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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Do you need a quick winter break during the holidays?
The weather outside may be frightful, but winter festivals or tree-cutting trips are just delightful.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Every December, I have to remind myself to stop and smell the greenery before the season rushes past. I love the simple sights and smells of the 12th month, but it’s too easy to get caught in a frenzy of Christmas engagements, holiday parties, school choral programs or children’s class celebrations. It doesn’t help that our tree is artificial, bought years ago so the wee ones could enjoy the lights for longer than the few days it takes a real tree to drop its needles in the Still house.
My uncle lives in Austria, where the Christmas tree (always real) is traditionally put up and decorated on Christmas Eve. I could probably keep a tree from dying between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning - and that’s about as long as I could promise.
So every year, we take a mini-trip in the middle of the madness to reflect on the season. It’s usually a day-trip or evening getaway. We look at a lights display, or head up into the mountains to fill our lungs with cold air and the smell of greenery in its natural state. Throw in some hot chocolate and peppermint candy, and we return to Atlanta refreshed and filled with winter spirit.
If we’re looking at lights, we often make the short drive to Lake Lanier Islands’ Magical Nights of Lights near Buford. Last year, we drove to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. for their Fantasy in Lights celebration. Both are wonderful - and easy to get to. But there are many other places to find lights displays near Atlanta or further away. Huntsville’s (Ala.) Botanical Gardens are illuminated once again with its Galaxy of Lights show. Rock City has its Enchanted Garden of Lights atop Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tn., while Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville’s combined show literally lights up the Smoky Mountain Winterfest in these three Tennessee towns.
If you’re a “real tree” aficionado, you certainly don’t have to leave town to find a good Frasier fir. Tree lots and local tree farms are within easy reach for everyone in the metro area. But if you want to turn a simple tree acquisition into a holiday event, you might consider driving a little further for the North Carolina High Country’s Choose and Cut Festival. Nearby mountain hotels and inns feature “choose and cut” packages, where you indulge in the three C’s of winter festivities - cookies, cocoa and caroling - before you head out on your tree hunt. North Carolina, Georgia and other southern states have Christmas tree growers’ associations that list “choose and cut” tree farms if you’re interested in going on a tree-cutting journey.
What if you don’t need a tree or you aren’t that into lights? Perhaps you’re already planning to get out of town and you’re looking for festive things to do at your destination? There’s an abundance of other festivals each winter throughout the south, where you can share the warmth of the season - even if the weather outside is frightful.
How far will you journey for a Christmas tree? Do you ever make the trek to see the lights displays? What are some of your favorite places to go to get you in the spirit of the season? Or where do you go to take a breather during the holiday madness?
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