Disneyland Resort makes a very big spectacle of the Christmas season which begins each year in early November. The holiday decorations transform Disneyland, California Adventure, Downtown Disney and even the three Disney Hotels into a winter wonderland full of beautiful sparkling lights, holly and ivy and more.
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In addition to the beautiful lights and decorations in each land there is an incredibly large Christmas tree in the center of Town Square. California Adventure keeps their enormous tree by the lagoon. Here you can take a picture with the lights of Paradise Pier behind the tree. Of the hotels; the most magnificent tree can be found at the Grand Californian Hotel towering up the lofted ceiling. This tree is softly decorated and completely stunning. Decorations are not the only thing the Disneyland Resort does well for the Christmas season.
To participate in the lighting of Disneyland's Christmas tree and the lights on Main Street, be in Town Square by 4:40pm for the 4:45 lighting. Verify the time in your times guide also if this is something you are interested in doing.
Something you may notice immediately upon entering Disneyland will be the music. Gone is the standard music you hear while walking around the Resort. For the Holidays Disney has Carolers that stroll Main Street. They sound absolutely wonderful and look like they are enjoying what they do… making them a pleasure to watch and listen to for a few moments or longer.
Two major attractions are given holiday overlays. The Haunted Mansion becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday; combining the Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare before Christmas. Jack Skellington, as Sandy Claws, tries to provide everyone with a Merry Christmas. Even if you have not seen the movie this is a fantastic ride and thoroughly enjoyable.
"It's a small world" is the other ride that is changed and it becomes Small World Holiday. With bright outdoor lights and Christmas music replacing the standard soundtrack this holiday version is definitely something to see. The interior is changed to a Christmas wonderland.
It is important to note that for both the Holiday overlays Disneyland doesn't remove items from the attractions… it adds them. In the case of Haunted Mansion a few things are changed to match the story but the ride itself remains the same with many additions.
These two attractions should definitely be on your must do list for a trip during the holiday season. In fact, the Haunted Mansion Holiday will be open at the beginning of October and runs through December; including Halloween into the time for this attraction. This makes complete sense since Jack Skellington is from Halloweentown!
Disneyland's Christmas Parade is also a must see. This is a nice parade showcasing many familiar characters. As usual you will see Mickey and Minnie and they will be dressed up and skating during this parade. There are skating snowflakes, dancing gingerbread men and more. Goofy and Max have a gingerbread house. You will see the wicked stepsisters Anastasia and Druzilla and the wicked stepmother Lady Tremaine walking the parade route. These characters are wonderful during the parade.
Of course, you will also see the Princesses. Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Jasmine are all in the parade. And as with any Christmas parade, Santa will follow the reindeer and Disneyland's parade is no exception to this standard way of showcasing the great big man in red. When this parade is done right there is a lot of space between the floats so that you hear the individual music from each float. If there is not enough space you will hear the same music for the whole parade.
Santa's Reindeer Roundup was a huge hit last year and once again it will be held in Big Thunder Ranch which is located on the walkway between Fantasyland and Frontierland behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This special holiday attraction is wonderful for children and adults alike. Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus or just enjoy the ambiance. Reindeer are there for you to look at but no touching is allowed (they must keep those reindeer healthy for their long journey on December 24th after all). Here you will also find a craft table where small crafts can be done, an area with live entertainment perfect for both children and adults. Feel like decorating a Christmas cookie? Well Santa's Reindeer Roundup is the place to be then!
If you enjoy cookies and candy that can only be found in the holiday season, don't fret as you will find them on Main Street where they make gingerbread men and candy canes as well as candy cane fudge. The gingerbread men can be found at the Blue Ribbon Bakery and the candy canes and candy cane fudge can be found at the Candy Palace.
One very special treat you will see at Disneyland this time of year is snow. Yes… snow is what I said! After the evenings fireworks snow will fall in the Small World Mall, on Main Street and in New Orleans Square. If you are not in one of those areas when White Christmas plays then skedaddle on over to enjoy snow Disneyland style for a few minutes. Even if you come from a snowy destination this is something to see.
If you are looking for the perfect picture spot during this season head over to New Orleans Square. Look for the spiral staircase among the shops here. This area is called the Courtyard of Angels and makes a beautiful backdrop for holiday photographs. The staircase is decorated with lights and poinsettias for the Christmas season and is worth seeing even if you don't want a family picture there.
In Disney's California Adventure be sure to go into A Bug's Land. Here you will find oversized Christmas bulbs and more. Remember that in A Bug's Land everything is as large to you as normal sized items are to a bug!
The characters each have a holiday outfit or two that you must see them wearing. Mickey and Minnie have neat sweater outfits for the holidays. They also have fancy attire that you will see at various times. Look for Goofy dressed as Santa in ToonTown. This is a fanciful time of year and the characters definitely seem livelier in the lighter temperatures of winter. In California Adventure don't be surprised when you see Santa dressed in surfer type attire.
Enjoy this wonderful time at the Disneyland Resort. Here they do the holiday season well… adding magic to an already magical place.