Today at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure: Candy Canes!

Fresh-made candy canes are a cherished tradition at Disneyland, and this morning I made my annual visit to the park to obtain one for our family.

On candy cane day it's best to arrive at the park before the main gate opens, then after opening go straight to the Candy Palace to get in line for a wristband. The wristband allows a guest to buy a candy cane from one of the day's three batches.

It's hard to believe that the "blobs" of sugary candy being worked on below will quickly turn into candy canes!

Here's the end of the process about an hour later, as the finished candy canes are carefully packaged for sale.

The Main Street Christmas tree:

This year there are many blue decorations on the tree in honor of the park's Diamond Anniversary. Here are closeups of some details from the tree:

Vintage ornaments in a shop window on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure:

Christmas decorations in the Trolley Treets window on Buena Vista Street:

San Francisco Street:

Grizzly Peak Airfield:

Today near Grizzly River Rapids I chanced to see a very friendly cat I later learned is named Francisco. Francisco, who despite the name is most likely a female, is one of many feral cats at Disneyland; Disney has a program in place to neuter and feed the cats who live in the Anaheim parks. In return the cats keep the rodent population down!

One more shot of the Red Car Trolley and decorations on Buena Vista Street!

The week after Thanksgiving is usually a slow workweek for me, so I was also able to spend time in the parks with friends earlier in the week. I'll be posting photos from that visit in the next couple days or so. (Update: Here's the report on my trip earlier in the week!)