Events to Make Your Holidays Bright

With the holiday season upon us again, there are many different ways to keep your spirit bright during the season. 

Consider the following options if you’re looking for things to do to get into the holiday spirit this season. 

See a light show- 

Winter Wander Trail– Hosted at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville, this lighted walking trail around a lake is relatively flat and wheelchair accessible. The tickets range from $10 to $20. Food, drinks, and snacks like kettle corn are available for purchase. The dates for this specific show, which runs through Dec. 30, are available on their website.

Dominion GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden– This light show at the Botanical Garden takes place in Richmond. There are a couple of different options for tickets for both members and non-members. They are open from Nov. 22 to Jan. 9, 2022, closed on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving. This year’s theme for the light show is naturally connected; if you are interested, they have more information about what that means on the website. They also have model trains.

Fluvanna Lightshow for Charity– A resident at Lake Monticello, Jeff Spinello, has decorated his house every December for the past 18 years. This is to raise money for Lake Monticello’s Fire and Rescue and the SPCA and Caring for Creatures; both are animal organizations. There are donation boxes outside next to the road.  

Host a Christmas Cookie day/exchange-

One thing that is pretty common around the holidays is a cookie day where you make multiple types of cookies with your family and friends. Some people like to exchange their cookies with other families and friends. My favorite holiday cookie to make and eat are Snickerdoodles. It is cookie rolled/covered in sugar and cinnamon. A couple of other types of sweets that are popular around the holidays are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter balls, sugar cookies, and anything with peppermint. 

Have a holiday movie marathon-

One of the best parts about the holidays is the movies. So sit next to a fire, wrapped in a blanket, and watch Christmas movies. I am a huge fan of Hallmark movies. Other good movies to watch are Elf, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Christmas Vacation. You can watch Elf on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is on TBS or TNT or Amazon Prime Video for 14.99. Then, A Christmas Vacation TBS, or TNT, or Hulu live.   

Listen to Christmas music-

Christmas music always gets me in the Christmas spirit. I usually start listening to Christmas music in early Nov. The classics are always a good option. I also like the band Pentatonix, a group that is entirely acapella. They have some great Christmas albums out. I also like to listen to Kelly Clarkson’s Wrapped in Red Christmas album. Mariah Carey is also good to listen to during the holiday season. 

Decorating your house/tree-

Getting to decorate your house and your Christmas tree is always a fun part of getting ready for the holiday. I decorated this past weekend, and my house now screams Christmas. I really enjoy decorating and getting to give gifts to others. 

Make your own homemade ornament-

Making your own ornament is always fun. Getting to have your own work shown on your tree is always an excellent feeling, and it’s an effortless craft; all you need is a plastic ornament and whatever you want to go inside of it, maybe some string. Then you decorate it. 

Build a Gingerbread house-

Building a gingerbread house is a lot of fun. Trying to get a wall to stay up with icing and then make it look good with all of the extra icing and food that comes along with it is so fun. Trying to make it a race makes it even more fun. 

There are many more fun holiday ideas on this website: Christmas Bucket List: 50 Fun Holiday Activities & Festive Things to Do