is more of a tribute to and honoring of everything that makes the holiday season so awesome. And the best part? It snows after they're done. And if you had the chance to see the Candlelight Processional this year, count yourself lucky. Main Street essentially shuts down and the Main Street Train Station becomes a backdrop for a live orchestra, hundreds of choir singers, and a celebrity narrator - this year, Jon Voight - leads you through the story of Christmas.
Don't forget the rides! Even some of the attractions get into the holiday spirit. The Haunted Mansion transforms courtesy of the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that turns it into a mish mash of Halloween and Christmas, while It's A Small World also gets the overlay treatment with a holiday extravaganza.
Inside, it's a tribute to the season as you travel through each country's interpretation. On the exterior? An incredible light show - with 300,000 lights! - that takes periodic breaks for an animated show to appear on the attraction's white visage, acting as a giant screen.
Awesome opportunities to shop. Whether you're a Disney fan or not, you won't be able to help getting sucked in to strolling through the stores and dropping more cash than you thought you would, 'cause everything is just so darned cute (or cool!) Clothes and plush toys are always winners, but to really extend the spirit of the season, try nabbing some of their awesome holiday decorations so you can bring some of the parks home with you.
Okay, yes - the decorations! Really, they're both stunning and gorgeous. Each land in Disneyland is decorated to match its theme - lights and beads in New Orleans Square, whimsical wreaths in Fantasyland - as is Disney's California Adventure.
And then there's that giant Christmas tree at the head of Disneyland's Main Street, providing great photo ops and inspiration for your own tree at home. Holiday treats and decorations are happening at both parks until early January, so make sure you drop by for a peek before they disappear in the new year!