The holiday season is upon us, which means twinkling lights, spreading joy, and maybe buying a gift or two. There won’t be a shortage of Santa sightings this month, from parades to tree lightings, the big guy in red will be all over San Diego. As temperatures drop to the 50’s in the evening (burr!), you’ll want to bundle up in a light sweater and sip on some piping hot chocolate or wassail, while you stroll through the holiday cheer our town has planned.
Santa is making appearance at all of the Holiday Parades happening this weekend, starting with the Toyland Parade & Festival on Saturday at 11:00 am. This is the 52nd year for the trendy North Park and Hillcrest neighborhood’s festival, which will wind down around 3:00 pm. Next, you can head over to Ocean Beach for the 36th annual OB Holiday Parade which begins at 5:05pm. This parade will not only feature classic cars and the Point Loma Marching Band, but also the SD Roller Derby Dolls, who will be gliding down street in their outrageous get ups. On Sunday, December 6th, La Jolla will be hosting their Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival, complete with photo ops with Santa and crafts for the little ones. The parade starts at 1:30 pm and all the fun will go on until 5:00 pm.
If brightly lit Christmas trees are your favorite part of the season, then you won’t want to miss the Little Italy Tree Lighting & Christmas Village on Saturday, December 5th. Santa drop by at 4:00 pm saying hello to all the good girls and boys, and to help light the 25 foot tree (that’s actually made up of over 1,000 poinsettias) at 5:30 pm. The festivities will go on until 8:00 pm, which will give you plenty of time to wander through the holiday vendors, sip on hot mulled cider, and sing along with the live music.
Balboa Park will transform into a Winter Wonderland on Friday, December 4th, and Saturday, December 5th, for the park’s 38th year celebrating December Nights. Along will the thousands of brilliant lights winding through the grounds, there will also be delicious food and gorgeous music from all over the world. One of the highlights of December Nights is that many of the museums open their doors free of charge from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. This is something that the whole family will want to see, and the park has designated an interactive area just for children across from the Botanical Building. The merriment begins on Friday at 3pm and on Saturday from 12:00 noon to 11:00 pm.
While you are in the Balboa Park neighborhood in the evening, consider a stop at Eclipse Chocolate, a charming bistro, that also has an impressive menu of hot chocolates. Yes! there’s a whole section on the menu devoted to different combinations and infusions for their specially crafted drinking chocolate. Considering Travel & Leisure magazine awarded them with ‘America’s Best Hot Chocolate’ title, this would also be a great stocking stuffer, as they sell packaged versions of their popular, chocolaty drink. They also sell an assortment of chocolates, caramels and sweets, that would be make lovely hostess gifts or the perfect treat to bring to a holiday party.
December is a magical month in San Diego. Our town is packed will so many holiday activities, there’s no missing out on the festive spirit and constant fun. Why not start the celebrating this weekend by booking a stay at Mission Bay Vacation Rentals? You might even consider spending the month with us at the beach for a truly relaxing holiday season. And, don’t worry, Santa will know where to find you.
