Everyone knows a snowman at Christmas time is made of pure magic, or at least that is what the old tales tell us.
This frigidly festive fable will be fact on Christmas Eve, and the night of Christmas, too, as the massive snowman that graces the side of the Pacific Wheel in Santa Monica stands tall, despite the damp evening predicted.
For the Ferris wheel Frosty isn’t made of meltable stuff; this fanciful figure is created with the help of thousands of LED lights, with 174,000 bulbs adding bright flair to the attraction.
An attraction, by the by, that gains its glitter from the sun: The Pacific Wheel is famously solar-powered, which, again, might spell a melting incident for a traditional snowman.
Something else rather magical, though definitely based in science? The wheel’s team reveals that “…16.7 color value combinations” help to give the attraction its illuminated splendor.
Cool stuff, as cool as a snowman is cool.
Other showy symbols of the season gracing the side of the Pacific Wheel as Christmas grows closer include sizable snowflakes and really big reindeer.
It’s free to see, either in person or via the webcam, though there is a fee to ride the ocean-adjacent wheel.
The show begins at sunset and wraps at midnight. And you won’t have to end your yuletide fun Dec. 25; Frosty and the seasonal symbols rule the Pacific Park destination each evening through Dec. 30.
It’s true: Twixmas, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, really does have holiday oomph, even after Christmas has officially concluded.
But come Dec. 31? A different show is in store on the side of the massive attraction: A shimmering program that says “Happy New Year” in several languages.