When I think back to my childhood, I see how important it was for my parents to create special memories and traditions for our family, especially around the holidays. I’m sure it wasn’t always easy to do with four kids, but those traditions made lasting impressions on and me and my siblings. And now that I have a family of my own, I want to have traditions with them that they look forward to now, and will look back on with joy when they get older.

Last year, when my husband and I took our son Brian Jr. to Edaville USA‘s Christmas Festival of Lights, we instantly knew that it would have to become a holiday tradition for us. Brian was 1 1/2 at that time and I was pregnant with our daughter Eve. We were all absolutely enthralled by the millions of lights illuminating the park, making it a colorful winter wonderland. And we were delighted by our train ride on Edaville USA’s Railroad Diesel Excursion Train (open select days) through the scenic New England cranberry bogs. Then, of course, were the amusement rides and attractions, both in Edaville Proper and in Thomas Land (the only one in North America). We couldn’t wait to return this year!

As an Edaville USA VIP Blogger I received complimentary tickets to the park for our recent trip. My husband and I were especially excited because this would be our second year going to Edaville USA’s Christmas Festival of Lights, making an official Govednik family tradition!

Our first adventure at the park was a ride on the Santa VIP Train, and it was a truly magical experience.

This Christmas, Brian understands who Santa is, so seeing his face when Santa walked into our train car was incredible. As part of the Santa VIP Train experience, everyone receives name tags, which gives it a real personal touch. Santa meets and spends time with every child, too, making all the kids feel super special. Both Brian and Eve got a special wrapped gift from Santa (a wooden train whistle!) and we were able to take a family photo with Santa, too. It was awesome!

Next we headed over to Thomas Land for some of the fun Thomas & Friends-inspired rides over there. The first thing we did was jump on Winston’s Skyline Express.

This monorail-type ride is one of our favorites because it gives a cool aerial view of the park, and since even babies can ride on it, we can do it as a family.

And no trip to Thomas Land is complete without grabbing some yummy candy at the Sodor Sweet Shop.

As it began to get dark, we headed back over to Edaville Proper. Since the Christmas Festival of Lights is sponsored by Hood® Eggnog (Seasonal), we were able to sample a delicious assortment of eggnog and have access to the Hood® Eggnog Snow Globe photo booth.

You must take a look at the hashtag #HoodSnowGlobe to see how cool the photos look taken in this giant inflatable snow globe.

Our trip to Edaville USA‘s Christmas Festival of Lights this year was nothing short of magical. From the Christmas music filling the park with holiday cheer to the Christmas window displays in Dickens Village, the park’s newest attraction, Edvaille USA puts so much special detail into every aspect of the park experience.

It’s so nice to be able to spend time as a family making wholesome holiday memories at Edaville USA.

Edaville USA‘s Annual Christmas Festival of Lights kicked off Friday, November 18, 2016  and will run through Sunday, January 1, 2017.
• Sundays: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Mondays – Thursdays: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Fridays and Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

o During the holiday season, the theme park is illuminated with over 17 million lights while attendees enjoy over 90 family-friendly rides and attractions, including the iconic Thomas Land.

o Park attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy a sneak peek of the park’s newest  attraction, Dicken’s Village, where the Christmas & Toy Shoppe will open for the first time and Santa will be visiting.

o This year, park attendees can also take their holiday experience to another level by embarking on the exclusive Edaville Express: Where’s Santa?, a train ride where dancing elves will be serving chocolate milk, cookies and Hood® Eggnog while guests help Mrs. Claus and the elves search for Santa; who will eventually join the fun to greet every kid on  board.

o Visit www.Edaville.com for a full calendar of events and to purchase tickets in advance. Edaville USA will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day so employees can enjoy the holidays with their families.

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Disclosure: I am thrilled to be an Edaville USA VIP Blogger. This is a sponsored post on behalf of Edaville USA. All opinions are mine.