Arriving in the late afternoon at the OC Fairgrounds it's amazing seeing more places transformed for the holidays. 

There's even a Carnival, we'll get back to that in a bit. 

Let's head into WinterFest. 

Great Red Balls of Fire!! 

Indoor Ice Skating with penguin helpers for those of us who don't know how to skate. 

What holiday event would be complete without Reindeer? They are beefing up for their epic journey this Thursday night. 

Also popular at holiday events, tubing on ice!!! (it's a lot of fun)

Nice show area set up

Ooooooh .... Aaaaaah ... 

Carolers in front of the Hangar 

Lots and lots of food!!! 

Snow!!! And Candy Cane Rice Bowls? =) 

Fireworks!!! 

Inside, a fantastic Christmas village and model trains. 

This really makes me miss our Christmas Village. Maybe this week I'll share some pics of ours if you'd like to see it. 

Pepsi? Blech. ;) 

Coca Cola Bear (probably not)

The Ice Slide!!!

​Maybe next year they'll have a loop. ;) 

Let's check out the rides!! 

Be sure to bundle up if you are attending, it's been quite chilly the past few nights here in Southern California. 

Thanks again to WinterFest for having us out and to Scott and Buffy for attending for us. So glad you had fun. 

Be sure to check out all the details on Winterfest here. The event runs through January 3. 

Before we get to what's happening now, let's take a little trip in the way back machine to the 90's and a little park called Six Flags Magic Mountain. 

Sure, you've heard the stories, you may have even been there. Concerts at the park (most notably TLC) and riots and gang problems and many other issues at the park. It wasn't just on concert days but quite often. It was so bad that many parents wouldn't take their kids to the park anymore and it was known as a gang infested park. And honestly, it wasn't that far from the truth. 

But then the park did something about it. They installed Metal Detectors and a security checkpoint. Not only did Six Flags do this at Magic Mountain but to my recollection this is something that has been implemented at all Six Flags parks. I can't remember a SF park I've visited in the last decade that doesn't have metal detectors. 

It's simply become a way of life and something we all expect when we go to Six Flags parks. And honestly, that sense of security is a good thing. The Six Flags security procedure is leaps and bounds above the inconsistent security check at many other parks. 

So let's fast forward to now. 

If you've gone to Disneyland in the past 10 years or so you know they have a bag check at both sides of the esplanade. If you've gone to Disneyland more than once you'll know their bag check is HIGHLY inconsistent. I've known more than one person who has forgotten they've had a knife in their bag until after they've gone through security. 

A few months ago there was a shooting at Universal Studios Hollywood as well as quite a few at Universal CityWalk and we all figured that it was inevitable that metal detectors would go in. Security checks definitely increased but that was about it. 

I've even been at the park and seen people handing bags over the railing and not going through Security Check. I always go by the rule "If you see something, say something". And I think that's just the world we live in. 

This latest rash of installation of metal detectors seems to stem from an incident in Florida last week where a man tried to take a gun into Walt Disney World. 

​So now something that is long overdue is coming to a theme park near you. 

Many are concerned that these new procedures will take longer for people to get into the parks. I honestly don't think it will. 

You are going to have to actually have people trained to use the metal detectors and to be able to make sure they are working correctly. This means having trained security people, not just random CM's or employees with a half day of training going through your bag. 

It's going to require a standard operating procedure and it's going to have to be done right. 

So while of course, we don't want to live in a world where we have to go through airport like security everywhere we go, it's time for us to realize that this is the world we live in now. Whether the threat is foreign of domestic, we've got to step up and realize that this is the right thing to do. 

So sure, right off the start it may take 5 or so extra minutes to get in the park. Be patient, be understanding, know that it's there for your protection. Because waiting an extra 5 minutes is better than the alternative. 

So what do you think about these new procedures? Let us know in the comments below. We hope to have some pictures of the metal detectors at some of these parks over the next few days. 

Update 12/17: A couple of pictures of the new set up at Disneyland with "Random" security checks. One can only hope this set up is completely temporary. Thanks to our good friend Jim for sending us these pictures. 

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While sure, this is a show mainly for kids and looks to be the same set-up as Playhouse Disney and other kid shows, the set up and sets look really neat. Maybe they'll do some similar set up in the Hyperion Lobby for the new Frozen Musical coming to DCA. 

