Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays from Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency. This year we have decided to do our annual holiday blog on holiday events throughout the area. We have featured one event each day for your family to check out. This way no one can say they are bored, because we have a different suggested event each day you can attend. We encourage all families to call or go to the event website for more details before attending events. Charlotte’s Best Nanny is not responsible for any event changes or cancellations. Some events you have to register for, so make sure registration is still available for those events. We only suggest these events, we do not have any affiliation with these events or organizations. Our hope is that you will be able to attend one of these fun events with your family during the holiday season. Again Happy Holidays from Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency.
| December 7th |
Kannapolis Celebration of Lights and Wonderland Express Come to Village Park in Kannapolis to see the annual Christmas Tree. All month you can also attend the annual Celebration of Lights in Kannapolis. The Celebration of Lights boasts more than 250,000 lights. The Park is lit and the Wonderland express will run every evening from Saturday, November 26th – December 30th (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). The Winterland Express will also be running to take riders through the lights at the park from 6:00-9:00 p.m. on Sunday – Thursday and from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission to the park and viewing of the lights is free; tickets to ride the train are $2.00. This event also features visits to Santa in his studio, Story Time with Mrs. Claus, and performances from Kannapolis Singing Bears. |
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| Decemeber 8th |
Westend Winter Wonderland Charlotte Center City Partners extends and invitation to the West End communities once again this year at the Wadsworth Estate located in Beautiful Wesley Heights. Come out for a night filled with friends to celebrate community! |
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| Decemeber 9th |
Ginger Bread Lane Visit The Ballantyne to view an enchanting display of gingerbread creations from Thursday, December 8 through Wednesday, December 28. Gingerbread Lane is free to visit and open to the public, anytime throughout the dates offered. Attendees may vote on their favorite entries with $1 minimum donation per vote. All proceeds will benefit Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH), dedicated to caring for the physical and emotional needs of children and their families. Bissell, The Ballantyne’s parent company, has played an integral role in fundraising for LCH even before its inception. Also, Santa Claus will make periodic visits to Gingerbread Lane throughout the holiday season. |
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| December 10th |
Breakfast with Santa at Birkdale Village Breakfast with Santa in Birkdale Village is always a annual hit. Breakfast is held at Red Rocks Cafe. You have to call ahead to reserve seating. Seating options are 8:30am – 9:45am. This event benefits Our Towns Habitat for Humanity. Ticket prices are 15.00 for an adult and 10.00 for children, 1 year and under FREE.
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| December 11th |
Waxhaw Christmas Parade The Waxhaw Christmas Parade which is held downtown on the second Sunday of December (12/11/2016) at 3 p.m. features our local school marching bands, and entries and floats by hundreds of businesses and members of the community. Announcers cover the entire parade route to make sure that you hear all of the details surrounding the fun entries passing by. After the parade, have a snack with Santa and don’t forget to check in with him one last time before Christmas. |
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| December 12th | ||
| December 13th |
Ice Skating Uptown News Talk 1110/99.3 WBT and 107.9 The Link present Holiday on Ice! We’re Charlotte, North Carolina’s only outdoor ice skating rink in the heart of uptown.Whether you’re looking for a family friendly activity, a romantic night with a loved one, a unique experience or a holiday tradition, Holiday On Ice is sure to have something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a family friendly activity, a romantic night with a loved one, a unique experience or a holiday tradition, Holiday On Ice is sure to have something for everyone. Located at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza at 400 East Martin Luther King Blvd, come join us at Charlotte’s favorite holiday tradition, now in it’s 13th year! |
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| December 14th | Train to Christmas Town USA
