Before Holiday World, There Was Santa Claus Land and It Was Open in December

A long time ago, when Holiday World was Santa Claus Land, the vintage theme park was open during the winter. One year, we visited on a brutally cold December 23rd, but we bundled up and had a blast.

Santa Claus Land Before It Became Holiday World

No, you cannot visit Holiday World in December, as it is closed for the season. But that wasn't the case in its previous incarnation.

Under its former name, back in the day, Santa Claus Land was a huge part of my family's Christmas traditions, and we went every year, including the aforementioned Christmas Eve Eve when we nearly froze our you-know-whats off. What rides the park offered at the time (carnival-type rides) were closed, but that didn't matter. We enjoyed lunch at the Kringle Cafe and the time-worn exhibits in the museum, which was on the park's grounds at the time.

A 1970s-Era Santa Claus Land Commercial

All those great memories, and more where they came from, come flooding back when I watch this old Santa Claus Land commercial.

My sister has a picture of my family with the Santa Claus in that video.

Santa Claus Land Home Movies

And take a look at this old 8mm home movie. I had forgotten about the Mae West statue; somewhere there's a picture of my dad standing next to her.

Those are some awesome Santa Claus Land memories from the 1970s. This old home movie takes us back to the 1960s:

Here's one Holiday World just posted. I've never seen this one.

Watching these old clips, I'm overwhelmed with Christmas memories of Santa Claus, Indiana.

Remnants of the old park can still be found at Holiday World, like the Nativity scene. There are others, though, so look closely the next time you're there.