disneyland at christmas

(I know it is mid-January and everyone is ready to move on... but here is one last Christmas post ;-)) 

People who know us know we love Disneyland. One question we get asked all the time is, "When is your favorite time to visit the Happiest Place on Earth?" Without hesitation, our answer is, "Christmastime!!" which generally runs from mid-November through early January. We have been at least five or six times during the Christmas season over the last couple of decades and it just keeps getting better and better. 

So what exactly is so great about Christmastime at Disneyland? Let me count the ways!

1.  Even though Disneyland is located in sunny Southern California, it looks festive and wintery. Walking down Main Street is like stepping back in time into a small midwestern town at the height of the Christmas season. Colorful garland hangs overhead and wreaths are on nearly every door. More than one and a half miles of ribbon are used to make over 800 bows that adorn Main Street. And more than 10,000 lights "deck the halls" making Main Street sparkle. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is transformed into a winter wonderland with thousands of ornaments and, of course, snow. It even "snows" on Main Street and in the hub during parades and the fireworks!

2.  Scrumptious candy canes are made by hand at the Candy Palace on Main Street. But you need to get there as soon as the park opens to get in the "candy cane line" before they run out to receive a wristband with the batch number (they make three batches every day most days of the week) and time you can return to purchase ($12.99) and pick up your candy cane (one candy cane per wristband). Candy cane-making has been a tradition at Disneyland for over 35 years. It takes three candy-makers to make each batch - one to roll the batch, one to pull the canes (takes about an hour to pull the 15-pound block of candy over a hook on the wall) and one to shape the canes (approximately 40 per batch). They work in a heat-sealed kitchen (90-100 degrees) so all three candy-makers are present for every step of the two hours it takes to make each batch. Once the sweet confections are done, they are hand-wrapped in plastic and then bubble-wrapped to ensure a safe trip home. Is it worth the price? ABSOLUTELY! These giant (five ounces!), handmade, fresh candy canes are the best we've ever tasted!

3.  Big Huge Ginormous hand-crafted, edible gingerbread houses are on display.  The Haunted Mansion has sported one of these impressive gingerbread houses for years. It sits on the dining room table in the parlor and is exquisite in its design. We love the gingerbread aroma that greets us as we pass by. While Walt Disney World in Florida has displayed huge gingerbread houses in some of their resort hotels, 2014 was the first time for Disneyland to do so. Sitting inside the lobby of the Gand Californian Hotel is a seven and a half-foot tall, twelve-foot wide, elaborately decorated gingerbread house. Twenty-five bakers, artists, engineers and electricians (the same team does the one in the Haunted Mansion) transformed 500 pounds of gingerbread and 60 gallons of frosting and icing (there is a difference!) into the magnificent structure you see below. And they concealed seven "Hidden Mickeys" in it! 

4.  Christmas music is played throughout the park, both via speakers and real musicians, ALL THE TIME! The normal Disney music from movies is replaced with Christmas music (including Christmas carols!). You can listen to the very talented Dapper Dans (think barber shop quartet) as they stroll around Main Street singing their version of some popular Christmas tunes, enjoy the Royal Street Bachelors in New Orleans Square as they put a jazz spin on their renditions, or sing along to traditional favorites during the parade to list just a few. 

5.  Some rides get "Christmas make-overs!" Several rides are shut down for a few days prior to the holiday season as they undergo significant make-overs transforming them into Christmas-themed attractions. The Haunted Mansion actually gets its make-over in September in time for the Halloween celebration since its decor premise is based on the movie Nightmare Before Christmas where two holidays, Halloween and Christmas, collide. It's A Small World is magically transformed inside and out with more than 300,000 twinkling exterior lights and about half that many on the inside. Special set pieces are added, including a 14-foot snowman made of crystal snowflakes, the "title song" (you know the one I mean!) is changed and real bubbles float down. It is one of my favorite rides at Christmastime - but not during the rest of the year!

The Jungle Cruise, or JINGLE Cruise as it is called during the holidays, got its first makeover in 2013 with mixed reviews. Disneyland added to it in 2014, again with mixed reviews. The premise of the ride is that the skippers are homesick for the holidays and "decorated" the boathouse and queue area but some of the decorations got lost in transport. The skippers have a whole new set of jokes with some skippers being funnier than others. We loved Jingle Cruise and look forward to riding it again and again.

6.  There are special "treats" only available during the holiday time. Some of our favorites are the gingerbread beignets, gingerbread Mickey cookies and the holiday tamale plate (not sweet, but oh-so-delicious!). We still want to try a December Yule Log (a log of chocolate sponge cake rolled with coffee butter cream, covered in thick chocolate ganache, and sprinkled with chocolate crunch candies!) and the Peppermint Stick ice cream in a crushed candy cane waffle cone... maybe this year!

7.  The 60-foot Christmas tree at Main Street, U.S.A. is not to be missed! Disneyland showed off its first Christmas tree in December, 1955 (the year it opened) and has sported a live tree every year until 2008 when an artificial tree was made. The tree is assembled and decorated (using a crane) in one night between park closing one day and park opening the next. About 2000 custom-made ornaments and 70,000 LED lights adorn its branches making it a sight to behold! The star on the top is 42-inches tall but looks rather small when viewed from the ground! 

8.  The Candlelight Processional is the most beautiful Christmas presentation we've ever seen. Choirs, bands, orchestras, guitar players, handbell groups and solo vocalists from all over audition for this music extravaganza. The mixed-choir walks down Main Street carrying lit candles as they sing a cappella Christmas carols to their destination in front of the train station where the orchestra is already assembled. The biblical Christmas story is narrated by a celebrity with Christmas carols interspersed to illustrate the story. In 2014, Beau Bridges was the narrator. This event is not widely advertised and the only reserved seating is by invitation only. But somehow word has gotten out and thousands of Disneyland guests crowd into Main Street to catch a glimpse of this magnificent performance. Some people claim a nearby park bench and stay there ALL DAY to have a place to sit. We were able to find reasonably good viewing the first  night (of the two nights it's there) just walking in about a half hour before it started. The second night we waited in a sea of people for over an hour before it started with so-so viewing. No matter what it takes, this is, in my opinion, a MUST SEE! And kudos to Disney for presenting the real Christmas story without apology. 

There is always something new to see and I am already anticipating my next Christmastime Disneyland trip!