Christmas at Disneyland – What to see and where to stay

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Disneyland is full of magic all year long but being in Disneyland at Christmas makes it truly feel like the most wonderful time of the year!

Radiator Springs at Christmas, Disneyland

I recently went on an amazingly fun girls retreat at Disneyland to try out some of the delicious Festival of Holidays foods, and check out some of Disney’s incredible Holiday decorations!

Christmas Mater, Disney's California Adventure

I loved seeing Cars Land at California Adventure the most – it was so fun seeing Mater and the gang all decked out for Christmas!

Cars Land at Christmas

This was actually my first time ever at California Adventure – I grew up in Southern California, but it wasn’t open until we moved to Colorado, and every time I went back as an adult, we opted for the nostalgic choice.

It was SO much fun to explore California Adventure with friends who go often – and with all the amazing holiday decorations!!

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Back at Disneyland, we LOVED taking a Christmas-themed cruise on it’s a small world!

It was so fun watching the Christmas themed decorations as we floated through – I sort of wish the ride was always decorated for the holidays!!

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its a small world at christmas
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We also took in some of Disney’s fabulous night time shows – both at Disneyland AND California Adventure!

The new Paint the Night Electric Parade is STUNNING. First up was the Paint the Night Parade at Disneyland.

It centers around a very Frozen inspired castle all decked out for the holidays:

Disneyland Castle at Christmas

And involves all of our favorite characters (and so many iconic songs, made new for the parade!) on bright, glowing floats that parade down main street.

Peter Pan, Paint the Night Parade

It was such a fun new program – I hadn’t been to an Electrical Parade since I was a kid, and I really loved seeing the new one!

I’m hoping to bring my kids soon so they can experience the fun of the night-time parades.

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We stayed at the Grand Legacy at the Park – it was the perfect location right across the street from the park and the perfect place to be right in the action!

Photo credit: Number 2 Pencil
Photo credit: Number 2 Pencil

The hotel was the perfect place to take in all the action at Disney – it is right across the street from the main Disney entrance – close enough to drop things off or take a break at the hotel and then head back over for more fun.

You can also see the fireworks show perfectly from their rooftop bar!

Photo credit : Number 2 Pencil
Photo credit : Number 2 Pencil

We got the Meri King Suite, which was perfect for a big group – there are two bedrooms with queen beds, as well as a main room with a sleeper sofa – as well as two full bathrooms.

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Disney was the perfect place to host a retreat with other bloggers – we had so much fun tasting all of the delicious Disney Food, and laughing as we screamed on rides!!

Disney Christmas Treats

It was such a fun weekend, I think we need to make it an annual Holiday retreat!!!

Christmas at Disneyland
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About Courtney

Courtney loves to share great wine, good food, and loves to explore far flung places- all while masting an everyday elegant and easy style at lifestyle blog Sweet C’s Designs. Sweet C's devoted to finding the best food and drinks you'll want to make or find, around the world!

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