The Train to Christmas Town is a fun, festive holiday train ride based on the book of the same name published in 2012 and departing from Gastonia, NC and ends up in Christmas Town. Upon arrival at ‘Christmas Town’ – a secret location named for the town in the book – Santa boards the train and visits with all the children on board, stopping for photos and delivering gifts. Those wishing to visit the 61stth anniversary of Christmas Town, USA are encouraged to drive through the wonderfully lit Christmas village in their own vehicles before or after their train ride. Train to Christmas Town |
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| December 15th |
Christmas Market at Romare Bearden Park Charlotte Christmas Village Christkindlmarkt presented by Coca Cola Consolidated, your local Coke bottler h Uptown’s Romare Bearden Park as transformed Romare Bearden Park in to a quaint European-inspired Christmas Market featuring heirloom-quality Christmas Ornaments from Europe and gifts from Ecuador, Turkey and Nepal. The village will be open 11 am to 7 pm Tuesday – Wednesday, 11 am to 9 pm Thursday – Saturday, Noon to 6 pm Sunday, and Closed Mondays. |
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| December 16th | Leonard Bearstein’s Animatronic Orchestra at Founder’s Hall
Come out to Founders Hall to see the famous Leonard Bearstein’s Bear Orchestra or as the locals call them “The Bears”. Kids of all ages love this annual event. Our advice is to pick up lunch from a near by restaurant (Salsaritas and Chick Fil a are close by) and bring it to the tables in Founders Hall. Then the kids can eat their lunch and watch the bears. They also usually have coloring sheets there for the kids. This would be a great morning or afternoon filled with Christmas fun. If you live in north charlotte, they also have the bears at Birkdale Village. |
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| Decmeber 17th |
Speedway Christmas Speedway Christmas returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway from 6-10 p.m. nightly through December 31 (closed Christmas Day). The Christmas light show is bigger and better in its seventh year, with more than 3 million lights along a drive-thru 3.75-mile course! In addition to your ticket, you can choose to purchase a “Fastpass” for $10 which provides you a shorter wait time to get into the Christmas Light Show. Adding even more family fun, every Thursday-Sunday (and all Christmas week) the show also includes a Christmas village with a petting zoo, Bethlehem village, horse-drawn wagon rides, photos with Santa, and much more. |
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| Decemeber 18th |
American Made Market at Atherton Mill & Market American Made Market will be held on Saturday, December 17th, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, December 18th, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This is a chance to shop for American made products for the holidays. If you have a chance stop by and purchase something american made this holiday season. |
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| Decemeber 19th | Christmas at Billy Graham Library
Come out to the Billy Graham Library to their annual Christmas at the Library event. The library is pen December 1 – 23, 2016, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. This event features a story time, horse-drawn carriage, and a live nativity. Christmas activities begin at 5pm. Parking and admission is FREE.
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| Decemeber 20th | Holidays at the Garden Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden host it’s annual Holidays at the Garden. Featuring 600,000 lights strung around the garden and inside the botanical house. This event features horse drawn carriages, kids crafts, hot cocoa, and espresso. Children can visit with Santa from 6-9pm Friday-Sunday November 25th – December 18th. Then December 18-24th Santa will be available for visits daily from 6pm-9pm. This event is fun for the whole family. The garden is open 9am – 9pm daily. Ticket sales begin at 4pm daily, and are priced at 14.95 per adult, 13.95 for Seniors, and 8.95 for children, 2 and under FREE. |
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| Decemeber 21st |
Season of Light at Schiele Museum In the James H. Lynn Planetarium and Science Theater, the Schiele museum has a feature called Season of Light for the month of December only. In this viewing your family will enjoy the new SciDome XD version of the traditional holiday program during “the coldest and darkest of seasons.” You will discover how many of the world’s endearing holiday customs developed, and how they involve lighting up the winter season–from burning Yule log and sparkling Christmas tree lights to the lighting of luminaries and the Hanukkah Menorah. Times for this event are Tues.-Fri., 4pm; Sat., 2 and 3pm; Sun., 2pm. Cost of admission is 3.00 each. |
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| Decemeber 22nd | Holidays at the Nascar Hall of Fame
