Christmastime in Charming Solvang

Written By Emma Probasco

A quaint Danish-style town, Solvang is where California wine cellars and European bakeries and shops mix and mingle. During Christmas time, you’ll find little shops fully dipped in the magic of the season, Christmas trees on every corner and lights illuminating every tree, parks filled with Christmas cheer as Santa comes to visit every weekend for photos and wishes.

A town where cars stop to let you cross the street and people wave and smile hello to strangers. It’s as if Disneyland sprung to life in the modern world and tucked herself away peacefully in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Do the Danes think we’re a bunch of silly Americans with our little Danish town? The town was actually created by immigrants from Denmark, however, the architecture of the town is more for show than authenticity. So, I’m not sure. But, why not immerse yourself in the magic and the charm of California’s own little European town? Leave behind the ordinary everyday experience for a day; transport yourself someplace kinder, softer, and adorably whimsical. After all, it’s only an hour from Ventura, two hours from LA, and admission to be a Flaneuse among the streets of Solvang is free ;) 

 

Christmas in Solvang Itinerary:

🚙 Road trip up the coast on the 101 to arrive in Solvang

Driving up the coast of California is absolutely gorgeous. This particular trip from Ventura to Solvang follows along the coast almost the entire way, making for a beautiful start to an epic adventure. Once you arrive in Solvang, you’ll feel the energy shift as you are transported across the world into small-town Europe.

Make sure you have your appetite ready and grab a bite to eat and a german brew at Industrial Eats. Two bold wood-fired ovens are the focal point of this dining experience, bringing farm-to-table ingredients to life. (Pic 1-3)

If you’re not feeling charcuterie and wood-fired culinary creations:

 

Once you have experienced the exquisite cuisine of Solvang and your nourished body now has sufficient energy, it’s time to go…exploring!

Adventures through the streets of Solvang will have you finding the cutest little shops tucked away on every corner and Christmas trees lining every street. My absolute favorite shop is the Solvang Spice Merchant (pic 7) followed by a glass of wine at A Good Life wine cellar (pic 8).

A trip to Solvang wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Solvang Shoe Store to pose for fun insta photos with the famous giant red clog outside and purchase a pair of wooden clogs. I personally felt like buying wooden clogs with “Holland” written all over them would be too…much. But, I just know there is some Pinterest decor house out there that would totally vibe with them proudly on display.

Some other cute shops to explore:

 

Christmas in Solvang: JuleFest

“Visiting the quaint village of Solvang during Julefest is a walk through a vintage postcard and a Hallmark movie at the same time.”

Take a candlelit walking tour to take in the energy and vibes of the season, attend the official tree lighting ceremony, take photos with Santa, celebrate the season every night at the light show with traditional music, and end the season with a Christmas tree burn to officially release your new year’s intentions to the Universe.

 

Christmas in Solvang: Enchanted Garden Holiday Lights Festival

The Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden hosts the enchanted forest festival in December - a whimsical walk through gardens that have been dusted by fairy lights as fog machines create the feeling of being transported to an enchanted forest in a fairy tale. Before you embark on your journey through the fairylands - take a quick trip around the festival market.

First stop: the S+S hot cocoa truck to make your own hot cocoa blend

Then, proceed on to the marshmallow roasting firepits to get warm by the fire with a tasty treat

Once you’ve warmed up, swing over to say hello to Prancer and Vixen and admire their gorgeous antlers as they prepare for Christmas Eve

Lastly, don’t forget to swing by the North Pole Post. Mark that you’ve been naughty and let Santa know what miracle you want for Christmas - postage guaranteed by Dec 24th!

Now - I am here on the blog to share my adventures and be honest about what I find along the way (like the clogs…girl, don’t buy those). So, I have to be honest about the Enchanted Gardens. I wanted so badly to love it, I really did. The whole town of Solvang has the most generous and kind energy; people stop to let you cross the street, workers stop what they’re doing to let you take photos, everyone smiles and says hello. The festival, on the other hand, was a culture shock compared to the kindness of everyone in the town. Some of the vendors were downright rude, the people attending the festival were cranky and aggressive. It was the energy that you would expect to find on Black Friday at Best Buy in the electronics department. Now that could shift in future years, of course, this could have been an off year or even just an off night.

The gardens themselves were…less whimsical than I would have dreamed of considering the whimsy of the town. The gardens are very small and there are a ton of people in them fighting over the same 4 places to take photos, so it’s difficult to get lost in the magic when there are that many people in a small space all trying to get photos before the time slot ushers in the next round of garden-goers. I have heard, and will hopefully check out soon to verify, that the Descanso Gardens in Pasadena puts on a fabulous enchanted holiday light festival that has all the magic I was expecting. Since those gardens are so large, I’d imagine it’s more spaced out with more light displays and more room to really enjoy the gardens. In conclusion: I will not spend money to revisit this festival in future years, I think that money could have been better spent on a dining experience surrounded by holiday decor at one of the wineries or restaurants in Solvang.

Emma Probasco
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