There Is An Entire Christmas Island In Northern California And It’s Absolutely Delightful

Every year the small island of Alameda turns into a Hallmark-style Christmas island. The downtown area hosts many holiday events, and the famous Christmas Tree Lane attracts visitors from all around the state.

Alameda is located off of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay.

The small island has cute neighborhoods sprinkled with shops and restaurants. On the west side is an area with wineries and restaurants located inside old hangers along the waterfront. The island is super cute!

At Christmastime, Alameda turns into a very merry Christmas island.

Families come from all over to see Christmas Tree Lane.

More than 50 houses on Thompson Avenue go all-out with Christmas decorations. The tradition dates back to the 1930s! You can park and walk or drive around the area to look at the lights.

In addition to Christmas Tree Lane, downtown Alameda hosts several events. "Shop Later Thursdays" in December means stores will stay open until at least 7 p.m. so you can get Christmas shopping done while supporting local businesses.

Santa Claus will pop-by the “Shop Later Thursdays” events to take photos. He’ll be handing out treats and posing for photos from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Check the downtown Alameda social media accounts for exact locations.

If your kiddos want to write a letter to Santa, they might be able to deliver it to him in person, or hand it to one of his elves who will be in the downtown area.

Otherwise, a mailbox for letters to Santa will be set-up for children to mail their letters to the man up north.

Get even more into the holiday spirit with a play. The West End Arts District is putting on A Christmas Carol in the Al Fresco Dining Park & Healing Garden.

There is an entire weekends-worth of activities to do in Alameda in December. No matter what you decide to do, or how long you stay, you can create new holiday traditions here and make memories to last a lifetime.

Have you ever been to Christmas Tree Lane? Tell us about it in the comments.