Festival of Lights, Mission Inn

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iVTZpQiJ6dEt9r5M8

A little less stress and a little more sparkle is what makes a great holiday season. That was why we decided to stay overnight at the Inn. From the 5 million lights and 200 characters, it surely got us in the holiday spirit. We even sat down at the courtyard to enjoy our dinner at the Inn with all amazing surrounding lights and figurines. This year they even had a little elf workshop in the display, adorable. 

We took the docent tour of the hotel and then visit the museum. The tour started through the exterior and had a lot of back story about the founder and the Spanish colonial impact on the architecture. The Mission Inn has a beautiful architectural design. The first wing (wood frame structure) includes the music hall, which was beautiful. Even the story about the "president's chair", that was made for President Taft, is hilarious. My group went to the Spanish Courtyard, the cathedral, the rotunda, a hotel corridor, the lobby, the plaza, and more. We even entered the wedding chapel which contains three stained glass windows from Mr. Tiffany (of Tiffany Co. fame). 

The only thing we missed was the world's largest mistletoe which was under repair. The Festival of Lights is a yearly tradition that never ceases to amaze!