Traditions You Can Only Find in Huntsville at Christmas - 2016 Edition

[cue the Charlie Brown Christmas music]

“Christmas time is here! Happiness and cheer!”

Okay, not quite “A Charlie Brown Christmas” since you’d be hard pressed to find a snowflake to catch on your tongue.

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But we have our own local traditions down here, and I’ve compiled a list of the highlights.

Spoiler alert: none of them involve shaming the local blockhead for buying a tiny tree.

Speaking of trees…

Tinsel Trail

Look at the uniquely decorated trees by different sponsors. It’s free to the public and located in Big Spring Park East (think: near the waterfall). Go at night for the full effect.

Skating in the Park

Behind the Huntsville Museum of Art you can find the temporary ice skating rink. Open 7 days a week. $10 to skate for 9 and up, $5 under 8, $3 to rent skates, and $5 to rent scooters.

The rink will be open through January 3. I keep hoping it’ll stay open longer. There’s still a lot of cold weather left after January 3.

Santa’s Village

Downtown Huntsville on 109 Gates Avenue. Go see Santa (there is no age limit BTW, I know this from experience), make some cookies, watch a blacksmith make nails the old fashioned way.

Ask him to forge you a candy cane. There’s also entertainment, music, comedy, etc. Admission is $5, open 5-9 pm daily.

The Nutcracker

Watch Huntsville Ballet Company do their annual Nutcracker performance at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall. It’s magical! Prices are in the 30-something dollar range. (Ok, technically $29-$38).

Spirit of Christmas Past Homes Tour and Luminaries

Walking tour inside several historic homes and other buildings in the Twickenham Historic District. Also the luminaries are pretty. Tickets are $15. December 10 at 5 pm.

Galaxy of Lights

Driving tour of holiday lights. $25 a car (up to 10 people) If you want more detailed info, I wrote more about this in a previous blog. Read it here.

For a more traditional tradition, The Living Christmas Tree at First Baptist Church on Governors Drive will have performances from December 15 – 18. It’s a choral performance where the singers are on platforms mounted on a steel structure that make up a large tree full of people, hence the name. This event is free of charge, but you must have a ticket.

This list is by no means complete, so if you have a tradition to add, feel free to list it in the comments.

And have a Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings!