Ho, Ho, Ho: Opening Day at Santa's Village

The Lake Arrowhead-close attraction skates into the holiday season with festive sights, eats, and to-dos, too.

ORNAMENTS AND BAUBLES... and nutcrackers and shiny ribbons and strings of lights and stockings and bows may be taking up a sizable chunk of our stores as early November gets going, but the thing to do is to ask yourself this: Can all of the ho, ho, ho-ing truly obtain lift-off before Santa's Village officially opens for the season? This isn't a controversial topic in the least, for consider this: Generations of Southern California kids knew the yuletide was getting closer when they saw Mr. and Mrs. Claus up at the Lake Arrowhead-close clutch of buildings. And once that happened? The festive season was off and running. That spirit is ready to start up again, with mountain-high charm and sweater-cozy cool, on Thursday, Nov. 9, which is...

OPENING DAY: Here's the first thing to know, though: Opening Day at Santa's Village sold out in a jiffy, which isn't really too surprising, since the vintage attraction did humming business in 2016, its big reopening year after remaining shuttered for almost two decades. But there are many more days to come throughout the 2017 holiday season, beyond opening day, so take happy heart. Know, though, that choosing what day you'll say hello to Kris Kringle ahead of time is probably a smart plan, reservation-wise, especially as the 25th of December draws close and the village sees a caboodle of bundled-up visitors. Will you also see some of the characters of the Northwoods, like Arrow, the Claus family dog, and other picture-ready denizens of the area? Ho, ho, ho, which is "yes" in Santa-speak. There's also a Breakfast with Santa, too — that's $30 per person — and Tea with Mrs. Claus, which is $15 a ticket.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, magic shows, and the chance to mail a missive to the North Pole are all part of the enchantment. Enchantment that is adjacent to an ice rink, the Polar Express Train Ride, Frostbite Tunnel, Santa's Workshop, and several other activity-themed, stretch-a-leg stops. Tickets, info, and more ho, ho, ho? Ho, ho, here.

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