The Sweetest Christmas Celebration on Earth: Part 1

'Tis the season to be jolly. And what could possibly be jollier than immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of chocolate? Personally I can't think of too many things, so I made the trek to Hershey, PA this weekend to check out Christmas Candylane.


No visit to Hersheypark would be complete without the requisite side trip to Chocolate World, so this is where our journey begins!


The lobby was alive with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.


Santa's elves were hard at work wrapping up bundles of chocolate joy for all the good little girls and boys.


Chocolate World's star attraction was, is, and always will be the Great American Chocolate Tour.


The hallway leading to the world's most famous chocolate tour ride tells the story of a man, his town, and his chocolate factory. The ride itself has undergone several facelifts through the years, but quite a few of the original props remain as a loving reminder of the ride's first incarnation. After listening to the newfangled singing cows carry their tune throughout the ride, I was beginning to fear that we would be cheated out of hearing that good old fashioned Hershey's chocolate jingle. But to my delight, the ride still concludes to the familiar tune of "Hershey's chocolate, Hershey's chocolate, It's a Hershey's chocolate world!" WOO HOO!!


The best part of the ride, of course, remains the FREE sample at the end! This little cluster concoction was tasty and all, but the purist in me really just wanted a regular ol' Hershey bar...


Quaint little gift shops abound at Chocolate World, beckoning you to purchase their Hershey-themed wares.


Have you hugged an animated chocolate bar today?


Now we come to my favorite kind of souvenir: The edible kind! Seriously, just looking at this room is enough to make anybody gain ten pounds...


...and eating this monster would pretty much seal the deal!


That about wraps up our whirlwind tour of Choocolate World. (Or should I say, "unwraps" it?) Next stop: Candylane! Stay tuned...