December is almost here. It’s the perfect time for you to put a wrap on those holiday gifts that you’ve still got to shop for, and spend the month enjoying the holiday season. Here are twenty five things to do in Edmonton in December – that are going to leave you filled with fun memories of the holidays.
1/ Tobogganing. Find your favorite hill and go tobogganing. Jump on that first snowfall and get out there and enjoy yourself, taking advantage of the free fun that can be had all over the city.
2/ Visit with Santa. Find our list of places you can visit with Santa in Edmonton, here.
3/ Try out skiing, or hone those skills, on Servus Ski for free night. It’s a night where you can ski for free and get $10 rentals or $10 lessons at Edmonton Ski Club, once a month.
4/Attend the 48 hour Hello/Goodbye party at the Royal Alberta Museum. There’s going to be 48 hours of continuous activity, giving you the chance to take part in everything from a shop, to a movie marathon and more.
5/ Watch The Polar Express in your Pajamas at one of the four pajama party showings at Telus World of Science. This would be the perfect opportunity to stay cozy in your pajamas and watch a Christmas classic.
6/ Check out the Holiday Lights (see our 8 favourite displays, here). If you’ve got limited time, you have to check out the one in Leduc – the entire experience is amazing. Don’t forget those food bank donations. Here’s how to get there: From Leduc take Hwy 2 South to Glen Park Road. Exit 508, head West 2.3 Km to RR 255 or take RR260, head North 3.2 Km to TWP Road 492. Head West for 1.5 Km
7/ Go to the movie theater and watch The Good Dinosaur. It’s a good afternoon activity for those weekends where you might just not be ready to start doing holiday activities.
8/ Snowflake Sunday at the Muttart (December 13). The holidays are just around the corner! Get into a festive mood by making a snowflake craft, planting a Christmas cactus and having your face painted by Santa’s Little Helpers themselves.
9/ Festival of Lights at the Valley Zoo. The lights on kick off starts on December 4 – making it the perfect night to go out to the zoo and see the lights. Can’t make it then? Family night is December 8.
10/ Imagining Christmas Family Party. Christmas is a free fun family event to kickstart the holiday season. Join us December 5 from 1-6 for a full afternoon filled with sleigh-rides, food, games and more. There’s also a sharing winter wear event. Come and shop for gently used clothes and winter wear, all for free
11/ See the Nutcracker (enter for your chance to win tickets, here)
12/ The Callingwood Marketplace Hay Ride + Santa Photos. Get your photo taken with Santa& printed instantly. Let the kids colour festive pictures, decorate cookies & enjoy FREE hot chocolate. Then hop on a FREE horse drawn hay ride. We are collecting donations for Coats for Kids and Families. Please bring your new or gently worn outerwear to the event.
13/ South East Winter Fun Fest. This year’s indoor events includes the Family Free Photo Booth, entertainment, story time and tattoos. Tobogganing, skiing, kick boarding, skating, family fun zone and much more. (December 12)
14/ Sign up for an epic snowball fight, with potentially hundreds of people. Don’t worry, we brought kids last year and everyone was gentle. (Get the #YEGSnowFight details, here)
15/ Light up at the Legislature. Bundle up and get outside for one of the most impressive light-ups in the city through the holiday season.
16/ Walk down Candy Cane Lane and pick out your favourite presentation of lights. This iconic walk is our must-do during the winter months, after the shopping trip where we bring the kids to the mall to see Santa.
17/ Luminaria at Devonian Botanic Gardens. Thousands of candles, millions of stars & you! This popular event ignites the festive season with a breathtaking display of candles along the paths of the Japanese Garden. Cider by the bonfires, ice sculptures, “snow sprites”, strolling singers, memory lane. New for 2015: family-friendly activities, food & beverage, improved parking & free shuttle for streamlined entry. Advance tickets required.
18/ Christmas at 12 Acres Farm (December 13). 12 Acres Farm is having a FREE, fun, family, Christmas Gathering at the Farm. Come meet the animals, join us to sing Christmas carols, drink hot cocoa, take a hay ride behind the tractor and enjoy the company of your community around an open fire.
19/ Family Christmas (December 19) We are having a FREE, fun, family event. Come enjoy a luminary-lit wagon ride, free food, crafts for all ages, carol singing and other activities.
20/Country Christmas at Greenland Garden Center (December 6). An afternoon of old fashioned family fun in support of the Strathcona Christmas Bureau with hay rides, kids crafts, refreshments, Santa photos, marshmallow roasting, cookie decorating and more.
21/ Build a Gingerbread house at Michaels. $11.99/kid (two can work on one house) and you don’t have to clean up those tiny pieces of candy at-home? That’s a win/win. Plus, you can browse the store while the kids take part in this workshop. Stop by the store ahead of time to sign up, or drop in. Contact your local store for details.
22/ Get Cozy inside. Spend the day inside huddled under blankets, with warm glow from candles, delicious hot chocolates and your favourite Christmas movies playing in the background while you snuggle the day away with people you love.
23/ Kids not old enough for the full showing of the Nutcracker? Get a condensed, kid-friendly version with Bach Tots.
24/ Try Snowtubing at Sunridge – kids under seven can’t go, but it’s a great day out for older kids that want to try something new.
25/ See Home Alone on the big screen as part of the reel family cinema at Metro. Kids under 12 are free for the showing. Isn’t it time you introduced your kids to this classic?
Photo courtesy of Winter Cities Conference