17. Festival of Lights at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

The Buzz -- Gingerbread Woods with a cottage and a lollipop garden, a floating bridge, a magic marsh, the Golden Chain Walk, Livingstone Lake are all bedecked and bedazzled with over a million combined lights including state-of-the-art fiber optic, LEDs, and old-fashioned flickering candles. Through the month of December, there is always a brilliant new vista to find in the 15-acre VanDusen garden. Inside, Santa makes nightly appearances to read stories, a magician does tricks, hot cocoa, soups and sandwiches are sold, dancers dance, choristers sing and faces can be painted to add to the collective festive glow of the season.