The holiday season is here! We are trying to keep the holiday spirit alive. COVID-19 cases are also getting stabilized for the vaccinated people. Even though more and more are getting vaccinated, we still must take all the necessary precautions for all the activities so that we protect others as well as ourselves. It has been a yearly tradition in my family to explore new places to see holiday lighting. As we have a wheelchair user in the family this is a doable activity for wheelchair users and at the same time, you can feel the fresh air of Christmas. The colorful lights across the streets and the Jingle Bells playing on the radio create the cozy atmosphere we feel every year. 

Listed below are some of the beautiful holiday lightings around Bay Area. All of them are wheelchair-friendly.  

♿ Oakland California Temple, Oakland – Beautiful holiday decoration of the temple and the gardens. Each tree is decorated with colorful lights. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the bay while visiting. This is a perfect place to take holiday pictures. You can drive by or stroll depending upon the crowd. There are a few ADA parking in the lot. 

For more details visit https://templehill.org/christmas/

♿ Picardy Drive, Oakland – Drive through the Mills college neighborhood on Picardy Drive, Oakland between Seminary and 55th Ave. The fairytale-style houses are all decked up with colorful lights. It’s a small loop that can be easily covered by wheelchair users. You can drive by or stroll around for some nice photoshoots. 

♿ Candy Cane Lane, Pleasanton- A couple of blocks off Main Street in Pleasanton, families can enjoy the festive music and lights of Candy Cane Lane, on Walnut Drive. This neighborhood tradition has been going on since 1955. You can drive by slowly listening to KCCL 91.5 FM. It is a wheelchair-friendly neighborhood. There is some ADA parking on the Main Street parking lot.

♿ Alameda’s Christmas Tree Lane – 3200 block of Thompson Ave. This is one of the best places to see holiday lights in East Bay. Each house has a different theme and the surrounding looks very festive like a carnival. You can enjoy this driving by. There is a lot of traffic on weekends. Better to visit on weekday evenings. There is not enough parking here.

 ♿ 6716 Fountaine Ave, Newark – This is a family affair that has passionately built a festive Holiday Scene. You can walk or stroll around and enjoy the Christmas light and sound decoration as the place is not very crowded.

♿ 4th Street, Berkeley – Three blocks of sparkling colorful lights. This place has a refreshing flavor with some photo opportunities. You can drive by or park your car and stroll around maintaining Covid-19 precautions. There is some ADA parking nearby. You can also drive by Monterey Ave at North Berkeley for a very unique display. 

♿ Crippsmas Place, Fremont – Crippsmas Place is on Cripps Place, Asquith Place, Nicolet Court, Wellington Place, Perkins Street, and the stretch of Nicolet Avenue between Gibraltar Drive and Perkins Street. This is a Fremont holiday tradition since 1967 and life-size plywood displays of new cartoons are its specialty. This is a drive-by place. It does get crowded, and the traffic is very slow. You can park your car at the ADA parking and stroll around. They also run an annual fundraiser. For details visit https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/CrippsmasPlace

♿ Train of Lights, Niles Canyon Railway- Train of Light is a unique experience for the holiday time in Fremont. This is a 1.5 hour-long round trip through Niles Canyon at night and a very doable thing for wheelchair users if planned beforehand. The antique coaches and open cars are all decorated inside out. There is Santa on board too. While at Niles Station don’t miss the opportunity to take pictures with the beautifully decorated old tram.

The Niles Canyon Railroad Depot is wheelchair accessible. The cars on the train have some steps but a wheelchair lift is used to board the train. It is a little hard to move around inside as the alley is very narrow. There are a couple of accessible parking spaces at the train depot both in Fremont and Sunol. If you have a wheelchair or need other special assistance, please contact them beforehand.

♿ Eucalyptus Tree Lane, San Carlos – 1900 Eucalyptus Avenue in San Carlos has dressed up for Christmas with lights and decorations. But this year, the city wants those crowds to drive by, not walk by, to reduce the spread of coronavirus. For a Drive-by trip make sure to keep a couple of hours as the traffic is very slow.

♿ Willow Glen, San Jose – The neighborhood is decked up with Christmas lights. Each street is differently themed.  Rows of arches, hanging stars, reindeer, and the Christmas tree in the front yard of every house are a special attraction. You can just drive by or stroll with caution as the crowd is very careful and maintains covid guidelines.

♿ Christmas Tree Lane, Palo alto – is located in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Fulton Street. Christmas Tree Lane is an entirely car-based activity this year. The row of houses is beautifully lighted and decorated in different themes.

♿️ SOCIAL DISTANCING TIPS ♿

Day trips at the time of Covid-19 are all done keeping social distancing and safety in mind. At no point should these be compromised.

  • Always wear your face mask even if you are not getting out of the car.
  • Avoid crowded areas if you are stepping out of the car
  • Always remember to carry gloves, hand sanitizer, water, food.
  • Do not forget to use the restroom before leaving your house as it is safer to not use the outside restroom during this period
  • Remember to wipe your crutch or mobility scooter handle or the wheelchair wheels every time you go outside
  • Do not leave your items unattended.
  • Do not open your car windows in crowded places
  • Try not to touch the holiday decorations.