Moving from Florida, where celebrating Christmas in 90-degree weather never really set the Christmas spirit for me, to Colorado where the winters are so amazing has really enhanced our family’s love for the Christmas Season. We live in Denver, so we have light winters and all the snow and winter sports, but not the freezing temps and ski town snow accumulations. This is our 5th Holiday season we are celebrating in Colorado and really do feel the Spirit (sometimes too early, Costco ought to be ashamed to get the Christmas display going when they are still selling back-to-school supplies). Here are some great traditions we have developed in the Denver Metro area.
Christmas In Color & Lights
One of the first things we do each year, typically Thanksgiving weekend, is called Christmas in Color. There are now three locations for the same show, Morrison at Bandimere Speedway, Denver Water Works & a new Aurora location at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds. This is an event for the whole family, even the dog, since you pay by car and stay in your car the whole time. Tune into the radio station displayed and take 20 minutes to slowly drive through a beautiful light display of timed lights and music for a multimedia experience. There is also an add-on package to buy 3D glasses to experience the lights, but I never find those things worth it. The activity is simple, but we have lots of fun every year and will go at least two or three times each season, bringing white hot chocolate for the car-ride.
The rest of the lights & decorated homes we go to visit around town are all free experiences and can be planned on the fly without reservations. I typically choose a cold night that we won’t want to get out of the car and make a big pot of white hot chocolate to take with us to visit Grace Presbyterian Church in Highlands Ranch. They host a free Christmas light show from 5:00-10:00 pm each night from Thanksgiving through the New Year. This year, there has been lots of hype over the Hazard’s Gingerbread House, which was a contender on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight, where decorated houses across the country compete for $50,000 and a trophy. They did not win, but my brother-in-law was mad that he missed such a decorated house when he was just out at Thanksgiving. I’ll have to have a full itinerary of lit houses for him next year. Denver is a really large place, so put in the neighborhood or the cardinal directions and the word lights into the googler and you will get a great list of houses. Since we live south of Denver our list has houses in Cherry Creek, Englewood, Centennial, Greenwood Village and Littleton.
Nutcracker
This year, we chose a Friday night to see the Nutcracker and for the second year in a row, a snowstorm hit! These past two years we have been going to the Colorado Ballet’s Nutcracker at the Ellie Caulkins Theater in the Denver Arts District. The best parking options for this area is to be dropped off or try to park in the theater district lot. However, this year it was full due to many other shows going on simultaneously. Since the snow had started by this point, my only real option was to follow the line of cars to the convention center parking garage. It was a narrow, circular drive up and down, in a super slow corral, if you’re claustrophobic this might not be the garage for you. Then the elevators were a bit sketchy too, so I can’t say we enjoyed the experience, but we made it before the show started and the walk wasn’t too far in the snow. This year, I got seats early and decided to try to box seats and we couldn’t have been happier with them! The box was right in the middle back of the orchestra seating and slightly elevated so my daughter could see really well. These seats also had actual chairs instead of the stadium seating. We sat in the 1-4 section of the box and had lots of room. Be aware that the 5-8 sections of the box are on bar stool type seating in the back of the box. I would not have cared for that, unless we had a large group of parents and kids for instance.
The Ellie Caukins theater always feels so fancy to Cassidy and I, so we get dressed up. I was glad they had a coat check, since most of these venues are warm and it’s bulky to carry a coat. I love a good coat check, that’s my Euro-bougie experience. They also had lots of concessions with drinks and snacks, but still elevated to a theater experience. I enjoyed a coffee before the show and a specialty sugar plum fairy Prosecco drink during intermission. Cassidy got caught up in the gift shop, gift shops really are her love language. We spent most of the intermission there, but I only got roped into one thing this time and not even dance related. This gift shop would be a great place to get dance ornaments or signed ballet slippers for gifts or mementos.
Photo with Santa
What Christmas experience would be complete without Santa Photos? Our family doesn’t go to the mall for those pictures anymore, any excuse for me to stay out of a mall during prime Christmas shopping season is welcome. I learned about Cabela’s Santa photos years ago when our daughter was first born. We lived right across the street from a Bass Pro Shop in Florida and I took Cassidy to see the fish in the tanks quite frequently when she was a baby and toddler. When Christmas time came around, the store was always decorated so nicely and even in Florida had a winter feel. Cabela’s & Bass Pro Shop around the country all offer this winter experience. We signed up for a free photo with Santa and Cassidy brought her Santa letter to send to the North Pole. After a few minutes talking to Santa and taking a picture solo, or with the whole family (including dogs), is a special moment. Linger a little longer when they are not backed up with a line around the store, take pictures with reindeer or by the mailbox. Once we moved to Colorado we continued this free Christmas experience (every other experience is super expensive, so a free one or two is always appreciated) at either Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop, they both offer the same experience and a great place to get some Christmas shopping…especially for us casual Coloradans. Don’t miss checking out the fish tanks and animal displays found around the store.
