Stone Mountain Christmas: A Favorite Holiday Tradition

Visiting Stone Mountain Park at Christmastime is one of my new favorite traditions since we've moved to Georgia. There's nothing that will get you into the Christmas spirit more than seeing millions of lights covering the buildings, trees and streets of Stone Mountain Park and hearing Christmas carols piped through the speakers. You'll find yourself skipping through the streets with a smile across your face as you hum along and take in the beauty of your surroundings.

Upon arrival, we stopped and had dinner at the Campfire Grill where we had the opportunity to sample a variety of their food. With full bellies, we headed to decorate cookies in the candy shop, and then positioned ourselves to watch the parade where all of the Stone Mountain Christmas characters would make their debut, including our favorites, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

One of my family's favorite activities at Stone Mountain Christmas is the Sing-along Train. I'm a sucker for Christmas carols, and my kids love the feeling of the cool crisp air as the train chugs on while you circle the park. But even better than that is the stop you make along the way. At this stop, you're told the heartwarming story, The Gift, about the first Christmas. The story of Mary and Joseph, the three Wise Men, and of course, baby Jesus. The true meaning of Christmas is brought to the forefront of everyone's minds and you leave your train ride fully embraced in the spirit of the season. Ah, yes. It makes me smile just to think about it.

Our next stop was to visit Santa. My boys were chomping at the bit to tell him all they desired to find under the Christmas tree and he gave them all of the time they needed to cover it all. This is our second time to see Santa at Stone Mountain Christmas and I am always so impressed with how gentle and calm he is while my little man wiggles on his lap and dominates the conversation.

This year, we managed to take a in a couple of the live shows. Forever Christmas, a lively song-and-dance show was my favorite and my boys loved The Littlest Christmas tree, a sweet story about finding the spirit of Christmas. There is plenty of entertainment from which to choose, plus characters roaming the streets always ready for a photo opportunity.If you have a sweet tooth while you're there, make sure you stop in and grab some pull-apart cinnamon bread. It is AMAZING! Trust me on this one! My whole family enjoyed it.