The holidays are a busy time with mixed emotions for many people. As people continue to settle in at home for the holidays or travel to spend time solo, with family, or with friends, I wanted to share some holiday activity recommendations you can enjoy at your final destination that you might not have considered before.
Trail of Lights or a Holiday Light Show
Let's get the most obvious activity to appear on this list out the way first. Pretty much every town and for sure every city has some sort of holiday light show or trail. However, one thing that could be worth looking into is if your destination has a neighborhood with spectacular holiday lights. For example, here in Austin, Texas there is a neighborhood on 37th Street that is fully committed to going all out with the holiday lights in their yards. Having extravagant holiday decorations at your home is part of what you do when you live on that street. I've seen themes such as Star Wars and even a carnival complete with a carousel at some homes!
Artisan Market
The holiday season is a great time to do some shopping at artisan markets! You can find unique gifts for yourself or others while supporting small businesses in the local area. These markets will often have holiday-themed snacks and drinks available for purchase or for free. Already purchased your gifts for the holidays? Don't forget about the birthdays to celebrate in the near future or you can just get a head start on holiday shopping for next year!
Food and Beverage Tours, Classes, or Workshops
If you will be in or near a larger city during the holidays, you can often find tours, classes, or workshops available for free or at a relatively low price. Popular options may include breweries or distilleries, but local candy factories may also offer tours. Additionally, some candy stores and bakeries may have fun classes or workshops to learn how to make your own sweet treat!
Support Performance Arts
I'm almost positive every ballet company runs some version of The Nutcracker during the holiday season. Each production is slightly different and may even be location-specific. For example, a couple of years ago my mom and I went to the Houston Urban Nutcracker to watch a production of The Nutcracker with a story centered around exploring the city of Houston, it's history, diversity, and rich culture. Depending on what performances are available in or near your holiday destination, you may find theater productions, operas, or any other performance arts events to check out at various price points.
Volunteer Events
The holidays are generally viewed as a time of giving, so that means there will be a plethora of volunteer activities no matter the destination. Whether you have decided to stay home for the holidays or will be traveling to a different location, you will be sure to find opportunities to volunteer with food banks, churches, schools, and other non-profit organizations. The best part about volunteer activities? You can volunteer solo or with family and friends. It's free, not meant to be time consuming, helps leave a positive impact on the local community, and can be a chance to meet new people who could become lifelong friends!
Visit Holiday Movie and TV Landmarks
I love a good holiday movie and my favorite one is Home Alone 2: Lost in New York! I've been to New York City a few times and with each trip I tried to see as many landmarks featured in the film as possible -- which I successfully completed 6 years ago during my last visit to NYC when I saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center to cross the last item off my list. There are so many holiday movies set in big cities and small towns which means there is a chance that you can find some location that was featured in a holiday movie. If you're taking a road trip, perhaps visiting some holiday movie or tv show landmarks during the journey will make for some good stops and fun photos.
GIF alt text: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York scene where Kevin's mom finds him at the Christmas tree in Rockefeller center and they run to hug each other.
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