Families are in full holiday mode and looking for ways to soak in the season. Whether you’re taking a trip, staying local, or even decking your own halls… we’ve got activities that are guaranteed to put the Merry in Christmas!
ALL ABOARD! THE POLAR EXPRESS
All Aboard! Millions of families are familiar with the 1985 classic children’s book, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg and the feature film, with the same title, starring Tom Hanks released in 2004. Now your family can relive the magic of the classic story as you’re whisked away on The Polar Express Train Ride for an immersive one-hour trip to meet Santa.
Of course, our families had to get into the theme as we wore our matching pajamas from the Hanna Andersson Polar Express Collection for the trip, just as the boy in the book did on his adventure. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, once on board we were greeted by our host with smiles and song! They punched our golden tickets, danced down the aisles with “hot, hot, hot” hot chocolate and served us cookies.
We got to read along with massive books sharing the sweet story as we made our way to the North Pole. The kids were jumping up and down when they realized that Santa actually boarded our train and he went on to give each of us the first gift of Christmas — a keepsake sleigh bell.
We made some wonderful memories on our The Polar Express train adventure! The best part is that regardless of where you live, your family can travel on the train as they have locations across the country. We went to the Perris location at the Southern California Railway Museum. Multiple train rides run each day from now through December 28.
ICE SKATING
There are so many great places to ice skate throughout San Diego which is always a highlight for our beach kids… the Hotel Del Coronado Skating by the Sea brings the best of both together with an ice rink right next to the sea. This year it is benefitting Make-a-Wish San Diego. Plus the decor with their tree and the whole island are stunning at Christmas. We love making a staycation out of it and spending the night in the beautiful hotel. AND just for our Family Entourage followers, the Hotel Del would like to offer this code for 20% off (code good through March 2023. Some restrictions may apply).
After ice skating, make sure to check out the FREE lightshow. The grove of towering Norfolk Island Pines on the Founders Lawn is the scene of a dynamic light show orchestrated to music, a brilliant ethereal experience that captivates guests with a finale of snow flurries. Showcased is the Norfolk Pine originally made famous in 1904 as the world’s first electrically lit outdoor Christmas tree. The complimentary 11-minute show takes place every 30 minutes from 5-9pm nightly. Open to the public (no reservations needed).
SKYPARK SANTA’S VILLAGE
Literally feel transported to Santa’s Village by taking the day trip to Lake Arrowhead where the 15-acre SkyPark is nestled. These North Woods provide loads of family fun from toy making in Santa’s workshop, to archery, biking, face painting, ice skating and both musical, and magic, shows. SkyPark Santa’s Village is such a dreamy and magical spot for the family to usher in the holidays.
The kids loved all the entertainment, games, and the overall atmosphere of feeling like they were in the North Pole. The weather was cold and snow was sticking on the ground which all added to experience. We indulged on cookies and hot chocolates and watched all the characters parade and light the Christmas tree just as it became dark too. Visiting SkyPark Santa’s Village is an annual highlight for the whole family.
LETTERS TO SANTA
Naughty or Nice! It’s a big question this time of year and we love having our kids write letters to Santa — the justification for presents is always so fun to see. Make it an experience and create an awesome spot in your home or backyard. This can be by your Christmas tree or deck out the playhouse, get your own mailbox for the house and of course letter sheets. A fun idea is to wear matching Christmas pajamas or holiday sweaters and while they write their letters, take a picture. These are just as fun to look back on over the years too. We love family matching pajamas from Hanna Andersson. From Gnomes and Deers, Stripes and even your favorite characters, we love Hanna Andersson pajamas because not only can the entire family match, but the quality makes them easy to pass down to siblings and cousins. The premium organic cotton makes them so soft that we just want to wear them all day.
We decked out our playhouse with garland, wreath and Santa Mailbox from Balsam Hill. We love Balsam Hill for wreaths and greenery. Whether you want a wreath for your front door, garland to decorate the mantle or a centerpiece to bring your table to life, they have so many great options. We love that we save money every year and we can use them indoors or outdoors. And we LOVE our tree from Flip Tree from Balsam Hill. It took less than 15 minutes to set up. Watch how easy it was here! We found this adorable Santa Letter template from Happiness is Homemade. Sometimes if they are feeling really creative, I will have them draw pictures of what they want too.