St. Nicholas Christmas Store
The St. Nick’s Store in Littleton is a tradition that my daughter and I have been going to over the years and is amazing. This seemingly small store, opens into 22 decorated rooms featuring themed trees, ornaments and other Christmas decorations. Then in the basement, they have tons of wreaths, lights, Christmas trees and anything you could possibly need to decorate them (skirts, lights, toppers, etc.) in all colors and themes. The one thing we were looking for was to replace our tree topper. Last year, our favorite topper we had on our tree for years died a few nights before Christmas. I went out on Christmas Eve to try to find a topper and ended up with one of the last two angels at Hobby Lobby. It did the trick last year and honestly is beautiful during the day, but it doesn’t light up. At night, when the tree is all lit there is this dark space at the top, where you can see an outline of an angel’s shadow, so our one goal going into St. Nick’s Store this year was to come out with a topper that lights up.
Once we walked across the modestly decorated porch, we opened the door to a Christmas Wonderland! We spent the most time in rooms with aqua and pastel-colored ornaments, sea animals, as well as animal and pet ornaments. I love traditional European glass blown ornaments and Old-World ornaments that remind me of my years living in Germany and all the beautiful Christmas Markets I got to explore during my Christmas Seasons in Europe. They also have every type of sport, profession, hobby and family number (including pets) that can all be personalized with beautiful handwriting. Our family lost our beloved labrador Zoe this past year and Cassidy found a yellow lab angel ornament that we had her name and year commemorated. On a happier note, we also were able to find a golden retriever puppy ornament to celebrate our new addition, Bella, for her first Christmas in our family.
This place does get really crowded and can feel claustrophobic with too many people. We went on a weeknight, around 7:30 pm and it was a great time. I’d suggest going early or late in the day and avoiding weekends. I also suggest going early in the season, by the time we went the last two years the supply has been picked over. If you have something specific you’re looking for or just want to see it at its best, go in November or early December. We also found out that the St. Nick Store has a big Halloween ornament following and plan to check that out next year in early October. Parking is all around the store with a small lot in the front, ample parallel parking across the road and even more in the back of the building.
Christkindle Market
When we first moved to Denver, I was a high school principal and one of my Deans was so excited to find out that I had lived in Germany. She told me about the Christkindl Market, German Christmas Market, they hold every year in Denver. The first year we went, it was still being held on the sidewalk off the 16th Street Mall, but it was way too crowded with lines a mile long, but I was so excited to feel that German Christmas spirit again, drink gluhwein out of a traditional mug and eat some yummy German food, I was happy to cue up. Now the market is held in Civic Center Park, right in front of the State Capital building. The area is much more spacious, however the cue lines are still long and the areas in front of the stalls get crowed. This location is where the main pulse of Downtown Denver is located. Good luck finding free or street parking, but there are many garages and paid lots on all sides of the giant park.
The last few years, I have gone to this event on a cold, wintry or windy day, but this year the weather was sunny and beautiful! It really does make all the difference choosing a sunny day even if there is snow on the ground. We were walking around in hoodies and even had to take them off, since it was so warm on one side of the park. We entered closest to all the food trucks and stalls, which was perfect because we came hungry. There were traditional brats, schnitzel, potato pancakes and then the not as traditional crepes and Greek food. There were plenty of stalls to get pretzels, bakery goods, cheese and sweet treats. There were separate lines to buy beer (bier in German) and gluhwein, a warm spiced red wine that could be enjoyed on the go, in the tent with lots of Oktoberfest style seating or by securing a small stand-up table that was in popular demand. We even saw two barmaids, dressed up in traditional dirndls who were pouring shots and selling them from a board hanging around their necks.
In addition to food, there are lots of shops in small stalls both traditional and not. One side of the market was for souvenir style and kitschy gifts that are found at many of the farmers markets around the metro area, but the larger side of stalls that end in a semicircle of stores had more traditional offerings. There are lots of editable treats that are great to have around the house during the holidays or make for interesting hostess gifts when invited to holiday events. My favorite stall has lots of wooden ornaments, toys, nutcrackers, smokers and carved houses. These were all the rage in the European Markets and I love to pick up a new nutcracker or smoker (they are Santa and holiday inspired characters with a pipe that smokes when incense is added. This year, I chose a complimentary ski chalet to one of my favorite ski chalet ornament that I brought home from Berlin years ago. They are all hand carved and the craftsmanship is so special compared to typical commercial decorations. There are also lots of stalls that sell glass blown ornaments and hand painted decorations and even clothing and textiles.
