A Festive Colorado Christmas

The symphony concert A Colorado Christmas has become a holiday tradition for Marina and I. This year, we invited Ainsley to join us.The girls decided to wear festive outfits. Marina wore her elf dress. Ainsley had on a red dress which we helped accessorize with a black Santa belt and a cardigan with snowflakes on it.

We decide to check out the Mile High Tree. The tree is a new feature this year that has an interactive light show inside. Marina and Ainsley laid down on the ground to watch the show. They both loved it!

We went into the concert hall for the concert. We checked out the pre show activities. Santa was there, so we got a photo with him. The girls weren’t interested in the activities, so we picked up some warm drinks and sat down.

The concert was fun, as usual. We all enjoyed the music and especially the Sing Along. At intermission we took a photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus. After the concert we were able to exit the parking garage quickly, but we ran into traffic, so it took us quite a while to get home. Both girls fell asleep on the drive. So once we arrived at the house, they went right to bed.

Light Blossoms

Every year, Marina and I like to go to Blossoms of Light. This year our weekend schedule is very full, so I got our tickets for tonight even though it was a school night. It was a chilly night but not too cold. We bundled up and drover over. Traffic wasn’t too bad and we didn’t have as much trouble finding a place to park as we often do.

When we went inside we bought hot chocolate. Then we headed out into the light displays. The lights were arranged much by their color schemes and we liked them. We also saw giant balls of light and glowing sticks that Marina called light sabers. This year they also had a structure made of light. It was fun to walk inside and be surrounded by it.

After we made it through the entire gardens we were ready to go home. It was a fun evening.

Camp Christmas

This year there is a new holiday display called Camp Christmas. We decided to check it out today.  We were early for our allotted time, but they let us in anyway. We started by buying hot chocolate to drink. Then we headed inside.

We weren’t sure what to expect. It turned out to be a journey with Christmas Past. The area contained interactive displays of how winter holidays have been celebrated throughout the centuries. There were activities to try out, a fairy story and great spots for photos. Marina especially liked trying to guess the answers to the “pun trees” throughout.

It took about an hour to see everything. It was fun and educational. We both loved it!

A Night at Santa's Village

This evening, we to Santa’s Village at the botanic gardens. As soon as we were inside we bought hot chocolate. It was chilly, but not overly cold and there weren’t many people there. The schoolhouse building was open and we found Frosty the Snowman inside. The next building had Santa in it. There was no line so we got photos with him and his elf.

Just outside the building were two reindeer in a pen. They were both sleeping. They looked so cute! The lights were very pretty as we walked to the barn. The activity in the barn was decorating a coffee mug. Marina was happy to do that.

After her mug was done, we walked past the elf village. There was no line for the wagon rides, so we got on board for that. The ride was shorter than last year but it was fun. After the ride we were ready to go home. We took a different route back to the entrance which took us past one of the old houses. We were surprised to find it was open for tours. So we looked around there before going back to the car.

Early Zoo Lights

It’s become a tradition for Marina and I to start the holiday season with Zoo Lights. As a University of Colorado Alumni, I am invited to their private event each year. This year since Thanksgiving falls to late in the year, they had to schedule it before. But we decided to go anyway.

We arrived a bit later than our entry time, so there was no line to get in. Our first stop was to pick up hot chocolate and cider to drink. Then we headed out into the zoo. The lights change every year and they were really lovely this year. We stopped to hear the CU Buffoons sing and went through Tropical Discovery.

After we went through the entire display, we went back to the Santa line. It was much shorter than when we arrived, so we refreshed our drinks and got in the line. When we reached the front, the mascot Chip and his family were right by us. So we invited them into our photos. They turned out awesome!

After our pictures we were ready to go home. We’d had another fun evening at the CU Alumni Zoo Lights.

Garden Lights

December has been a busy month for us. We weren’t able to go to Blossoms of Light at the botanic gardens before Christmas. The tickets sold quickly and when I got our tickets the only time slot left for tonight was 8:00 pm. That was later than I would have chosen, but I took them anyway.

