Winter Holidays at Disneyland

It's been a while.  Since my last post, we've taken 2 more trips to Disneyland, one overnight right before Thanksgiving and one day-trip in mid-December.  Our passes expired and it will be nearly 2 more years before we get another.  In 2018, I've got a few major trips to Santa Cruz/Monterey, Legoland California, and a trip to New York City to see Harry Potter on Broadway without the kids.  In the meantime, here's my final report for the year:

In November, we took a 2-day trip to Disneyland to see the holiday decorations.  We stayed at the Homewood Suites across the street from the convention center.  It is literally right next door to the Toy Story lot and it's easy to walk to the lot then take a bus.  Disneyland is within walking distance, but it's a long walk and hard enough on adults, let alone children, after a full day of walking. 

Homewood Suites was a good value.  It was much cheaper than closer hotels with similar suite offerings.  I appreciated the bunk beds with trundle, king sized bed, and kitchen/living room in the family suite.  There was plenty of room for 5 of us and we could have easily fit 1 or 2 more people with us.  Breakfast was free as an added bonus, something you don't see much in the hotels closer to Disneyland.  My only complaint about the hotel was the beds.  They were squeaky and much firmer than I would have preferred.  The pillows on the beds likewise were too soft and provided very little support.  Otherwise, it's a great location.  There's a Denny's one block away, which was perfect for ordering food to go and taking it back to the hotel.

Our November and December trips were very similar, so I'll group all the pictures together.  My favorite holiday highlights were It's a Small World, the parade, and the Mickey garland, which is finally back up on Main Street.  (Word to the wise--if you want to visit for the holidays, consider coming before Christmas.  The days directly after Christmas hit capacity often).