With the semester winding down and the temperatures dropping, finding ways to enjoy the Christmas season can make these dark evenings a lot more cheerful. Thankfully, the Twin Cities has plenty of fun, festive events that make it easy to go explore and soak up the holiday spirit. From lights and markets to trains and plays, there is something for everyone this time of year.
European Christmas Market
The European Christmas Market, where there are unique European artifacts, gifts and food. This event runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Nov. 28 till Dec. 21. Admission is free, but still bring some money because you will likely find something you will want to try or bring home.
Only a 10 minute drive from campus, with its location on top of Union Depot (204 E. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul), this is a great place to waste some time over the weekend with friends or family. Make sure to bundle up as this market is held outside.
Christmas lights
One of the most popular things to do around Christmas is to go look at Christmas lights, but trying to find the best places to go to is the usual struggle. There are places like Bentleyville in Duluth and a drive through light display in Mankato, but some local options are just minutes away.
Summit Avenue is always a great place to go during the holidays. With the old architecture and large houses, walking down or driving by is always so beautiful during the winter months.
If you want to go to something that has music, Shultz Family Lights, located at 1526 York Ave, St. Paul, is a 20 minute drive from campus. They put on a light show from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. that is free to everybody. It features over 90,000 lights and a ton of plastic Santas, Snowmen and many other Christmas characters.
They also have a charity donation area where you can donate nonperishable items that they bring to Merrick Food Shelf. For more information about this location, you can look them up at schultzfamilylights.com.
The Holiday Train
If Christmas lights on houses are not enough for you, well, they have them on trains too. If you can suffer through the cold, the Holiday Train is a train that comes down from Canada and runs through the northern part of the country, primarily through North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin before turning south towards their one stop in Texas.
It has hundreds of thousands of lights covering 14 rail cars and has a show that you can watch with different artists each night. They also take in nonperishable items and money to donate to food banks as they make their route through the northern part of the country.
Some dates that are nearby are Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Union Depot (214 East 4 Street, St. Paul) and Dec. 14 at 8:15 p.m. at 37 Avenue & Stinson Boulevard, Minneapolis. To look more into the Holiday Train, check out their website to see what they are all about.
Holiday plays
One of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit is by going to plays and musicals. There are many to choose from, and unfortunately, they are not very cheap. However, if you want to make memories that will last a lifetime, going to these will do just that.
LUMINISCENCE is a show held at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, where they highlight the history and architecture of the cathedral through light projections. With a live orchestra and choir, this is truly an event that you will remember. Student tickets are $48 and tickets are selling out fast. If you are interested in learning more about this unique event, go to their website to learn more.
Some holiday classics you can go to are “The Christmas Carol” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” “The Christmas Carol” is at the Guthrie and is played here every year. Tickets will run you about $60 at the cheapest, but those tickets are very limited. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is being played at the Children’s Theater Company, which is in the same building as the Minneapolis Institute of Art. If you are lucky, you can get some tickets for $45, but the average is about $80 a ticket.
No matter what kind of holiday fun you are hoping to find this season, the Twin Cities has plenty of options to help you make the most of it. These events are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of events the Twin Cities has, so make sure you do some research on what is happening around you. So, bundle up, head out and make some memories before the season slips away.