We decided to go to the Christkindl Market on a Sunday right around lunch time, mainly because my daughter was presenting a project on German in her 3rd grade class the next day, we had wanted to come for the three weeks prior, but family illness and injury kept us away until our last chance. I think next year I will also schedule this market activity earlier in the season and probably during the week as well. If you decide to visit at night, the Mile High Tree will be light from the same park, which is a Denver tradition. If you are in town for a holiday visit or want to make a whole day in Downtown Denver, you could also get some shopping done on the 16th Street Mall, make a reservation at one of the many great restaurants in the area. Just a little more north is Union Station and McGregor Square that have tons of well decorated bars, restaurants and coffee shops to suit any time of day. Union Station itself is always decorated with lights outside and is often a decoration destination itself.
Zoo Lights
Zoo Lights was a first for us this year, since we have not been to the zoo for this event. We have been to the zoo on a few occasions, between class field trips, birthday parties and with friends and it’s a nice zoo. We were excited to see the new flock of flamingos that we have been seeing advertised and recently opened. We did see the flamingos, but since this event was at night they were all sleeping, huddled together inside an enclosure that we viewed from a window. In reality, we really did not get to see as many animals as we had anticipated. It was dark and cold, so most of the animals were inside sleeping. There were some areas open to see the animals, like ‘explore the shore’ building with reptiles and fish. There were two sloths sleeping in a tree, primates and our favorite animals, giraffes and capybaras. The big disappointment was not getting to see the penguins, they can take the weather!
I am glad I didn’t get roped into the glow package, my daughter wasn’t interested in it at all, so win for me. But as a fair warning, they do make it look attractive and all lit up. Cassidy wanted to ride the carousel, but that was a quick and easy purchase and a short wait for her to be able to ride a peacock. The lights were beautiful, they had a lot of animal and nature lights and areas that were amazing to stand and just look at for a while.
The worst part of this event was the parking, I was really taken aback by how little parking there was and spent 20 minutes looking for parking in the dark. It was so dark, no lights in most of the secondary lots around the zoo and people and kids running and walking everywhere. I drive in Denver a lot for these types of events, but this really was terribly overcrowded, at least outside. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t feel that crowded once we entered the zoo. A trick I learned was to park in the garage of the Science Center and walk into the zoo event halfway. You still walk the whole zoo perimeter, but doing it this way parking was available and we didn’t have to walk twice as far to reach the entrance. There were a few employees telling us they could scan us in there, it saved the day with my daughter. She’s not a ‘walker’ like mommy. I don’t know if it’s the teacher in me or the European traveler, but I can walk forever and with purpose. I have to read my audience and realize that I’m on vacation not managing a high school hallway on family vacations and events.
Once we got back to the shortcut out of the zoo we were able to cut through to the garage again. This parking really was ideal, since the Science Center is closed at that hour. Cassidy and I have discussed it and were not sure if we’d go back to this light show every year. It was nice to go to once and we enjoyed it, but once you’ve done it you know what to expect. I think next year we will try booking tickets for Blossoms of Light really early in the year because it sells out by December 1st most of the time. The main event is Downtown at the Botanical Gardens or there is a second campus at the Chatfield Botanic Garden if you are located south of Denver. Also south of the city is Hudson Gardens in Littleton that is a great experience of walking through lights. Cassidy asked me the other day, “Mommy, are we going to any more cold, outside, light shows this year?” point taken. Apparently, my kid can only handle one or two outdoor events a year, so maybe we will do Hudson Garden next year.
Polar Express Train experience
We did not book a Polar Express train experience this year and I am a little bit disappointed I didn’t jump on it sooner. Last year, we went down to the Royal Gorge Polar Express train experience and were really disappointed in the experience, at least Ken & I were. It seemed cheesy, had a minimal light show that was supposed to be the “North Pole” and an elf that was our waitress that took her role a little too seriously. However, Cassidy loved it at the time, but just a few years later thinks she’s crossing into too mature for that experience. However, there are a few other options I heard good reviews about and will be booking in advance next year. I hear good things about the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden and Americas Railroad Polar Express experience in Durango, Colorado.
The season came and went so quickly this year…I know I think that every year, but it’s true! I think of all the additional things I would like to add to our advent time next year, but then also consider the balance. We can’t do everything, as my husband and kids remind me all the time (if it were up to me we’d sure try) especially when Christmas should be focused on the family. Colorado is a great place to spend the Christmas Season, especially if you crave a traditional, cozy environment. You don’t have to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy your winter in Colorado.
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