San Diego Holiday Activities Close to Home

Happy Holidays from Your Neighbors!

If you are looking for some San Diego Holiday Activities close to home, Encinitas has events that offer the friendliness of Carmel Valley and the charm of the beach.  Plus, its just up the freeway from the Carmel Valley San Diego community.

On December 8th, 15th, and 22nd, participating shops located on Highway 101 in Downtown Encinitas, will be open late for holiday shoppers.  Guests will be greeted with live holiday music and visits from Santa.  There are stores for almost all tastes on the 101, including clothing stores, galleries, surf shops, children’s stores, home décor, and plenty of restaurants if you work up an appetite while shopping!

If you want to escape the shopping crowds, visit the San Diego Botanic Garden in the evening to experience the Garden of Lights.  The Garden will be illuminated throughout to create a winter wonderland, and there will be various exhibits and festivities from live music, to visits from Santa, children’s craft activities, a poinsettia garden, and even snow, making it hard to believe you are just miles away from Moonlight Beach!  Being a traveler myself, I find that visiting the Garden feels like a vacation away from home.  It often reminds me of a fantastic garden I visited in Hunter Valley, Australia, at this time of year.

To top off the perfect holiday evening I recommend driving back to the community of Carmel Valley San Diego, up the 101 through Downtown Del Mar which is also beautifully decorated for the holidays.

Happy holidays from your neighbors in Encinitas!

Christine Ellingsen

Christine Ellingsen is a Northern California native now practicing law as an estate planning attorney in Carmel Valley San Diego at the Barger Law Group, APC. She spent a year in New York working in the business sector before moving to Southern California to attend law school at the University of San Diego. She is happy to have started her law career in San Diego and to now call Encinitas home, where she keeps busy between exploring Coastal North County and training her new puppy.