Hellobee

San Diego county is huge and encompasses a wide range of towns, cities, and environments. If we go west we’re at the beach, if we go east we’re in the desert or the mountains. If we go north there’s wine and beer country and if we go south, there’s another country! With that in mind, when the holidays roll around there is so much to do and see that the difficult part is choosing where to go and what to do. Here are some holiday events that we plan on attending this year in San Diego.

San Diego Zoo’s Jungle Bells: This will be our first year attending Jungle Bells at the SD Zoo. We’re excited to hear the musical performances and the dancing lights displays in various parts of the zoo! We hope to ride the Skyfari Aerial Tram at night so that we can see all the lights and decorations from above the zoo.

Balboa Park’s December Nights: My partner and I have been volunteering at and attending December Nights since 2006. This is one of San Diego’s biggest and most attended holiday events. During the first Friday and Saturday of December, there is food, entertainment, and vendors all throughout the park. The International Cottages open their doors and serve cuisines native to their countries. At night there is complimentary admission to all of the museums throughout the park. We especially love going to the Model Railroad Museum and the Fleet Science Center with the kids.

Taken in the Spreckles Organ Pavilion during StarCakes’ first time at December Nights.

Mother Goose Parade: Every year I plan on bringing the kids out for this community parade in El Cajon and every year I miss it. I want them to be able to see the floats up close and cheer on the marching bands. (Former color guard/band nerd here!) Hopefully, we’ll be able to attend next year, as this annual event is always held the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Maytinis: My partner’s family is from Kawit, Cavite in the Philippines which is known for its Maytinis holiday tradition. During Maytinis people reenact Mary and Joseph’s journey to find a place to stay in Bethlehem. This event usually occurs on Christmas Eve, however here in San Diego the play happens as part of a larger holiday gathering that occurs mid-December. During this gathering, there is an abundance of Filipino food, gifts for all the kids from Santa Claus, raffles, and musical performances. Most of our family attend and participate in this annual celebration and it’s great that our kids get to see a part of their Filipino culture celebrated here in the US.

San Diego Bay Parade of Lights: In this parade, boats travel around San Diego Bay lavishly decorated with lights and holiday decorations and some boats even play holiday music. Santa Claus also makes an appearance towards the end of the parade. We attended this parade a couple times before StarCakes was born and then when he was nine months old. It does get colder at night around the bay so it’s a great event for gathering with family and relaxing on chairs with blankets, hot drinks and warm treats.

Christmas Light Displays: This is one of the events that I look forward to every holiday season. It reminds me of my own childhood when we would drive around other neighborhoods to see the houses decorated with lights and the wonder and awe of lights twinkling in freshly fallen snow. While our part of San Diego doesn’t get snow, I was still ecstatic when I heard that Christmas Card Lane was only a neighborhood away from us. For the past 4 years, we have gone to Christmas Card Lane with the kids and they absolutely LOVE it. There is so much to see and some houses open their garages, put out chairs, light fire pits and sell hot cocoa, popcorn and cookies.

One of the many displays we saw on Christmas Card Lane.

These are just some of the events happening throughout San Diego this holiday season. What events in your town do you plan on bringing your kids to this December?