Christmas and Disneyland, two of my favorite things, and Disneyland at Christmas, well, lets just say it doesn’t get much better than that.

I had the opportunity to journey to Disneyland this fall and I loved it as much as ever. My first trip to Disneyland during the holiday season came when I was a senior in high school and I was completely taken with the extra dose of magic sprinkled across the resort. One of the first things I did when I arrived in SoCal for college was purchase an annual pass, and part of my sophomore and junior years I was a cast member. You might say I’m a bit of a Disneyland fanatic.

If you’re plans over the next few weeks include a stop at the happiest place on earth here’s a few tips:

First, it is going to be busy so pack your patience. Expect and prepare for waiting in line and big crowds, you’ll be thankful you did later. Two fun things you can do that are fairly inexpensive are to purchase “Disneyland’s Hidden Mickeys,” either beforehand or at various stores around the resort, and embark on finding some more obscure touches left by imagineers around the park, and “Lots to do in line: Disneyland,” which is exactly what it sounds like – games and scavenger hunts tailored to different queues. Making a game out of the waiting makes it go by a lot faster.

Don’t forget to check the weather forecast for Anaheim before you leave. Yes, it’s Southern California, but it still can rain and it gets cooler in the evening. Disneylanding in the rain can be fun if you’re prepared for it (been there), but it also can turn cold and much less fun if you aren’t (been there, too). Alternately, if the weather report calls for gorgeous, sunny skies, don’t forget the sunscreen.

If meeting the characters are your kids’ thing, what approach to take depends on who you’re looking for. Yes, you can meet Mickey and Minnie and some other characters in Toontown, but they also hang out in Town Square, right after you go through the entrance tunnel after entering the park, throughout the day. Usually you’ll find Mickey and Minnie to the right, near Mad Hatter and the Main Street Opera House and Goofy and Donald tend to make an appearance by the Fire Station on your left. If it has been a while since your last visit, it’s worth noting that princesses are rarely out as stand alone meet and greets. Princess Fantasy Faire is their new home, located to the left of the castle as you approach from Main Street. As a side note, if you’re looking for a specific character, ask a cast member. They should have a handy guide with all the info.

Be sure to check out the traditional holiday overlays on Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World. The line for It’s a Small World will look frightfully long, but it moves often enough and there is a neat light and music show played on the facade at night as well as all the lights to look at – see what world landmarks you can find represented in the facade.

New this year is the Jingle Cruise, an overlay and new jokes at the Jungle Cruise. As a former skipper I was rather skeptical of this one, but I hear it’s actually not bad.

Now, lets take a minute to talk about fastpasses. In short: they’re free, use ‘em. Essentially a fastpass is a ticket you get at a participating attraction that holds your place in line while you go do something else and return within a one hour window. Depending on what the return time is, you either are eligible to get a new fastpass when your current fastpass window opens or after two hours, whichever comes first. One of the worst kept secrets in the park for a long time was that you didn’t have to return within the window printed on your ticket, just as long as you came back the same day any time after the opening of the window. This, however, was changed this fall and now guests are required to return within the actual window.

Another option if you have small kids in your party who either are too short for some rides or scared of them is for the adults to use the single rider or rider switch programs.

For single rider you ask a cast member at the participating attraction (they’re marked on the map) for a single rider pass and they’ll direct you where to go. Basically, they’ll put you in an empty seat in a row and you get to skip most if not all of the line, but don’t get to ride with anyone you know.

For rider switch you ask the cast member for a rider switch pass and then one adult waits in the line and after they have ridden the other adult can use the pass to ride via the fastpass return entrance.

If you have someone in your party with special needs and it has been a while since you have been to the park I highly recommend reading up on changes to the guest assistance program on a fan site like Miceage or MicePlanet so you have the lay of the new system before you head down.

If you want to catch one of the entertainment offerings – parades, World of Color, fireworks, etc. – all of which will be doing holiday shows, give yourself plenty of time and show up early, whatever you do, don’t try to show up at the last minute.

My personal all-time favorite Christmas bit of magic at Disneyland are the snow moments. They aren’t on the published entertainment schedule, but they’re amazing. The castle is lit up in stages throughout the evening with accompanying little five minute shows. The middle installment at 5:30 is my favorite. That’s when the castle is fully lit and it snows on Main Street, the whole nine yards. If you show up about 5:25 and position yourself half to three quarters of the way up Main Street you’ll have a perfect view. At first people will wonder why you’re standing in the middle of the street, but then the lights will go down and the Voice of Disneyland will make the announcement and everyone will stop in the street.

One of my and my family’s favorite freebies at the resort is to get a button. At the guest relations podium by the wait time board at the top of Main Street the cast member is loaded down with buttons – first visit, happy birthday, happy anniversary, family reunion, honorary citizen, etc.

If you go to California Adventure, be sure to visit Carsland, the new land is breathtaking and feels like walking into the movie. Also, try the Pear Soda at the Cozy Cones. I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s oddly delicious.

At the end of the day remember that you’re at Disneyland and have fun taking in all the little holiday touches and decorations and enjoy the magic that Disney employs so well.