please share your holdiay traditions in and around sacramento

[CADRMNDANES]

Can you post more info on the Grass Valley Cornish Christmas & Nevada City's Victorian Christmas.
Date, time & location.
Thanks!

[leavingcali]

Originally Posted by CADRMNDANES

We also drive around certain neighborhoods in Orangevale - Dovewood Court,
Granite Bay - Folsom Lake estates - Shelborn, Rocklin - Can't remember name of the neighborhood where everyone decorates (two blocks).

We drive up to Apple Hill to get our xmas tree at Indian Springs xmas tree farm. Beautiful grounds. Great place to take a nice walk/hike around the rolling hills and then come back down to their store to have hot chili, cocoa or hot apple cider and sit around the fire.

That sounds wonderful.

[looking4home]

Info on the two events in the Foothills:

Cornish Christmas - it's every Friday night starting on Nov. 23rd through Dec. 21st from 6-9 pm on Mill St. and W.Main street. That is the old downtown section, which will be closed to auto traffic. but there is plenty of parking all around.

Victorian Christmas starts in Dec. and is held on Wednesday nights from 6-9pm and Sunday afternoons from 1-6pm in downtown Nevada City (Broad st. and surrounding streets) They have a lot going on from hay rides and street musicians to food and roasted chestnuts, and even a living nativity scene.

They both sound like fun, but when I lived there I scofffed at these events and considered them just for tourists, and would avoid them like the plague!

[Guingirl]

Dovewood Court definately! Also there is a whole block of houses with different themed houses in Stanford Ranch behind Bel Air. Generally starts the first week in December. Just follow the cars and limos!

Apple Hill, skating on the rink in Downtown Plaza, driving by the Capitol Christmas Tree, going to see Polar Express at IMAX downtown in 3D. For many years it was skiing on Christmas morning up at Squaw or Alpine Meadows.

Shopping in Nevada City or Placerville the day after Thanksgiving is always fun too. Lots of cute little shops. Also some fun shops in Downtown Folsom.

I will definately miss those as this is our first Christmas in our new home and we are trying to do the same, find new traditions to start .

Happy Holidays!!

[leavingcali]

Hi there,

I just wanted to give all of you a little review of the festival. My hubby, parents, and I went the day after Thanksgiving. We got there early (thank goodness---parking goes very quickly), and walked around a little bit. Grass Valley is such an adorable town! I love the little, historic downtown, and all of the hills. It is really a pretty place. The festival itself was great too! We all thought it was the perfect size, just a few blocks really. So, it was easy to walk the whole thing several times. All of the stores were open too, so we looked around a bit. There were some really cool looking coffee places, a neat music store, an art gallery (it looked cool from the window) and a neat home design store (plus more of course).

The food booths were great! We enjoyed an awesome pulled pork sandwich from Bob or Bill's (something) Chuckwagon, awesome beer battered onion rings and zucchini, and then an incredible funnel cake. We also each had a small smores which I don't recommend--they put a very thick slice of chocolate on it that doesn't even get warm, let alone melty.

There was also lots of carolers, child muscians, chestnuts being roasted on an open fire (which are supposed to be free and handed out to people, although every stop we made there resulted in watching the nuts get roasted, and never being passed around). It was a great little trip that put us all in a festive mood. Next time we go, we think we might get a room there for the night; however, the drive there and back (we live in Sacramento) wasn't bad at all. I suspect though we had it good because we got there early and left early. I give it 2 thumbs up!

[justducky2]

Just saw this post, so too late for this year, but definitely Christmas in Coloma at Marshall State Park, in El Dorado County! Think Christmas, circa 1850! Handbells in the church, nature crafts for kids, wreath making, roasted chestnuts, old-time games for the kids, docents in character and costume!! What a great time!!