Four years ago we took the kids to San Francisco to see the enormous gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel. Since then we've made this our family holiday tradition. We are big believers in public transportation so we usually take the ferry instead of drive. The kids love it. They get to ride in a big boat, enjoy the view, eat donuts and drink hot chocolate. We feel very fortunate to have this option available to us as commuting on the San Francsico Bay is hard to beat.

Once we arrived at the Ferry Building we got fresh bread from Acme Bread Company and then walked to Philz Coffee for a cup of hipster coffee. We then took the cable car up California Street to the Fairmont Hotel. After the kids see the gingerbread house, write a letter to Santa and explore around the hotel we walk to Chinatown for lunch. This year we added one more stop - the San Francisco Cable Car Museum. I'm so glad we went to see how the cable cars work. It's pretty amazing and a must see. You'll be amazed at the mechanics and also learn a lot about the history of one of two National Historic Landmarks that move (New Orleans’ St. Charles streetcar line is the other). We ended our trip with ice cream back at the Ferry Building, and two tired parents. What is your family holiday tradition?