Holiday spirit hits a little sooner than usual
By Amy Gatto Klein, Convention Services Manager
Wildlights
I’m typically a person who staunchly waits until after Thanksgiving to do any type of holiday of activity. I avoid gift buying, just say no to caroling and partake in no general merrymaking. All of this grinchiness changed last Thursday as I sat in the beautiful and ornate Ohio Theatre and watched Harry Connick Jr. perform his Christmas concert . The show was fantastic and a lot of fun. The regal setting in the Ohio Theatre couldn’t be beat for a night of jazz and the snow falling outside was an added bonus.
Smiling as Harry made his way through familiar tunes, I couldn’t help but to think of the other not-to-be missed activities around Columbus this season.
- I’ll definitely be making it to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for Wildlights (photo shown is by Rod Berry Photography ). Bundling up and sipping hot chocolate as you stroll through the light display is half the fun, so no fair picking a warm day to visit (besides it’s more crowded on the warmer days and way more crowded as you get closer to December 25).
- Although I usually avoid the malls this time of the year, I am really excited to visit Easton Town Center . They’ve gone out of their way to make shopping an experience. Beautiful decorations, carriage rides, pedicabs and photos with Santa are all featured. Also take note of 24 Days of Giving - if you’re caught feeding a meter, you might be rewarded with a gift card.
- The Holiday Hop in the Short North Arts District is always on my holiday must-do list. Not only is the Short North a great destination for one-of-a-kind gifts, it’s also a wonderful urban holiday experience complete with fantastic window displays and unbeatable people watching.
- For me the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without letting some of that inner snarkiness escape. For this purpose there is nothing better than a trip to CATCO’s Santaland Diaries . You can’t beat the works of David Sedaris for bringing out the levity in any situation and this one-man show leaves me in tears of laughter.
So I’ll be joining in the holiday spirit a little earlier than normal this year and I can’t wait to get started! What are your not-to-be-missed holiday outings or traditions?
Tags: arts, CATCO, Easton, holidays, nightlife, ohio theatre, Short North, theater, zoo
November 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
For years my family has kicked into the holiday season with the Holiday Hop. It’s magical, inspiring and each year we had santa pics taken with the 3 of us and any friends that went with us so each year, different people would be in the picture. Last year we saw no Santa…boo hoo. Although our son is now 16 and goes with his friends rather than his parents, he still meets up for the Santa picture bring all of his teenage freinds for the picture! I DO hope Santa will visit this year.
Brenda Direen
Ivett Domalewski
The Gals at American Canvas Screen Printing Studio
November 25th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
COSI is another great place to spend time with the family. And what better way to get relatives out of the house than sending them to the #1 science center in the US?