LONGVIEW, Texas — We may be nearing Thanksgiving, but at Carmela's Magical Santa Land in Longview, they're ready for Christmas to start right now.
Stretching nearly a mile long and containing almost 2 million lights with countless blow-up decorations, Carmela's Magical Santa land opens to everyone on Nov. 6, but the day before they open up for special needs children and their families to give them the first look.
Carmela Davis, the owner of Carmela's Magical Santa Land, says they do this because she wants them to have their own unique experience.
"Sometimes they don't need as much commotion, so much noise, so many people around them," said Davis. So this gives their time to feel special, which they should, and gives their family to feel special to come out there, take the time, take a deep breath and enjoy it and not feel so rushed."
Not only did do they allow these families in early, but on Wednesday they also held a fundraiser in partnership with the Longview Area Ambucs to give specialized bikes to those with special needs.
"We hope to keep that going to where we can raise enough for 16-20 trikes, and then we'll start our actual open at the park on Friday," said Davis.
When going to the park, they ask for donations at the door to keep the park open and any extra money collected will go toward the trikes.
There's also one more new thing everyone will have the chance to try. Davis says they try to add something new every year to keep everything fresh and exciting. This year, they've added a walking trail for a completely new adventure.
If you want to visit, they'll be open every day through January 3.
From Sunday - Thursday, you can visit from 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. and on Friday- Saturday, check it out from 5:30 p.m. - 11p.m.