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Old 09-20-2008, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
754 posts, read 1,742,842 times
Reputation: 597

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Ok so I start my job in NOVA end of October. I had planned on spending Christmas in Pennsylvania with my fiance's family...well last night my mom dropped a bomb on me. She is coming from TX and my bro from FL to spend Christmas with me. Well although I've been with my fiance for a year+ my mom has not met him yet, neither has my bro b/c of the distance. SO...all four of us in my apartment during the holidays might be a little uncomfortable...I have never spent Christmas in NOVA/D.C. area before. What kinds of things are there to do around that time? You know like NY has Rockefeller center, is there something like that where you can ice skate outdoors? Is there a website that shows you what kinds of activities are available? I am just trying to make the visit light, enjoyable and not stressful. Thanks!
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Old 09-20-2008, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
754 posts, read 1,742,842 times
Reputation: 597
Hey how did I become a senior member? Cool!
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Old 09-20-2008, 01:09 PM
 
4,709 posts, read 12,701,808 times
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I guess the big thing around here is the National Christmas Tree lighting on the Mall. Plus, some parks have lights to drive by and look at. There's a few upscale malls that do it up pretty good.

Don't know of any outdoor ice skating venues....unless you know someone with a pond and it's cold enough.

That thought brings back memories! Here in Annandale, there's a neighborhood with several ponds that used to be frozen over most of the winter. In the 50's and 60's the homeowners would open them to skaters free of charge. The largest pond would draw HUNDREDS of skaters on weekends, especially around Christmas.

How times have changed! Can you imagine if they allowed that now? They'd get the **** sued out of them!
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Old 09-20-2008, 01:19 PM
 
Location: Richmond
395 posts, read 525,966 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnalyzeThis View Post
Ok so I start my job in NOVA end of October. I had planned on spending Christmas in Pennsylvania with my fiance's family...well last night my mom dropped a bomb on me. She is coming from TX and my bro from FL to spend Christmas with me. Well although I've been with my fiance for a year+ my mom has not met him yet, neither has my bro b/c of the distance. SO...all four of us in my apartment during the holidays might be a little uncomfortable...I have never spent Christmas in NOVA/D.C. area before. What kinds of things are there to do around that time? You know like NY has Rockefeller center, is there something like that where you can ice skate outdoors? Is there a website that shows you what kinds of activities are available? I am just trying to make the visit light, enjoyable and not stressful. Thanks!
Don't expect snow. That being said- there is lots to do. Well most towns around NOVA have Christmas parades- usually the first Saturday of December. There is also "Christmas At Oatlands" Oatlands plantation on RT 15 just south of Leesburg. The house is decorated for Christmas and its a Victorian style Christmas setting. There's also Reston Town Center in Reston which I believe has an outdoor skating rank.
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Old 09-20-2008, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
754 posts, read 1,742,842 times
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Will these events be posted on the Washington Post wesbite? Or some other publication? Since I am not all that familiar with the area I would need an address to plug into my GPS lol I am making a list of everything you all share. Thanks much!

Cars54 they certainly would LOL
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Old 09-20-2008, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Fairfax
200 posts, read 561,469 times
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There is out door ice-skating rink near National Art Musuem, Reston town center and Pentagon Row.

I hear that Christmas at Mt Vernon is worth checking.
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Old 09-20-2008, 03:10 PM
 
2,688 posts, read 6,696,387 times
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Mount Vernon has candlelight tours, although they end in mid-December, and is decorated for Christmas through New Year's week:

http://www.mountvernon.org/files/FallEventsweb2008.pdf (broken link)

There is an admission charge there; it's not free like most of the area museums. (Years ago when ATMs were fairly new and not as common as they are now, Mount Vernon installed one because so many tourists were showing up not expecting to have to pay.) The candlelight tours sell out pretty quickly so you need to buy those ahead (sounds like your relatives won't be here yet but that's in case you would like to go yourselves).
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Old 09-20-2008, 03:26 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 29,005,512 times
Reputation: 19090
There's a Christmas boat parade on the Potomac. Waterford and Occuquan are often very cute during the holidays. (BTW, if you want something to do in October check out the Waterford Fair. It's really nice.)

If you get snow on Christmas morning and like hiking, I recommend taking one of the trails in Seneca Park and looking for animal tracks along the river. Or drive up to the local mountains for some great winter hikes. Also, if there's snow people enjoy sledding on the local hills.

Many local churches have "living nativities." Listings are in the paper.

There are usually plenty of Christmas concerts and theatrical productions--check your local paper for folksier productions in local towns, or you can head downtown if you prefer "big" shows. Or treat them to a tour of a few Smithsonian museums. Seeing the gems at the Natural History museum is one way to get in a holiday mood!
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Old 09-20-2008, 03:31 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 29,005,512 times
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Oh, and BTW--welcome to Virginia!
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Old 09-20-2008, 04:53 PM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
754 posts, read 1,742,842 times
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I am really excited now. My fiance and I love the mountains so hiking during that time sounds beautiful. I think the parades/light shows and concerts is something we can all do and enjoy. I am a little less nervous than I was before with all the entertainment options available for me to take them to. I think it will be nice to have the focus on something else besides my already nervous fiance..lol
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