One fun fact everyone should know is that my family never spends Christmas at home. We usually pack up and go elsewhere – popular destinations have included Las Vegas, NV; Palm Springs, CA or Oxnard, CA. This past Christmas, we opted for something more beachside and checked into a Marriott located in Oceanside, CA.
We’ve only ever been to Oceanside during summers, where the pier is packed and the beach is swarming with swimmers and surfers alike. It’s a different atmosphere during the holidays though. It was quiet, freezing at night and filled with tourists who wanted that warm California sun during the daytime. For Christmas Day, we struggled with finding things to do because the main road consists of local shops, all of which were closed during the day.
Oceanside Library
My cousin, Angie, badly wanted to stop by the city’s public library; unfortunately, they were closed. We ended up taking family photos in front of the building which had the coolest pool/fountain.
Elena’s French Crêpes Cafe
This was, by far, the only restaurant/cafe that decided to open its door on Christmas Day. We were hungry and we knew nothing else was open, so we paraded into the little cafe and ordered some crêpes. The crêpes were really good – most of us got the Nutella/banana combination, and I mean, who could go wrong with Nutella?!
Wheel Fun Rentals
After having some crêpes, we headed back to our hotel. My cousins, brothers and I discovered that on the pier was a tiny bike rental shop. We decided to head over and rented a double surrey for an hour. It was really fun, especially when this family of five decided to race with us on a busy street. We lost, sadly.
We stopped by different areas of the beach to take some photos/videos. I’ve been to Oceanside several times but it was on this trip that I found out that there was in fact a staircase that led straight to the ocean. How cool is that? I had only seen something like that in La Jolla, but that was really cool to know!
I also made a quick video of how my entire December went! Click play or watch it here – it’s available in HD so don’t hesitate to change settings to that! The racing story I mentioned is in the video too!
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