The ultimate guide of things to do for the holidays in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill
30 Nov
If you’re looking for some ways to get in the holiday spirit in the Triangle, here are some tips. As always please add any events I forgot to list in the comments section! Happy Holidays!
Get your Gingerbread on. Seriously, you would not believe how many opportunities you have to get your hands (or just your eyes) on some gingerbread in the Triangle:
You can attend the Family Gingerbread Workshop on Dec. 12 at C’est Ci Bon cooking school in Chapel Hill. Or you can decorate gingerbread houses on Dec. 3 at the Capital City Club in Raleigh.
View the entries in the Raleigh Gingerbread House Competition now through Jan. 3 at Alta Oakridge Retirement Community.
See gingerbread houses created by the area’s top chefs and raise money for a good cause at the Triangle Family Services 7th annual Gingerbread Gala on Dec. 17 at the Umstead Hotel.
Check out Durham’s Christmas parade at 4 p.m. Dec. 5. The eclectic event always features a random mix of floats, librarians and an appearance from Beaver Lodge Local 1504.
Ride the Holiday Express Train at Pullen Park. The city park will be decked out in holiday lights. You can ride the train to Santa’s village from Dec. 10 and 13 and tell the big guy what you want for Christmas. There will be concessions, carousel rides and more. Parking gets bad, so consider riding the shuttle.
Go see the Raleigh Ringers, the internationally acclaimed community handbell choir is based right here in the Triangle. My mom saw them perform on PBS one year, and I’ve had to hear about them ever since. Truly, it is pretty incredible what they can do with handbells. Besides bells pretty much equal Christmas music, right?
Want more holiday music? Here’s a list of all the Christmas Concerts in the area.
Give a computer to a student who needs one. If you have any computer refurbishing skills, then volunteer at the Mini Geek-A-Thon on Dec. 12 at the Kramden Institute, a Durham nonprofit that helps connect hardworking, less-advantage students with computers.
Go see the Nutcracker. I was obsessed with the ballet when I was a little girl. I would love it if my boyfriend took me to see it this year. The Carolina Ballet performs the classic holiday ballet from Dec. 5 to 6 at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill or Dec. 19 to 28 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. You can also see it on Dec. 12 and 13 at Carolina Theatre in Durham.
Go see Disney’s A Christmas Carol at the IMAX in Raleigh. The 3-D flick will be on the big screen at least through Dec. 17.
Just whatever you do, don’t take your kids on a horse and buggy ride around Crossroads in Cary. That’s just tacky.
i can take a hint.
The Duke University Chorale’s Christmas Concert is tonight from 7-9. Admission is free + canned food for the Durham Rescue Mission. Get there EARLY for a good seat! http://www.chapel.duke.edu/calendar.html
And Durham’s Historic Stagville Plantation has its annual Christmas celebration this Saturday from 4-6. Very family focused with games, horse-drawn wagon rides, crafters and more. Free with suggested donations. PDF here: http://sites.google.com/site/historicstagville/StagChristFlierB120608.pdf
Haha Really? Buggy rides at Crossroads? There is nothing like a busy parking lot to motivate that holiday spirit
I can vouch for the Raleigh Ringers’ performance. I caught it last year, and it was memorable.
A couple years ago, I saw horse-drawn carriages in downtown Raleigh. Anyone know if they’re coming back this year, or should I give a Raleigh Rickshaw pilot some fake antlers to wear if I want season-appropriate downtown transportation?
Thanks for putting this list together, Ginny! I have to add Theatre In The Park’s rendition of A Christmas Carol! David Ira Wood III plays the best Scrooge and the show just puts you in the holiday spirit. Plus, the cast incorporates current events, pop culture and even local inside jokes into the performance for a few laughs. It runs Dec. 8-16 this year: http://www.theatreinthepark.com/index.php?id=43
Thanks for this list, Ginny. I’ve seen the Ringers before and am so excited to go again this year!
I also want to add a plug for PineCone & NC Museum of History’s Dec. 13 show: Mappamundi – world music with a plethora of unusual instruments. Free show, starts at 3 p.m., plus taking canned food donations for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC. From the Food Bank: “The holidays are always a time that we see an increase in need for many reasons; kids are out of school and not receiving free or reduced lunch, families like to be able to prepare a holiday meal and do not have the means, and now due to economic times especially, we are seeing an increase of anywhere between 30-60% depending on the county in which some folks live.” More info here: http://www.pinecone.org/mappamundi.html
Great list – thanks for putting this together. I am always looking for fun holiday related things to do.