Vacations Blog

Chicago's Christkindl Market in Daley Plaza

Gliding down the Magnificent Mile and piling up credit card charges might signal  the start of the  Chicago  holiday season for some but for me, the official launch comes with  the fresh stollen, gingerbread and hot spiced wine of  the Christkindl Market. Considered one of the best German Christmas markets in the world, this open air, month-long event offers a more authentic (and cheaper)  holiday shopping experience.  Inspired by the famous Nuremburg  Christmas Market that started in 1545, the Chicago Christkindl features an official  November 25 launch by Nuremberg’s past Christkindl, a fairy-like character who wears a  shimmering, golden robe with a crown perched atop golden locks. Read More »

Orlando Museum of Art welcomes winter

We don’t have snow, ice or frigid temperatures, but even Orlando welcomes the winter holidays.

We hang tiny white lights from our rooftops and set plastic reindeer in our yards next to our pink flamingos.  Our malls are filled with holiday sale signs by Halloween and our children stand for hours for a chance to cry on Santa’s lap.

Yes, even in Florida, we welcome the chance to pay homage to the North Pole.

The Orlando Museum of Art offers a beautiful program to celebrate the winter holidays, although the timing of the event is a little bizarre.  The Orlando Festival of Trees begins and ends before Thanksgiving.

The Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees exhibit runs from November 14th to November 22nd.  The annual festival dates back to 1986 and strives to provide museum guests with a “winter wonderland” experience.  Room after room is decorated with wreaths and trees and holiday trimmings.

Christmas Trees in Orlando

The exhibit features a Gingerbread Village, Toyland Town and Christmas Village.  There’s also live entertainment provided by local choirs, dance groups and musical groups.  Of course, the holiday atmosphere wouldn’t be complete without a place to shop, so the museum provides a Holiday Boutique and Holiday Garden where they’ll happily feed your need for celebratory consumerism.

The event is open from 10am to 5pm, with extended hours to 8pm on Thursday the 19th and Saturday the 21st.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children.  Additional information on hours, parking and special events can be found at the Festival of Trees web site.

Orlando Festival of Trees

The Orlando Museum of Art is well north of the infamous amusement park district.  It’s surrounded by other Orlando museums and theaters and offers a more cultural view of Orlando, Florida than the hats with ears version.

Photo Credit:  Orlando Museum of Art

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

The end of summer doesn’t mean the end of good times. (Although, if you talk to my kids, the end of summer and the beginning of the school year really does mean the end of good times, and any type of joyful existence, period.)  The next few months are filled with holidays and the celebrations that go along with them, not to mention festivals taking place throughout the city. Here are a few – check back here on the UpTake blog for other events to help you get over summer withdrawal.

Sawdust Art Festival  – The Summer Show is the main part of this Laguna Beach festival and takes place from June through August, but it really consists of several festivals that take place year-round.  Check out the Autumn Art Festival for first rate classes like Glass Blowing, Ceramics and Oil Painting.  Don’t miss the Winter Fantasy, which takes place over four weekends from November 22 through December 14 and features 170 artists and craftspeople creating, demonstrating and selling their original pieces, not to mention outdoor cafes and a visit with Santa!  Kill two birds with one stone and get your holiday shopping done here, too.

(By the time this post publishes, you will have just missed the Nisei Week Japanese Festival that takes place in Little Tokyo every summer.  But it’s worth noting for next year – mark your calendars for next August’s festival.)

The beginning of November brings several festivals celebrating Dia De Los Muertos or The Day of the Dead.  One of the biggest celebrations takes place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and features theater performances, arts and crafts exhibitions and authentic Mexican cuisine.  This year’s event takes place on November 1st, from 4-11pm and admission is only $5 per person.  Celebrate the dead without giving up an arm and a leg.

DWP Light Festival – Not so much a festival as a magical celebration of the holiday season. An amazing light and motion display sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power that you can view either from your car or via a walking route (which they recommend.)  Part of the festival is the Reindeer Romp at the nearby L.A. Zoo which features live reindeer, hands-on arts and crafts and holiday shopping.  If you’ve never had a chance to see this awesome light show, make it a point to go this year – it’s worth the crush of cars and maddening crowds.  It makes my husband cranky just thinking about going, but once he sees how much the kids love it, he cheers up.  Most of the time.

Photo: Hollywood Forever presents Dia de la Muertos