Although it doesn’t snow here in Carlsbad, this winter can still be full of holiday cheer and fun activities to do with friends and family. From different holiday traditions to classic movies to outings with friends, the Carlsbad community has lots to offer this holiday season.

Holiday Traditions

Throughout the chilly months of November, December, and January, many important holidays occur. These include Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, all with unique backgrounds of their own.

Diwali is a five-day Hindu festival of lights where everyone sets up candles and lights in honor of Lord Ganesha for welfare and prosperity and Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and wisdom.

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish celebration to remember the revival of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, by lighting a menorah and putting out one candle each day.

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus, who is believed to be the son of God, worshiped by the Christians, and is celebrated by families and friends coming together to exchange food and gifts and enjoy decorations.

Kwanzaa, from African culture, is a time to share a feast in honor of every family’s ancestors and the mark of the first fruits of the harvest.

The holiday season is a season known for pounds and pounds of delicious sweets and desserts. This season many people who celebrated Hanukkah made Matzah. This is a flatbread made with egg, black pepper, and salt.

Another holiday favorite that is known from many Christmas folk tales, is eggnog. Eggnog is a sweetened milk beverage that is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites, and egg yolks.

For something impressive, whip up some mango pound cake for dessert. It is so simple and quick to make and all that’s needed is a pound of sugar, flour, butter, and eggs.

For a healthier option, try apple-cardamom cakes with apple cider icing. It has little to no fat in it and the main ingredient, applesauce, gives them a moist, delicious flavor.

Community Activities

Carlsbad and the areas around it are full of lively activities during the holiday season. In San Diego, on select nights in December from 5 to 8:30 pm, the Botanic Gardens have a delightful tour called the Botanic Wonderland Holiday Nights in the Garden. Many activities include walking around the garden on foot or enjoying a horse-led wagon ride to observe dazzling lights and music sung by carolers.

At Legoland, kids and adults can enjoy fun-filled activities all throughout the winter months. There is a lego character meet and greets, a 30-foot tall Lego Christmas tree, live music, and new, unique holiday items in the gift shop.

Seaworld also has some similar activities including a live Christmas tree, new holiday animal shows, a music-activated tunnel of lights, and lots of seasonal foods and treats.

Ice Town in Carlsbad is open Monday through Sunday from 9 A.M to 9 P.M for some good old-fashioned ice skating.

Holiday Movies

The Grinch is a classic, family-friendly, holiday movie that is both an animated and a live-action film. It’s about a green grump that wants to steal Christmas because of his cold heart but is warmed by the love of a small girl. This is a classic movie that is both animated and a live-action film. This is a very family-friendly and funny movie. It can be found on Disney plus for the new animated version and the live-action can be found on prime video.

The next movie that we suggest is Olaf Presents. It’s a new movie that just came to Disney Plus. It’s about Olaf from Frozen and him explaining classic Disney movies featuring Disney characters such as Moana, Rapunzel, Aladin, and the Lion King.

Elf is a classic movie that we suggest because of its comedy. Elf is a movie about a man that was raised in Santa’s workshop when he finds his biological dad and moves out to be with him. This is a classic hysterical movie with the star Will Ferrell. This movie is a good laugh.
Home Alone is another classic Christmas movie about Kevin, a young boy who has been forgotten on a holiday trip. This movie is a fan favorite comedy that many watch during the holidays.