This past weekend, Allyn and I had a really fun and festive time celebrating the holiday season! On Friday night we went to a fantastic production of A Christmas Carol. I was blown away by the quality of everything — the acting, singing, set design, special effects, costumes — it was superb! I nearly cried at the end when Tiny Tim said, “God bless us, every one!”

On Saturday we had a picnic lunch overlooking the city of Oakland and the San Francisco Bay, which was beautiful even despite the fog.

Then we went to the famous carousel at Tilden Park, which was decorated for the holidays. One thing I love about my sweetheart is that he’s up for anything, even a mid-afternoon carousel ride alongside a bunch of toddlers and little children.

On Saturday night we celebrated my dear friend Dana’s birthday, which was so much fun. Allyn and I headed out early for the party, and on our way we stopped at Christmas Tree Lane in Alameda. Neither of us had been there before, but I heard many great things about it when I did some poking around online for “holiday things to do in the Bay Area.”

We went hoping for lots of Christmas lights… and let’s just say, we were not disappointed!

I loved seeing all the different themes of the houses and the characters they featured… Snoopy, Sesame Street, Disney, The Night Before Christmas… one house even had Christmas karaoke going! There was a man dressed as Santa Claus for the kids to take pictures with, and at one point a parade of people dressed as Christmas trees danced down the middle of the street!

Allyn and I bought hot chocolate from some adorable girls selling homemade treats in front of one of the houses, and we sipped it as we strolled along the street admiring all the lights. It was absolutely lovely. I definitely want to go back next year!

Hope you are having a delightful Christmas Eve, my dear friends! I am sending light and love to every one of you ❤

Questions of the morning:

• Are there any amazing light displays in your neck of the woods?
• What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?