It was a cold night – the temperature was only 16 degrees when we left the house. Fortunately for us we were able to find parking in the garage right away and there was no line to go inside. So we bought hot chocolate and we were on our way.

The lights were really pretty this year. Marina and I liked the color combinations we saw. Marina was even happy to have her picture taken in front of many of the displays. When we reached the end, we saw that the interactive lights were back but this year they were controlled by a touch screen. Marina was happy to give it a try.

Once we walked all the way through, Marina and I were ready to go home. We were really cold by that time.

Family, Santa and Holiday Lights

Last year, Marina and I enjoyed going to Santa’s Village. Since her cousins live close by, we invited them to join us this year.

We decided to meet early. Right as we parked we saw that her cousins was already there and very close to where we were. Then we headed inside. Maisey was a bit timid with us at first, but Barrett immediately responded to the holiday lights.

Close to the entrance was the line to meet Santa. So we decided to get that taken care of. As we waited, Emily took the kids to hear Mrs. Claus’ story time. Maisey didn’t want a photo with Mrs. Claus, so we took one of her with Marina. When it was our turn, Maisey was not at all interested in meeting Santa. So Barrett and Marina had their picture taken with him.

After seeing Santa, we followed the path to see the reindeer. All the kids were interested in them. Then we headed inside for hot chocolate and crafts. I got hot chocolate for everyone while Marina and Maisey decorated plates. Marina was so helpful helping Maisey get the colors she wanted.

Next, we got in in for the wagon ride through the lighted trees. All the kids were very patient while we were in line. They all seemed to enjoy the ride once it was our turn. After the ride, we looked at the lights at the other end of the garden before walking to the car. We’d all enjoyed spending the evening together!

Zoo Lights

For the past few years, we have gone to my alumni night at Zoo Lights with Chuck and Judy. We also invited more friends to join us. Marina and I arrived earlier than everyone else. When we went to buy our tickets, we were gifted two that someone else had purchased but weren’t able to use. They only asked that we sing a Christmas carol to get them. Marina didn’t want to, but I sang, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” without her.

A few minutes later, everyone showed up. We went inside and to wait in line for Santa. Mrs. Claus had just finished story time, so we got a photo with her while we waited. When it was finally our turn, we had our picture taken with Santa and the mascot.

After the photo was taken, we were ready to see the lights. We participated in the scavenger hunt, but it turned out to be much more difficult than last year. Our friends were particularly interested in Tropical Discovery, although they were disappointed that none of the Komodo Dragons were on display.

After we got through the zoo, Marina and I left while everyone else went shopping. We have school and work tomorrow, so we needed to get home.

All About Animals

Since Marina is on her winter break, I decided to take today off to spend with her. We both slept in and took it easy this morning. After brunch, we decided to go to the Museum of Nature and Science to see two touring exhibits which are leaving soon. When we arrived we found it was very crowded. We managed to find a parking spot at the Zoo and we walked over.

We started off by going through the Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit. There were plenty of people  there, but Marina was still able to try out some of the hands on activities. She helped remove a dinosaur skeleton from the sediment it was encased in, touched real dinosaur bones, helped recreate Pangea and collected six dinosaur stamps through the exhibit. At the end she looked through a screen which showed the skeleton as the dinosaur might have looked.

After we went through that exhibit, we went through the exhibit next door – Nature’s Amazing Machines. This exhibit showed how animals are uniquely adapted to the animal’s behavior. Marina waited in line to try out two different types of wings. We play an activity where strength was tested. By the time we finished with that exhibit, we were ready for a late lunch.

Since the Museum was so crowded, we decided to go to the Zoo for lunch. Unfortunately, it took us a while to find a restaurant that was open. So we were very hungry by the time we finally sat down to eat. Once we finished our lunch, we decided to look around the zoo. The animals were quite active during that time. We saw four young lions chasing each other around, a snow leopard roaring, three sea lions sleeping all snuggled together and a seal swimming around.

