San Jose Christmas in the Park - Opens Nov 24 @ 6 pm

My absolute favorite season of the year is officially upon us! One of the best things to do is Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose. It is a winter wonderland at Plaza de Cesar Chavez decorated with Christmas trees by local groups and all sorts of festive Christmas displays.  It opens Friday, November 24th @ 6 pm. Then open daily until January 1st.

Downtown Ice

The ice skating rink at the Circle of Palms — between the San Jose Museum of Art and the Signia by Hilton hotel — was replaced by a roller skating rink last year, but the ice is back, a tradition dating back to 1994. It is our way for  San Jose residents to pretend we have winter in California. It opens Friday, November 17 @ 5 pm.  The grand opening ceremony is Monday and the ice is open every day through January 15. Hours and tickets — $21 for a 90-minute session including skate rental — more info San Jose Downtown on Ice.

Drive Thru Light Show

Enjoy a fantastic light show programmed to music!  Christmas in the Park is setting up its drive-through light show back at San Jose’s History Park this year. It’s set to run Nov. 29 through Jan. 1.  Managing Director Debbie Degutis says the music-accompanied displays, including Santa’s giant sled, are a perfect fit with the historic buildings at History Park. And they’ve worked out a plan to prevent the traffic nightmares that happened when the ticketed event, which raises most of the money that supports the free Christmas in the Park Display downtown, was last there in 2020. Tickets available Drive Thru Christmas Lights at History Park

Enchant @ Pay Pal Park

And there are more lights to be seen at Enchant Christmas, which returns to PayPal Park for a second year starting Nov. 24 and running through New Year’s Eve. There are some new features, including the light maze, Santa’s Magic Timepiece, and tickets are available at Enchant Christmas

Fantasy of Lights at Vasona Park Los Gatos 25th Anniversary

You can still get into the holiday spirit without leaving the comfort of your well-heated vehicle. Fantasy of Lights, the delightful collection of light sculptures, returns for its 25th year at Vasona Lake County Park. You can catch all the lit-up fun — including dinosaurs, an exploding volcano and a pirate ship — in your car from 6 to 10 p.m. from Dec. 5-30 (but not on Christmas Day) or take it all in during the very popular walk-through event on Dec. 2-3, which is already almost entirely sold out. Go to Fantasy of Lights