I have a Hotels of the Disneyland Resort post with information on page 1 -- HERE -- but in case any of our thread followers have not looked at that post, I want to be sure that you don't miss out on any of the seasonal fun!
Today I want to highlight some of the holiday-specific things to look for/see/do at the Grand Californian Hotel, whether you are staying onsite or not!
1.
Giant gingerbread!!! This year there is going to be a (brand new) 6 ft. tall gingerbread house -- with a window/counter for selling hot chocolate -- in the lobby of the Grand Californian!! I have no idea if it will be made of real gingerbread (as its counterpart at the Grand Floridian at WDW is made), or if it will be faux gingerbread -- as was the case with the giant gingerbread Castle in the Disneyland Hotel's Fantasy Tower lobby last year. I'm not even sure exactly where in the GCH lobby the house will go in relation to the giant tree. But it's coming soon, so be on the lookout. I am guessing that it will go up about a week before Thanksgiving, or by the pre-Thanksgiving weekend;
2.
Medium-sized gingerbread!! Every year Storytellers Café has a real gingerbread house as well -- a small-ish version, set up on a table near the entrance and behind a rope. I don't know if there will be one this year in light of the news of the giant one coming to the GCH lobby, but we'll see. When the house at Storytellers is fresh, the aroma of gingerbread is strong and wafts through the air;
3.
Smaller gingerbread!!! White Water Snacks also tends to have a very cute, small gingerbread house/neighborhood set up on a counter. You cannot see it from the entrance of WWS, and you usually have to walk inside and past the ordering area to find it;
4.
Tree lights!! The famous, regal Christmas tree (which holds court in the lobby of the GCH) used to glow in a kind of yellow-ish gold way. Last year, the lights on the tree were different... and maybe slightly less golden. They seemed brighter and whiter. Some (not all) of the ornaments had changed as well;
5.
Reindeer!! If you didn't visit the GCH last year, or didn't go out the front entrance for any reason, you may have missed the brand new reindeer figures, positioned all around the drive-up entrance on Disneyland Drive. I don't know if the reindeer were made of wicker or some other material, but they provided a nice, rustic holiday touch to the GCH. Some of the reindeer didn't hold up well in the wind -- one of them fell over and went flying at one point, and it had to be removed -- but they were wonderful additions to the holiday décor!;
6.
Activities!! The 3 hotels sometimes have holiday-specific activities for onsite guests only, including the "Merriest Holiday Hunt" and the "Winter Ornament Workshop" (this snow globe-making workshop is held at the GCH, but I think that
any onsite hotel guests can participate in it throughout the season). I have done neither of these things -- in fact, I didn't even find out about them until after I got home from my trip last year -- but if you happen to be staying at the GCH (or any onsite hotel) this year, you may want to ask about their holiday-specific activities so you don't miss out like I did in 2013!;
7.
Santa Claus!! He usually appears in the GCH lobby (and at the other hotels) to greet guests from Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Eve. I hesitate to re-post Santa's schedule from 2013, as I am not sure if this year it will be different from last year's schedule due to the arrival of the giant gingerbread house/hot cocoa window, but if I find out the schedule I will add it into the
Hotels of the Disneyland Resort post on page 1 --
HERE;
8.
Christmas carolers! Like Santa, they tend to begin appearing at all 3 DLR hotels from Thanksgiving and beyond, and they are usually scheduled to be there through Christmas Day. Depending on which day of the week Christmas falls (and this year it falls on a Thursday), the Carolers may stick around a few days beyond Christmas. I would expect that the Carolers may hang around through the post-Christmas weekend this year, but they
should probably be gone by New Year's Eve. Sometimes the Carolers perform on the non-Santa side of the Christmas tree (usually when Santa is on a break), but you will also find them in the hallways of the GCH as well (possibly a different set of Carolers)!; and
9.
Napa Rose Lounge!! If you visit the Napa Rose lounge, you don't need a reservation and you can get
some (but not all) of the delicious seasonal drinks and food items that are served in the restaurant!
I hope that this info has been helpful for the GCH visitors who will be there during the holidays this year. I know that it is easy to miss so many things on trips, and we often don't find out that certain things were happening until we get home. I like to make sure that people are armed with info going in, so they can make the best plans and choices for their trips!
Happy holidays!
. 
. I have purchased pins and lanyards for pin trading (which is all new to me but sounds SO fun). I also purchased Disney gift cards for each of my kids that they can buy a few souvenirs and then they can keep their Disney gift cards as souvenirs when their money is spent...
. If not, I am sorry. However, I would love to report back after our vacation and post some pictures...