During the holiday season the Nascar Hall of Fame turns the holidays up to high-octaine. This fun and festive season includes holiday lights, trees decorated in Nascar themes, visits with santa, holidays on ice out front, and some good ole family fun. After Chrsitmas they have more fun at the hall with an event called Un-deck the Hall where participants get to come and pick out a NASCAR themed gift. |
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| Decemeber 23rd |
Christmas Town USA (McAdenville, NC) For the ultimate Christmas light experience. Pack some snacks, get in the car and head to McAdenville, NC. McAdenville also known as Christmas Town USA features a town full of sparkling Christmas light displays. This is an annual tradition for many families in the area. If you have not experienced it you should go. You will drive through the middle of town and see the dazzling light display. Be warned there is lots of traffic, you will have to wait through the traffic a while, but it is totally worth it. Just bring snacks and activities for the children while you wait. |
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| Decemeber 24th | Downtown Mooresville Light Spectacular
If you live north of Charlotte or are in the Mooresville area, check out the Mooresville light spectacular in downtown Mooresville. An orchestrated light show that includes over 115,000 lights set to music. Begins November 27 and runs nightly through late December. On the lawn at Town Hall – 413 N. Main St. Free! |
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| Decemeber 25th | Merry Christmas from Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency!
At Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. We hope you take time out today to spend time with family and friends and have a relaxing day filled with Joy. |
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| Decemeber 26th |
Undeck the Hall St. Nick may have come and gone but that doesn’t mean the gift giving is over! Join us the morning after Christmas as we Undeck the Hall. The NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Great Hall is lined with trees decorated with NASCAR-themed gifts. Fans are invited to select a gift to take home. Available while supplies last so arrive early for the best selection! |
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| Decemeber 27th |
Menorah Lighting at SouthPark Mall Tuesday, December 27 at 5:00 PM, at SouthPark Mall, Circle Court, between Belk, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus the annual lighting of the grand menorah will take place. This is a celebration of Channukah in the Charlotte region. This event features Chanukah treats, music, song. Free of charge! |
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| Decemeber 28th | Chanukkah carnival and Menorah lighting in downtown Waxhaw
Come out to the first ever Menorah Lighting in Waxhaw. There will be a lighting of the 7ft tall Menorah, Donuts, Latkes, drinks, crafts and more! This is a fun event for all, if you are in the area check this event out. Waxhaw Menorah Lighting |
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| Decemeber 29th |
Belk Bowl Fan Fest This year’s Belk Bowl Fan Fest will feature a performance by Tim McGraw. This is a staple of pregame activities, the concert will take place in BB&T Ballpark. You must have an official Belk Bowl game ticket or purchase a Super Fan Package to be eligible to access the concert in BB&T Ballpark. For more information follow the link below. |
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| Decemeber 30th | Shabbat Morning Service at Temple Kol Tivah
Come celebrate Shabbat a Temple Kol Tikvah of Lake Norman. Bring your favorite beer, wine or other beverage and we will provide the pizza! RSVP is a MUST!! |
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| Decemeber 31st |
CLT New Year’s Eve Charlotte’s official New Year’s Eve celebration is back to kick off 2017 at Romare Bearden Park. Beginning at 6 p.m., this family-friendly event includes fireworks, crafts, a performance by the Royals, a DJ, food trucks, games and the raising of the Charlotte Crown. The event is open to the public and is an alcohol-free celebration. This event is sponsored by Ally Bank. CLT New Years Eve |
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| January 1st | First Day Hike
First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors. Last year nearly 28,000 people collectively hiked over 66,000 miles throughout the country! This New Years Day, bundle up and enjoy the winter beauty of McDowell Nature Preserve on this family-friendly hike. Registration is required. Notes: This hike qualifies for our 100 mile hike club. Please wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. We will be hiking approximately 1.5 miles on uneven terrain (not stroller friendly). Please bring a water bottle. |
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