City Lights in San Diego, California

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la”

Photo Credit: Krista

December is officially here! Have you decorated your home yet for the holidays? I know some people have a tradition to wait and put the tree up on Christmas Eve, but in our family we like to decorate when Advent begins which is typically the weekend right after Thanksgiving. If you follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook, you’ve most likely noticed recent posts with pictures of festive decorations I’ve spotted while shopping for holiday décor. One of the places we like to shop for Christmas decorations is a local place in San Diego called “City Lights”. Have you been to City Lights? If you haven’t visited City Lights yet, here’s a “virtual tour” for you to enjoy.

Where is City Lights?

City Lights is located off the 5 freeway in San Diego at the Sea World Drive exit. The white warehouse looking building is west of the freeway on Knoxville Street at the end of the cul-de-sac. City Lights is open 362 days of the year (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day), 7 days a week, with extended hours in the autumn/winter months. There is a small parking lot next to the building and also limited street parking on Knoxville.

When you first walk into City Lights you enter into a display room filled with fully decorated Christmas trees and more ornaments than your eyes are able to take in at once. It feels like you’ve been transported directly to the North Pole and Santa’s decorating headquarters! One of the highlights for me is seeing all of the unique and creative fully-themed trees.

City Lights – San Diego, CA | Photo Credits: Krista

Inside City Lights

As you walk through the store the different rooms and areas have groups of decorations and displays. One area is dedicated to Santa Claus figurines. Another area is all Nutcrackers. If you like Christmas Villages (like Dept. 56 and Lemax), City Lights has a wide selection of new and retired collectibles and accessories. We have bought several of our Dept. 56 pieces here, including some from Mickey’s Disney Village. At City Lights, there is also an entire area dedicated to lights – both interior and exterior – as well as artificial trees and outside décor.

Outdoor Décor options at City Lights | Photo Credits: Krista

If you’re looking for a wide variety of ornaments and Christmas ribbon, then City Lights is your place. There are shelves and shelves of round ornaments, including shatterproof, in several colors. Another wall has shelves of ribbon in different widths. In a different area of the store there is a wide selection of ornament display hangers.

City Lights is a Christmas decorating wonderland! Ornaments, trees, decorations, ribbon, and more! | Photo Credits: Krista

Just when you think you’ve seen all there is to see, there is a side hallway that goes to a room with even more types of ornaments – many of which can be personalized at City Lights. In this room there are also several choices of tree skirts, stockings, table runners, and other table linens. These are cleverly displayed on hanging panels which you can look through like giant pages in a book. City Lights also offers embroidery services for the stockings in this room dedicated to personalization.

Collectibles and Figurines for Christmas villages | Santa Claus collectibles | Many styles of Nativity backdrops | Stockings, tree skirts & Christmas linens | Photo Credits: Krista

Year-Round Decor & Collectibles

Besides all of these Christmas collectibles and décor, City Lights also has a wide variety of collectibles for year-round occasions including Jim Shore, Disney Showcase Collection, Precious Moments, Britto, and Lenox Classics to name a few examples. Some of these collectibles are available at the City Lights Collectibles online store.

Frozen Village with Olaf figurines | Many Nutcrackers to choose from — including one that is Elsa inspired | The “Old World Christmas” Ornament Hangers are the best tree hooks ever! | Photo Credits: Krista

There really is so much to see at City Lights! If you’re in San Diego, you’ll probably want to visit more than once. Parents are cautioned to watch their children at all times since there are so many fragile ornaments and collectibles throughout the store. In addition, the meandering walkways tend to be narrow in some spots so be sure to watch where you’re walking. Naturally, a place like City Lights becomes very popular in November and December – so be sure to bring your patience if you check out City Lights during this time.

Our visits to City Lights have added some fun and festive touches to how we decorate our home for Christmas. The staff at City Lights is friendly and helpful, even on the busiest days. If you like to decorate for Christmas and the winter holidays, then you should plan an outing to City Lights.

We like to put up our Christmas décor right after Thanksgiving so our Christmas tree is up and decked out with cheerful ornaments. What about you? When do you decorate for Christmas? What are some of your treasured decorations?

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Updated December 9, 2018

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”