Hello friends and welcome back! I had a few vacation days to use up before the end of the year, and instead of hopping on a plane I decided to take a stay-cation.

In April of this year, I moved to Las Vegas from Orlando. As this was my first holiday season in my new city I thought it would be fun to get out and explore it’s festive side!

I called my mother who lives not far away in California and suggested she come for a visit. One of the big draws of choosing Las Vegas as my new home was how close it put me to my family in California. With that said let’s dive into some of the highlights of the last few days.

Mom and I started our holiday adventure at Sam’s Town Casino. This was my first time at this casino and inside you will find a giant open atrium that they have turned into a Christmas Wonderland!

There is a large waterfall called Mystic Falls inside the atrium, and with a little holiday magic they make it snow, and put on a great show. There are audio-animatronic animals dressed up for the holidays.

As you continue to wander through you will find all sorts of fun characters, and even a meet and greet with Santa himself! I did happen to notice they had some nice dining options, so you could make Sam’s Town an evening out on its own!

Our next stop that evening was dinner at Thai Street Cafe, and then off to the Torres Family House in Henderson. The Torres family competed on The Great Christmas Light Fight on TV and Won! There is a definite Disney theme here as the front of the house was turned into a castle and Mr. Torres built the pirate ship himself. You can see Minnie, Mickey, Peter Pan, and other Disney favorites!

On our second day we started out at The Wynn. The lobby of the Wynn is always stunning with it’s preserved floral displays. At Christmastime, they add Christmas trees and beautiful villages of Gullivers Travels! All of the shimmering silver and gold was absolutley beautiful!

Our next stop was Palazzo. The display here was beautiful! The lobby was decorated with a less is more motif.

The Waterfall Lobby is always stunning. I have seen multiple displays here, and they never let you down. The centerpiece was the 19th-century gondola!

I loved that they added a giant picture frame that you could literally step into!

Our last stop that night was at the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory. There is a lovely cactus garden there that they deck out in Christmas lights! It’s truly a magical wonderland to walk through. Don’t forget to stop inside for the best hot chocolate you have every had!

They have a wide variety of cactus carefully covered in lights creating a holiday wonderland!

The Bellagio

There is no place in Las Vegas that outdoes itself every season other than the Bellagio. The display in the atrium at the rear of the lobby is changed throughout the year, but this is the most impressive display I have ever seen!

There are elves causing mischief, and polar bears playing in the snow. The Ice Queen and the majestic Christmas Tree at the center of the display are downright stunning. Everything about this is stunning!

The grandure of the coach and horses were breathtaking!

I love this scene as the mischievous elves play around Santa’s lush red chair!

After visiting Bellagio I then wandered over to the Aria. I had heard that instead of a Christmas tree in the lobby there was something special so I had to go and check it out!

I walked in and there sat the most adorable 15-foot tall gingerbread house!

The shingles on the roof were made from 64,00 melted peppermint candies!

So friends, Christmas in Las Vegas is truly magical, you just have to know where to look!