78 Ways to Get into the Holiday Spirit

Looking to say bye-bye to your bah humbug? Try a few of these holiday favorites to get you in the mood for the Yuletide season.

1. Spend the day at Christmas Town at Busch Gardens
2. Watch the Christmas Eve Tree Lighting Ceremony in Colonial Williamsburg
3. Enjoy the Lighted Boat Parade in Yorktown
4. Attend the Williamsburg Christmas parade
5. Take the Annual Christmas Homes Tour in Colonial Williamsburg 
6. Steal a kiss under the mistletoe
7. Have Breakfast with Santa at the Virginia Air and Space Museum in Hampton
8. Open presents at midnight on Christmas morning
9. Pay it forward: Buy a drink for the person in line behind you at the coffeehouse
10. Listen to the Virginia Symphony Perform Handel’s Messiah at Regent University
11. Ice skate at the MacArthur Center in Norfolk
12. Zip through the Blue Talon 5K in Williamsburg
13. See Lewis Ginter’s GardenFest of Lights in Richmond
14. Stop by the Newport News Park Celebration in Lights
15. See The Nutcracker by the Richmond Ballet in Norfolk
16. See the Model Train show at Croaker Library in Toano
17. Check Santa’s naughty/nice list at Yankee Candle in Williamsburg
18. See the extravagant lighting display at a house on Sharps Road in Williamsburg
19. Have a gingerbread latte at Starbucks or a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake at Chick-fil-A
20. Run the Christmastown 8K race at Busch Gardens
21. Track Santa on Norad
22. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride in Colonial Williamsburg 
23. Read children’s Christmas books at your public library
24. Drink hot cocoa
25. Volunteer at a local food pantry or soup kitchen
26. Entertain guests drinks, snacks and holiday charades
27. Take the Million Bulb Walk at the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk
28. Sit on Santa’s lap at the Yankee Candle Factory
29. Do the Holiday Myth-Understandings tour in Colonial Williamsburg
30. Experience Capitol Evening in Colonial Williamsburg 
31. Drive your coworkers nuts with holiday music
32. Hit the Williamsburg Prime Outlets for after-Christmas sales
33. Be joyful
34. See “The Night Before Christmas” at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center
35. Watch the Coliseum Central Holiday Parade in Hampton
36. Go Christmas caroling
37. Go to the movies on Christmas Day
38. See “Star of Wonder: Mystery of the Christmas Star” at the Virginia Living Museum
39. Discover Christmastide at Home in Colonial Williamsburg
40. Do the Christmas Decorations Walking Tour in Colonial Williamsburg 
41. Build a Snowman (if it snows)
42. Go to American Big Band “Home for the Holidays” at the Ferguson Center in Newport News
43. Shop at the Yorktown Christmas Market on Main Street
44. Go to the Towne Bank Holiday Parade in Virginia Beach
45. Watch the Old Fashioned Christmas Parade at Chincoteague
46. Get crafty at the Berkley Plantation Christmas Wreath Workshop and Tour
47. Run the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis in Newport News Park and at ODU
48. See “Laser Holidays” at the Virginia Living Museum
49. See a double feature at the Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk
50. Watch classic Christmas cartoons
51. Be a Santa for a Senior
    
52. See “A Very Virginia Christmas” in Colonial Williamsburg
53. Drink eggnog while enjoying a Yule log
54. Stop by the Holiday Craft Show in Chesapeake 
55. See the Chesapeake Christmas parade
56. Sponsor an Angel Tree child
57. Bake cookies for a neighbor
58. Have a romantic night of wine, a warm fire and listening to holiday classics, like Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”
59. Go shopping on Black Friday for the first time
60. Give online shopping a try on Cyber Monday
61. Watch “A Christmas Carol” performed by Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk 
62. Go see the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Peninsula Town Center in Hampton
63. Take a carriage ride at the Peninsula Town Center in Hampton
64. Check out “Holidays through the Ages” at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum
65. Get tickets to see Kenny Rogers perform “Christmas & Hits Through the Years” at the Ferguson Center
66. Enjoy Celtic music at “Danu: Christmas in Ireland” at The American Theatre in Hampton
67. Tour the 100 Miles of Lights from Richmond to Virginia Beach
68. Visit the Winter Wonderland display at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center
69. Sing Christmas carol karaoke at the Annual First Light Celebration at the Hampton History Museum
70. Watch fireworks and other pyrotechnics at Hollydazzle in Newport News
71. Make ornaments together at the Ornament and Tile Workshop at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center
72. Learn how the early settlers spent Christmas at the “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia” at Jamestown Settlement
73. Watch family videos of last year’s Christmas morning
74. Throw an ugly holiday sweater party
75. Culture yourself by celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, too
76. Go skiing, snow tubing or snowboarding
77. Climb the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach to get a gorgeous view
78. Catch an Admirals game at The Norfolk Scope