All my favorite places to see the Christmas lights in the Bay Area.

The ones that really impress me will have some sense of aesthetics, DIY factor, effort put in, originality and theme.
One of my favorite festivals of all time is Christmas. Well I surrender to commercialization for this festival for sure! Commercialization must have worked hard to build the magic and charm into this festival with all the Santa, reindeer, snowman, snow, gifts, and the one thing that excites me the most the lights and decorations during Christmas.
There are tons of recommended places on news and magazine websites, youtube, things-to-do sites and blogs to go see the lights during the month of December. Me and my hubs actually have gone ahead and checked them all out, over the last 5 years.
So I have curated my own list of the ones I feel are really worth it. Coming from a design background heavily influences the parameters that I base my favs on. The ones that really impress me will have some sense of aesthetics, DIY factor, effort put in, originality and theme. Best time to see any of this is 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
#1 Alameda - my favorite
Address: 3200 Thompson Ave, Alameda, CA (between High & Fernside)
Light display tradition since: 1938
Open to view: 1 Dec - 31 Dec
If I had to do only one this would be it! Love, love, love it. Its been a tradition of this neighborhood to put up noteworthy light display since 1938! Decades later the street is now known as Christmas Tree Lane and draws people from all over the Bay Area with its extravagant light displays. Each home is unique and a lot of them have DIY motorized moving display. One home has gone all out and has a music-&-light show every 15 mins. The Christmas spirit comes to life on this lively, lit up block in Alameda that has the whole package: beautiful lights, friendly neighbors, people strolling galore and loads of holiday spirit.
#2 Fremont

Address: 40 Espada Ct, Fremont
Light display tradition since: 2000
Open to view: 1 Dec - 31 Dec
Proud of this one as it's in the town I reside in, Fremont. A pretty cul de sac of vintage Victorian style homes. To top it the homeowners have Victorian figurines and light display obviously mixed with some modern gadgets. One home has a led display screen covering a window on the inside, which has a loop video of Santa writing letters, walking in and out of the room or waving to the people near the home. Kids love it they think it's really Santa and his home. There are a number of well decorated homes in the immediate Victorian home vicinity (Zacate Place). You can park your car and walk the neighborhood, taking in the sights and sounds up close and personal.
#3 - San Ramon

Address: Woodland Dr, San Ramon, CA 94583
Light display tradition since: 1987
Open to view: 8 Dec - 31 Dec
The Woodland Terrace neighborhood in San Ramon goes above and beyond when it comes to the elaborate creativity of their Christmas light displays. 161 homes or 15 streets of the Vista San Ramon neighborhood participate each year. Some homes have synchronized light shows to a radio frequency you can tune in, others have giant figures and unique displays. This is a true community effort with luminaries along the sidewalks and many barrels along the road to drop off canned food for the Contra Costa County Food Bank. You can drive down the 15 streets but it's more fun to park your car and see everything up close, which will take about 2 hours for a leisurely stroll.
#4 Last but not the least : San Francisco
This is what we had done in 2012; my first Christmas in USA...we had to split it over 3-5 days.
Day 1
San Francisco zoo

Address: Sloat Blvd & Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94132
Display tradition since: 2012
Open to view: 17 Nov - 1 Jan
Start by Reindeer Romp at San Francisco Zoo. Every year San Francisco Zoo gives you a chance to visit real live reindeer during the holiday season. They’re more magical than you might think. The zoo does other holiday events as well such as sprinkling the polar bears with snow, hosting Santa and presenting a song and dance holiday show.
Day 2
Financial district
Numerous hotels in San Francisco try to outdo each other each year with amazing displays. Large Christmas trees, falling snow and light decorations can all be found inside hotel lobbies. The upscale Cow Hollow shopping district becomes a Fantasy of Lights, with lights on its Victorians and trees and parking meters turned into candy canes. The San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program  has barrels on the street to collect toys for disadvantaged kids on Union Street between Van Ness and Steiner.
You will have to organize it according to the map and you can cover all on foot. Just travel light and pull on your winter coat and mittens. We did it in 1-2 hrs of walking around financial district, added bonus a very intense step-score.
a) 17-story lobby of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco
b) Rotating sugar castle in the Westin St. Francis
c) The most well known tree to visit for the holidays, the huge Christmas tree at Union Square (Macy)
d) 22 feet tall gingerbread house in The Fairmont San Francisco
e) Boat parade at Pier 39 http://www.visitfishermanswharf.com/events/lighted-boat-parade-je2nh
f) Christmas tree at Ghirardelli Square http://sf.funcheap.com/ghirardelli-square-tree-lighting-ceremony/
Day 3
Nutcracker
Address: 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Bay Area tradition since: 1944
Open to view: 1 Dec - 31 Dec
Know more: www.sfballet.org/discover/explore-nutcracker
Head to San Francisco War Memorial Opera House San Francisco, CA to watch the most famous holiday ballet, Nutcracker. People see it performed at Christmas time all throughout the nation. Did you know, Nutcracker's first ever performance in the United States was right here in SF in 1944! Additionally, there are often performances with fun twists on them such as the dance-a-long Nutcracker night!
San Francisco’s City Hall

Make sure to stop into San Francisco’s City Hall to see an amazing tree adorned with thousands of Japanese origami cranes. Enter City Hall to find a pillar of peace, love, and humanity: The World Tree of Hope. It has thousands of origami paper cranes bearing wishes from around the world, from the likes of President Obama and Jane Goodall to anonymous school kids. If you fold 1,000 cranes, Japanese legend says, you're granted a wish.
Civic Center Plaza

And one more stop to see the Christmas tree in the Civic Center Plaza.
Day 4
Great Dickens Christmas Fair
Address: Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City
Bay Area tradition since: 1970
Open to view: 17 Nov - 23 Dec
Know more: http://dickensfair.com/
It's a twilight experience. The Charles Dickens' London Town comes to life in the 21st century. It's a little city scene of winding lanes filled with colorful characters from both literature and history. Aromas of rich robust foods fill the air. There are some street vendors as well as shops lit with lamps overflowing with Christmas gifts. Good place to buy unique gifts. If possible deck yourself out in a Dickens-era costume and step into Victorian London where you’ll find shopping, singing, dancing, theater and more.
Day 5
The Tom and Jerry Christmas tree

Address: 3650 21st St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Bay Area tradition since: 1990
Open to view: 10 Dec - 31 Dec
The centerpiece is the decked-out live tree, but this fantastic tableau also includes giant stuffed animals, Tom's and Jerry's stockings and presents. Imagine the 60-foot pine as a standard living-room Christmas tree, and then the gargantuan decorations seem normal size. Model Ferris wheels, trains and other contraptions with moving parts entertain the crowd. Santa appears 6:30 till 9:30
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