Holiday Time At Disneyland 2014

It is time to get into the Holiday spirit! But before you get crazy with finding the perfect gift and the crowded malls and tangled lights; take some time to enjoy the season. I personally love to go to Disneyland (if you couldn't have guessed it) to put a smile on my face and want to spread some cheer! Unfortunately I couldn't spend a whole day in the park but I am positive that I will be back before Christmas day. For now, I hope you enjoy all the things that my mom and I did in the park (we had a mini mother-daughter date)!

As we entered the park I was actually rather surprised. There, on the platform of the Main Street Train Station, was a huge stage set up. It was beautifully decorated for christmas with white and green. When asked, we discovered that it was set up for the Candlelight Processional. The security guard that was standing by the stage saw me taking pictures and insisted on taking a picture of me and my mom in front of the stained glass window. He was so sweet! I think he did a really good job and it is an adorable picture if I do say so myself.

Strolling down Main Street there were so many decorations to look at. Of course you can't miss the huge decorated tree but there were also wreaths, bows, and garland everywhere! Every window was decorated and every store front had a little something special to take in. Even the horses wore sleigh bells and had red and green ribbons in their manes all tied with a pretty poinsettia flower. There really is a lot to take in this time of year!

As we reach the castle we saw that the Hub (the circle with the statue of Mickey and Walt) was covered in poinsettias as well! It was so pretty I just had to take a picture to show you all how magical it is. The castle this time of year really is my favorite and I probably spent most of my alloted time taking pictures of it. Besides the obvious snow on the roof and garland filled with ornaments, icicles are hung on every ledge and it is just beautiful. I actually kind of lucked out with the weather too! It was a nice 68 and the sky was partly cloudy which led to (well what I think) better pictures. I think that the weather really brought out the winter in them!

We slowly made our way to It's A Small World. It was definitely a priority to make it to this ride for us because it takes on one of the larger transformations during this time of year. The park was unusually crowded when we went so we were hoping that the line wouldn't be too long. I think it was crowded cause it had been raining the prior three days.

I love going on this ride because the inside is so adorable for the holidays and every year there is always something different inside! Even the outside is covered in colored light. You don't see them lit during the day but you can see the strands around all the tree animals. I think that it still adds to the festiveness even if it's not dark enough for them to be on. Here's a little fun fact: did you know that It's A Small World is one of the longest rides at Disneyland? It is about a 15 minute ride

Anyway, I think my favorite part of Small World is the scene in the very beginning that shows the North Pole. If you listen carefully you can hear Santa checking his list!

After Small World we hopped on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because my mom hasn't seen the new changes yet. We then headed to the Holly Jolly Bakery for some lunch. It took a while to get through the line but the food is amazing and totally worth it! Plus for all my fellow gluten free peeps, the tomato basil soup is gluten free and very delicious. We decided to split the Jolly Holiday Combo (shown below) so we could each get a dessert.

Now here is the really exciting news: they now make Macaroons. REPEAT: THEY HAVE MACAROONS!! Oh my Disney are they good! They are about five dollars but they are gigantic so it is totally worth the price. I got the salted caramel one but they also have a raspberry one with whole raspberries in the middle layer. I think they might switch out the flavors cause I saw a picture of a passionfruit one as well.

After lunch we only had about an hour or so left before we had to leave. We wanted to go on the Jingle Cruise for some fun, light-hearted christmas jokes but the wait was about fifty minutes. I hate to say it but we did not think it was worth the wait. Besides we had been on it last year and decided to skip it. But for your viewing pleasure I took a few pictures of the outside. If you would like a more in-depth look at the Jingle Cruise (or anything else in BOTH parks) take a look at my Hub from last year: Holiday Magic At Disneyland!

With such little time left we decided to head over to California Adventure and do a little bit of shopping and to see the decorations on Buena Vista Street! On our way out of the park we ran into a familiar face in front of the Fire Station. We saw Pluto dressed for the season with a snowflake on his collar and a doggie santa hat! He was so adorable, I just wanted to give him a hug.

As we entered the gates of California Adventure we noticed all the pretty decorations that were above us. I love how the red bows match the letters that spell out Disney California Adventure. The decorations between the two parks are definitely different stylistically. Disneyland has a very traditional feel while Cali Adventure is more 1920s (probably to match Buena Vista Street).

We wanted to look in the Five and Dime shop that is right there on the left when you enter. My mom was in search of a pair of ears that she spotted someone wearing. She never found her ears but I ended up buying myself a new pair of ears. There are some really cute ears for the holiday season.

I decided to get the silver ones because I think that they are so pretty (and can be worn all year)! If you are interested in getting a pair of your own, check out these really cute green and red ones on Amazon!

While we were in this particular store I wanted to check out the new Alex and Ani collection of bangles that Disney now has. I have been stalking them online for a few months and was determined to get one while I was there. I actually got a Christmas present early because my mom bought one for me and I bought myself one! I am so excited to start my collection. I bought an Elsa and Anna bangle and I was gifted the Mickey's Fun Wheel bangle! If you haven't seen these before check them out. They are so cute and are made in the USA. I can't wait to get a few more!

As we exited the store we noticed that there was a giant Christmas tree outside on the way to Hollywood Studios! It was so pretty and the sun was now fully out which made the ornaments sparkle. Who doesn't love a good Christmas tree?

On our way out of California Adventure we admired all the cute decorations that covered Buena Vista.

We also stumbled upon something that I had no idea happened during the holiday season. There are hand bell carolers that sing traditional Christmas carols and do small little choreographed dances. Talk about multi-talented! It was so cute and they sounded really good. I was very impressed. There were probably about ten or so carolers in the group, which I thought was pretty big. This is a definite must if you are planning on going to California Adventure before Christmas!

There was one more spot on our agenda before we left the park for good. My mom had never seen the Olaf ice skating rink so we went to go check it out.

I was really hoping that there were ice skaters to watch but unfortunately it was too hot and the rink was partially melted. It still was really cute to look at and there are a bunch of little shops around the rink to buy things at; including a Ghiradeli stand! Did I mention that there is a beautiful Christmas tree in the middle of the rink that you get to skate around? I will have to come back and strap on a pair of skates before the 25th!

Well I hope you enjoyed my half day as much as I did! Even though it was a short visit, being in the parks really put me in the Christmas spirit. I know that I will be back at least once more before Christmas and I can't wait!