So…by now are you finished with your outdoor and indoor decorating for Christmas? Are you in the midst of Shopping, Parties, Concerts and Plays, Entertaining, Gift Wrapping, Caroling, Sight-Seeing, making sure you have something for the kid’s Teachers, Cooking, 
Baking???….Whew! There is a lot to do in December, but take a deep breath and relax, it will all come together and enjoy the moments you are making. Go out and experience some of the wonderful activities going on this Christmas month from Live Nativities and Outdoor Dramas, Fundraisers for good causes to Christmas Parades, Visits with Santa, and even have Visions of Sugarplums dancing in your head. Remember, Tis the Season to be Jolly, so share it!
Blowing Rock’s Festive Friday: A Hometown Holiday takes place 
from 5 - 8 pm on Friday, Dec. 11. Sponsored by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce as a way to say thank you to local residents, find Santa Claus, hear The Night Before Christmas read aloud, enter a Gingerbread House contest, buy your C
hristmas tree or wreath, hear roving Carolers, win prizes, shop late and enjoy other festivities. Carolers from area Churches and schools will begin singing at 5 pm, and Appalachian Evergreens will sell trees, wreaths and garlands. The former Mast Candy Barrel location on Main Street will host the entries for the Gingerbread House competition. Builders of all ages can drop off their masterpieces and fill out entry forms, and voting will start at 5 pm, with proceeds from the contest to benefit the Hospitality House. Continue with Mayor J.B. Lawrence and his wife Lynn at the Community Library for the reading of The Night Before Christmas, at 5:30 pm, then join Santa at 6 pm at the former Mast Candy Barrel location who is eager to hear what kids are hoping for this Christmas. For more information, call 828-295-7851.
Two Rivers Community Charter School will hold the 4t
h Annual P
eace Feast on Dec. 11 from 5:30 - 8 pm at the Boone United Methodist Church with a Silent Auction and Themed Raffle Baskets to win some amazing, hand-crafted and unique gifts. Children will have fun with the Games and Crafts area, and General admission is $2 for adults. Tupelos is catering a Pasta Dinner, salad and dessert served from 6 - 7:30 pm. Dinner prices are $5 for adults, $4 for kids and $20 for groups of four or more. For more information, call 262-5411.
“Journey To The Cross”, an Outdoor Chri
stmas Drama from Oak Grove Baptist Church, will feature Narration, Scripture and Music, portraying scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. Held Friday night Dec. 11, at 6:30 pm, you can watch the performance from your car and listen to the broadcast on the radio, or watch the drama from Oak Grove’s heated Picnic Shelter while enjoying some hot chocolate and cookies. Admission is free and open to all ages. Oak Grove is located just west of downtown Boone, off of U.S. 421, directly across the street from the Law Enforcement Center.
The Original Mast Store in Valle Crucis will be hosting Christmas in the Valle through
Christmas Eve. Santa Claus and his Elves will be there on Saturdays from 11 am - 4 pm, and Sundays, 12 – 3 pm. Saturday Dec. 12th and 19th, children up to age 12 can participate in a Make and Take craft activity at the Little Red School House at the original store from 10 am - 12 pm. Participants are asked to bring two canned food items for the Hunger Coalition. Parents’ assistance is welcomed. Enjoy live music on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 2 pm. Performances will range from bluegrass and folk to Celtic and classical. For more information, call Mary at the Original Mast Store at 828-963-6511.
Boone’s Christmas Parade is on Saturday, December 12 at 10
am 
along King Street and High Country residents are invited to join Santa Claus, friends and neighbors in downtown. There will be a Reception immediately following the parade hosted by The Friends of the Watauga Public Library featuring photos with Santa Claus, music, refreshments and holiday festivities. For more info, call the Downtown Boone Development Association at 828-262-4532 or the library at 828-264-8784.
For the 14th consecutive year, Studio K Youth Ballet Company will present The Nutcracker at
Farthing Auditorium on the ASU campus on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 pm, and on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 pm. Around 150 dancers, ranging from Toddlers to people approaching their senior years, bring the Tchaikovsky classic Christmas tale to life. All ages love it’s Family-Friendly themes and the exciting performance involves cannons, pyrotechnics, large sleighs, an onstage Christmas tree and plenty of colors. Tickets are $11 for adults, $8 for students and children and group rates are available. For more information, call Studio K at 828-265-4111. For tickets or for information about group rates, call 828-262-4046.
The 7th annual SugarFest takes over Sugar Mountain Resort with a 2-day celebration Saturday, Dec. 12th from 8:30 am - 6 pm and Sunday, Dec. 13th from 8:30 am - 3 pm. Event is Free for all activities except for those who opt to Ski, Snowboard, Tube or Ice Skate. 
Discover a host of winter activities for all ages, including Ski and Snowboard Demos from top manufacturers, Ice Skating, Skiing, Tubing, Snowboarding, a Snowball eating contest, the annual Edge of the World/Burton Rail Jam Session, Ice Sculpting, Food and Drink specials, celebrations for Sugar’s 40th anniversary and a not-to-miss Fireworks display. The event features an appearance by 1992 Olympic Ice Skating Silver Medalist Paul Wylie, who will dazzle guests with two on-ice performances. SugarFest also coincides with Sugar’s 16th annual Adult Preseason Ski Clinic, which will be led by 1994 Olympic gold and 1992 Olympic silver medalist Diann Roffe and two-time (1992 and 1994) Olympian Krista Schmidinger. For more information and/or to view the full schedule of events, click to www.seesugar.com/sugarfest. For more information, call 828-898-4521.
These events are sure to get you into the Christmas Spirit and help to spread some Holiday Cheer! 
Also, make sure to check out Keri’s and her husband’s new website, www.timespasttoys.com for their Wooden Toy and Home Decor business, Heavenly Creations Decor, currently under construction, so please pardon their cyber dust. Even so, this will give you a look at what products they have to offer and who they are. Keri and her husband look forward to hearing from you and you are more than welcome to give helpful hints as to making the website better and more user friendly. They will soon be including links for area businesses selling Times Past Toys and Heavenly Creations Decor products and such.
Wow, so many choices! I’d love to do the Christmas Parade in Boone on Saturday morning if I can get it all together to go
Teri, I have not put ONE stitch of Christmas decorations up! It’s terrible how busy we’ve been! Probably after the Nutcracker we’ll do it!
There is a lot to do, and unfortunately I’m not able to take advantage of most of them myself, but there are some really awesome FREE things out there for families to do! That is so great for tight budgets, especially at this time of year. And, Sarah, you’ll get it all done, I have faith in you, and it will look beautiful!