Heading into the showroom

Nice looking stage

Anna and her friend from Frozen 2? 

Yay!!! 

Hmmm, why are we in this show? =) 

♪ I'm defying Gravity ♪

​Oh wait, wrong show. 

No moose ... fail. 

Cool sets to check out after the show

And of course, there is food!! 

Time for some Frozen ... Waffles? =)

These actually look pretty good!!!

Post your best Frozen Waffle Joke in the comments below and our favorite by Sunday (midnight Pacific) will win some IAAPA Swag from this years event. Be creative. 

Alright, that's going to wrap it up for this look at Hong Kong Disneyland. We've got a few more updates to go on our long journey through this park, be sure to vote below as to which update you'd like to see next. 

And after the first of the year we'll start looking at Tokyo Disneyland with some more amazing pictures. 

Even the Mako construction walls are getting into the holiday spirit @SeaWorld #nothingfaster ​

Seafire Grill on the Waterfront has some musical entertainment and hosts Santa's Fireside Feast ​

The Waterfront area with shopping and restaurants is one of the most festive areas. ​

Shamu's Happy Harbor is set aglow with Christmas lights. ​

Sea of Trees features dancing lights across the water that takes place several times a night ​

Winter Wonderland on Ice is another popular show at Bayside Stadium ​

Along with entertainment, there is plenty of holiday food to eat! 

The Bayside pathway is open with holiday booths full of food, drinks and more! ​

It's still a bit warm in Orlando but you can enjoy hot cocoa and s'mores by the fire. ​

SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration runs weekends now through December 31. Check it out! ​

Thanks again to Renée for yet another amazing update from Orlando. Are you visiting Sea World this Holiday Season? What are you looking forward to most? 

Christmas Celebration runs select nights through December 31st. You can find all the details here. 

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Before we get started on Holiday In The Park stuff, why don't we take a quick look at Revolution. These are definitely the "Before" pictures. But they are hard at work in the station and things seem to be progressing very quickly. 

One of these updates we'll do a before/after just to show the amount of trees and other brush that has been cleared. Because it's A LOT. 

One bit of Twisted Colossus news, the new shed looks to be done over the transfer track. Not sure if no front of back is going to help though with El Nino coming. ;) 

So one of the biggest things for Holiday In The Park ... the food. And there is PLENTY of it. From great meals to desserts to amazing Hot Chocolate. Below, our food rankings from the plethora of food we tried on Saturday night. 

And trust us, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Be sure to check out the food pics below, but again, not all of it by any means. 

At this point you all should be hungry and making your plans to get out to Holiday In The Park. But that's not even the half of it. Let's take a look around at the amazing holiday lights!! 

Let's start off in Winter Wonderland which stretches from Viper to Roaring Rapids. 

While the themes this year are the same as last year, there are many more lights this year, I think they said about 30,000 more. 

It's just amazing how different the park looks from Fright Fest to Holiday In The Park. It's absolutely beautiful. 

Really don't think it would be a bad thing if they kept it this theme all year. It looks spectacular. 

Next, let's move over to Rockin' Universe!! 

Be sure to check out video of one of the fun shows, there are a few of them. 

More amazing pics from Matt

Look at all the Holiday fun!! 

We tried to capture the snowmen from the Snowmen glasses, but you should get them when you go. They are really cool. 

Lastly, snowy nights, even more fun with Ricky Rocks and friends!!! 

We ended our night with a ride on Revolution (kind of) with our friend Sean from California Coaster Kings. 

We hope you enjoyed this update from Holiday In The Park. Be sure to head up to the park this month to check out all the great fun, it's definitely a can't miss event. 

Holiday In The Park runs on select days until January 3, 2016. You can see all of the details of the event including hours and ticket prices here. 

We'll be back at some point this season, we'll be sure to post some updates from our return trip. 

Be sure to check out more holiday fun and our reviews for: 

• Holiday In The Park - Six Flags Over Georgia
• Knott's Merry Farm
• Christmas at Walt Disney World
• Osbourne Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• LA Zoo Lights 2015
• Chill at The Queen Mary
• Christmas Celebration at Sea World Orlando (Coming tomorrow)

If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram. 

If you have any comments, please share them below. ​