We left the zoo before it closed and took a rest in the car. We had tickets to Zoo Lights, so we had a short wait until we could go back in for that. When we saw the line forming we went back into the zoo.

We knew that there would be princesses at Zoo Lights, so we went there first. They weren’t there yet, so we were first in line when Anna and Elsa showed up. After we took photos with them, we picked up hot chocolate and went in to see the lights. When we have gone to Zoo Lights in the past we’ve always seen long lines for the carousel and train. Since the lines were short this time, we decided to do both. It was fun to ride the train through the lights. Then we went to the carousel where Marina was happy to ride a black panther.

We spent the rest of the time looking at all the lights. We took a brief trip through the Asian animals where we saw a sleeping fisher cat. Once we went through all the lights, we were ready to go home. We’d had a fun day but it was a lot of walking!

Beautiful Night, Gorgeous Lights

We had record high temperatures today, so I thought it would be a great night to see the Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens. I picked Marina up after school and we went directly there. Traffic was pretty bad, so it took about an hour to get there.  Fortunately when we arrived we were able to park and get inside quickly.

We started by having dinner in the café near the entrance of the gardens. After we ate, we bought hot chocolate and started out.

As always, the lights were gorgeous. Marina loved the trees filled with purple lights and my favorite was a tree wrapped in two shades of blue lights. As we walked through, the event got more and more crowded. So we found ourselves negotiating through people.

Even though it wasn’t very cold, we still stopped for a while to sit by the fire pit – one of Marina’s favorite spots. We talked to another family for a little while before finishing up our trip through the garden. We stopped for a bit at the interactive light display. Unfortunately a large group of ids cut in front of us so Marina decided not to take a turn controlling the display.

We had an easy trip home which was a nice change from the long trip there.

Holiday Tree Lighting

This year, Marina and I decided to check out the city tree lighting. When we arrived, we saw the huge tree in the lobby and found Mrs. Claus there. We got a few pictures before heading outside for the festivities. We picked up hot chocolate and some roaster almonds. We were visited by elves and Olaf who gave Marina candy canes.

 

We settled into seats near the fire pit while watching a dance performance. A bit later we went over to a pen to see two live reindeer. Marina liked being able to pet them.

When it came time for the lighting, we moved closer to the stage. It was fun to count down to the mayor flipping the switch. Once the lights were lit, a police escort brought Santa in on a fire truck. Marina found a spot on a ramp where she could see better.

After Santa arrived, we took pictures with carolers, walking Christmas trees and a reindeer. By then we were a bit cold so we went back into the building. Inside, we met up witha friend of mind from elementary school, and her daughter. She showed us a wreath she made. It was beautiful.

 

We checked the line to see Santa, but it was really long, so we decided to go home.

Santa's Village

For many years, Marina and I have wanted to see the holiday lights at Santa's Village, but we’ve never made it. So I suggested we go this evening – our only opportunity this year. Marina agreed.

I picked her up after school. We ran into plenty of rush hour traffic and after about an hour we arrived at the location. The parking attendant told us we were his VIPs for the night and directed us to a parking spot right by the entrance.

I already had our tickets, so we walked right into the event. We stopped briefly at a fire pit, but it was such a warm night we didn’t stay there for long. We followed the path into a building. Inside we found a Christmas plate craft, Mrs. Claus, Frosty the Snowman and Santa himself!

The line for Santa was short, so we did that first. Marina couldn’t think of anything she wanted for Christmas, but she posed for photos anyway. Next she designed a Christmas plate. We sat for a story and a song with Mrs. Clause before we moved on.

We followed a beautifully lit path to an Elf Village. The buildings were so cute! Nearby were two reindeer in a pen. Marina was able to pet them a little when they came close enough to the fence. We checked out the movie theater where an old cartoon was showing. We picked up hot chocolate to drink while we were there.

Then we got in line for a hayride to the other side of the garden. It was a pretty trip!

The rest of the light show was a decorated farm house. Marina particularly liked the ducks and chickens in the coop. We could even see some that were sleeping.

Our trip home was much faster than the drive to the garden. After a fun evening, it was good to get home.