As the holidays approach, seasonal lighting displays dispel the gloom of lengthening winter nights. Children of all ages can enjoy a variety of light shows, including lanterns, luminaries, candles, and Christmas trees. We've compiled a list of the biggest and best holiday lighting festivities for you to share with your grandchildren.
Seattle's Argosy Christmas Ship Festival
Designed to celebrate Seattle's rich maritime history, the Christmas Ship Festival has taken place in some form since 1949. This year, the festivities begin on November 27, to commemorate the new South Lake Union Park, and run through December 23. You can enjoy the ArgosyChristmas Ship, ablaze with lights, from more than 45 Puget Sound waterfront communities. Folks gather around roaring bonfires to await the arrival of the Argosy ship. You can sail aboard the Christmas Ship or one of the Parade ships that follow. Several years ago, John Blackman, of Seattle, took his grandchildren, 8 and 10 years old, aboard the Christmas Ship. He says, "Kelly, my granddaughter, really enjoyed being inside the ship next to the choir that was singing, while Ryan had more fun standing on the outside deck watching the boats in the parade behind the Christmas Ship." Mystic Seaport Lantern Light Tours
The Museum of America and the Sea, a renowned maritime museum in Mystic, Conn., has scheduled one-hour lantern tours most Fridays through Sundays, from November 27 through December 29. A costumed guide, carrying a lantern, leads visitors as they participate in a progressive play that takes them back in time to Christmas Eve, 1876. They tour Mystic Seaport on foot, ride in horse-drawn carriages, take part in a traditional dance, and may even spot old St. Nick. The tour is one-half mile over an uneven route and is not recommended for children younger than 4. In the spirit of the holidays, each participant is asked to bring a nonperishable food item to be donated to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. Gaylord Opryland's A Country Christmas
Ethel Brown of Owensboro, Ky., adores the Country Christmas Lighting Ceremony at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. "My daughter, granddaughter, and I go every year to the light show where they turn them on all at once." She says, "It's something everyone should see; it makes me happy every time and gets me into the spirit of things." Elves serve hot chocolate and cookies; country music star Louise Mandrell and the New York City Rockettes perform outdoors at the entrance to the convention center; and a huge switch is flipped, bringing to life 2 million lights around the hotel and its grounds. The hotel is celebrating its glorious return after massive flooding shut it down six months ago.
McConnells, S.C., Historic Brattonsville Candlelight Tours Gary Williams, of Rock Hill, S.C., says his grandchildren, Peyton, 6, and Taylor, 13, especially like the enchantment of dancing light that the candles and campfires create at Historic Brattonsville, a 775-acre Revolutionary War living-history site in McConnells, S.C. This year the candlelight tours, display of live farm animals, and reenactments are set for December 11 and 12, from 3pm to 9pm. Costumed presenters will depict how Christmas celebrations evolved in the Carolinas from the 1780s to just before the Civil War. Phoenix's Las Noches de las Luminarias
Seven-thousand hand-lit luminarias, musical entertainment, and cheerful decorations amid the finest collection of desert plants beckon Arizona residents to usher in the holidays. Between December 2 (for Garden members; December 9 for the general public) and December 30, the grounds will be illuminated by holiday luminarias — candles inside paper bags. Eleven different musical groups, including a jazz band and handbell choirs, will provide sounds of the season. Breckenridge, Colo., Lighting Celebration
When local Janis Bunchman takes her grandchildren to kick off Breckenridge's Victorian holiday season, they sip hot chocolate while drinking in a snow-filled wintry atmosphere. Lampposts are trimmed with garlands; the historic buildings are decorated with twinkling lights; and fresh snow puts even the grumpiest in a happy holiday mood. Santa leads a caroling procession to light the town tree — December 4 this year. The fun continues with a live outdoor concert and visits with Santa.
Bay Area Menorah Lighting
To celebrate Chanukah in northern California, the North Peninsula Chabad will be lighting a giant Ice Menorah. The event will take place in Washington Park on December 2, the second night of Chanukah, at 6pm. It's free, and everyone is welcome. Munch on latkes and doughnuts while the menorah is lighted and a live band entertains.
Branson, Mo., Alive with Lights
The Branson Area Festival of Lights Drive-Through is an animation display that leads visitors through a historic 160-acre homestead. Open from November 1 to January 2, the one-mile trail features 175 displays. Also in Branson, the Silver Dollar City theme park becomes a wonderland for An Old Time Christmas. A musical, five-story, special-effects Christmas tree twinkles in the square. More than one million lights and twice-a-night parades (weather permitting) highlight the park celebrations from November 6 to December 30.
Beverly Hills, Calif., kicks off the holidays on November 18, with a 30-foot tree at the top of the Spanish Steps on Rodeo Drive and replica polar bears frolicking among the icebergs in the fountain below. In addition to visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as carolers and live entertainment, there will be a Menorah Lighting on December 6 at 7:30pm, with festive music and latkes.
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