MEDFORD WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL - Our Holiday Tradition

The Holidays are such a magical time of the year for not only our kids but our whole family!  If you live in or near Medford you will not want to miss the Winter Lights Festival.  Medford Parks and Recreation plans a whole day of fun to add to the magic of the holidays!

Last year we started the day off with the coloring contest.  There are three different age groups, all coloring for a chance to win a prize. They gave away bicycles last year, so I'm sure the prizes will be just as good this year.  The children are provided with crayons and a holiday themed coloring sheet and then are let loose to let their imaginations flow.

After coloring we walked down to Starbucks and got some hot cocoa for the kids and then walked around to visit with the Gingerbread Man and wait for the Candy Cane Hunt.

The kids had a blast participating in the Candy Cane Hunt.  Medford Parks and Recreation again broke the kids up by age group, just like Easter Egg Hunts do, and threw out candy canes. When the littlest ones went out it was quite calm, our then two year old was a bit tentative and sweetly went around picking up candy canes holding hands with her daddy. She got about five or six candy canes and she was perfectly content with that. But boy, when the older groups went out, what a change! It was like an MMA fight with more adrenaline, okay maybe not that aggressive, but I did see some friendly pushing and maybe a few elbow thrown. They all ended up with 20 or 30 candy canes; yes there were that many candy canes.  No tears were shed and everyone finished with smiles on their faces.

Following the Candy Cane Hunt there was live music along with live dance performances by local dance companies.  It was so inspiring to watch the performers pouring their hearts into their dances.  As cold as it was, they never wavered, to the delight of all.  At that time there was opportunity to get pictures taken with Santa.  There was quite a crowd so we opted to wait until another time since we know there are a lot of places that Santa visits in the Rogue Valley.  Following the performances we were treated with watching "Charlie Brown Christmas" on the the big screen.  This year if the weather permits they will be showing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  What fun!

The grand finale was the Tree Lighting. Of course it was beautiful; it always makes me choke up a little bit. The spirit of the holiday, being there with my family and sharing in all of the holiday joy; it is such a wonderful way to enjoy the holidays with our amazing community.  We have made it part of our annual family traditions and are sure you will too!

If you want to attend the Winter Lights Festival it will be Saturday, 3rd, 2016 at Pear Blossom Park on N Bartlett St in Medford.  It is all FREE and the schedule will be as follows: Coloring Contest at 330pm | Candy Cane Hunt 430pm | Live Performances, Booths & Activities 450pm |  Photo Ops with Santa 545pm |  Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony 550pm | How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) 600pm

Tips:  Make sure you dress warm because it is really cold once the sun goes down.  I suggest hats and gloves for all, so that you can stay for the whole celebration.  I also suggest bringing a blanket so you can sit and enjoy the shows.  Also, you may want to bring some snacks and something warm to drink.  I know that we needed it.

If you want to check out more great holiday activities in Southern Oregon visit our Holiday Festivities page.  We have lots of ideas to fill your whole holiday calendar!

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SOUTHERN OREGON HO-HO-HOLIDAY MUST DO'S - A Bucket List

The HOLIDAYS are coming and we couldn't be more excited!  Some of our favorite memories have been made this time of year and we are readt to make some more.  Since October has already zoomed by and November and December are promising to do the same we have created a bucket list to make sure that you get the most out of the holiday season!  Just like in fall, we have included a printable list so that nothing gets missed.  Happy Holidays!!

MAKE A WREATH
One of the seasons time honored traditions Hanley Farm and Shooting Star Nursery in Central Point are both offering Wreath Making Workshops!  Register here for Shooting Star nursery and Petali Floral's Christmas Wreath & Topiary Class.

Photo credit:  Petali Floral

GO CAROLING
Throw on your winter hats, scarves, and coats and stop at your loved friends and families homes and sing out your heart.  It will become a cherished memory for both your family and those that you are singing to!

Photo credit:  Antal Ullman 

BUNDLE UP, DRINK HOT COCOA and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TOUR
There are a few ways to do this.  Whether you jump in your own car and take a little tour of your local neighborhoods or take advantage of things like the All Aboard Trolley, the whole family is sure to enjoy it.  Some of our favorite spots are Cherry Lane and Greystone Court in Medford.  You can also go to Nature's Coastal Holiday at Azalea State Park, Wildlife Safari Zoolights, Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights, and the Oregon Garden.  They all have awesome light displays. (Watch for our Christmas Lights Tour blog coming in December)

Photo credit;  Allaboard Trolley

GO TO A CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
Christmas tree lightings aren't just lighting the tree.  They are big events with Santa in attendance, hot cocoa drinking, caroling, and other holiday activities.  Every town in southern Oregon has their own and we have the where and when's on our Holiday Festivities page.  We usually attend at least one, if not two because that is how we roll!

CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTING
So, in the Pierce household we have a fake tree.  I know gasp! But that doesn't mean we can't go along with our friends to help them find their perfect tree.  We make a day of it, bringing soup or chili along to feed us all and of course hot beverages always need to be involved and sometimes there may even be a little schnapps involved  ;)  Last year we went and had a blast!

GO TO A CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL
Providence Festival of Trees, Rogue Winterfest they all bring together the community to help various causes.  There is always a gala event and then they get opened up to the public for viewing.

Star Wars tree at Providence Festival of Trees

JACKSONVILLE'S VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS
I don't think that their is any other author that has had such an impact on Christmas as Charles Dickens and as I said before, every little town has their Holiday celebrations but there is just something about Jacksonville's Victorian Christmas that makes you feel like you are living in a Charles Dickens novels.  The Parade, Trolley Tours, and Father Christmas all complete the nostalgia, it is truly beautiful and memorable.  You need to see it for yourself.  Our blog just gives you the details!

Photo credit:  Antal Ullmann

GO TO A CHRISTMAS PARADE
Jacksonville has their Victorian Christmas parade, and Roseburg and Bandon have parades that are held during the day.  Then there are the nightime parades in Central Point and Mytrle Creek.  Lit up mobile displays that delight the kids in all of us.  Our Holiday Festivities page gives you dates, times, and details here.

ATTEND A HOLIDAY PLAY OR LIVE MUSIC
What is the holidays without the music.  Going to a holiday play or going to listen to a choir sing adds just a little something extra to the season.

SIT ON SANTA'S LAP
Kids, Parents, Granparents, all Adults should tell Santa their Christmas wishes.

ATTEND A GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION
GingerBread Jubilee, Snowflake Festival GingerBread Competition...you just walk in and your nose and eyes are delighted with colorful displays and gingerbread scented air!

GO ICE SKATING
Ice skating is fun anytime of year but for some reason it is especially fun when you get to skate on an outside rink.  Three places you can go are the Centennial Ice Rink in Ashland, Bill Collier Ice Rink in Klamath Falls, and the Oregon Garden in Silverton.

SLEDDDING
Sledding is fun wherever you can find enough snow.  At least that is what my kids think.  There are a few places we like to go.  For FREE we've sledded up  on Wagner Creek Rd in Talent you just need to watch out for vehicles but they are driving pretty slow when it is snowy,  You just have to drive far enough to get to the right spot to set up and you also want to make sure that you have a four wheel drive vehicle!

Farewell Bend right past Union Creek is another great spot.  There are three hills that you have to walk up with varying degrees of incline.  Our kids had a great time zooming down the hill sometimes racing.  It was crazy up there too, so be ready for a crowd.  If you want to skip the crowd I would suggest going during the week.  There is one bathroom so be ready for a line.

Table Mountain at Hyatt Lake was one of my favorite places when I was younger.  It's a snow tubing and sledding hill and they even have a warming shelter that you can bring your own wood for.

BUILD A SNOWMAN
When you go sledding make sure you take your snowman building kit.  A scarf, hat, coal for eyes, buttons, and carrot for the nose!

WATCH A HOLIDAY MOVIE
Dress in your PJ's and watch a movie at home.  Or sometime you can visit your local theater like The Egyptian Theater in Coos Bay!  They will be having fun Christmas movie themed nights for kids and adults!

SERVE A MEAL TO THE HOMELESS
Giving is the most important part of the season and opportunities are abundant thoughout the year but especially welcome around the holidays.  One of our local places to feed the homeless is at Hawthorne Park.  The Compassion Highway Project serves up full meals every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.  I am determined to get over there with our kiddos to help teach them compassion and empathy.

TAKE A RUN
Southern Oregon Turkey Trot, Medford Ugly Sweater Run, Santa Runs.  Run a 5k burn 200 calories eat more on Thanksgiving and Christmas. ;)

This is just a small list of what to do in southern Oregon for the holiday season, but we hope it can get you started.  Don't forget to download our FREE printable to keep your holiday cheer going straight on through to the New Year!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For all of the Holiday Festivities in Southern Oregon you can go here.  We also have a page for Holiday Bazaars and Holiday Live Music and Theatre.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest

A JACKSONVILLE VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS - Making Holiday Memories

Living in Medford  we are very fortunate to have Jacksonville as one of our next door neighbors.  It is the cutest little historical town that has enough character on any ordinary day,but boy do they know how to celebrate the holidays.  When Jacksonville gets dressed up for the holidays it is simply enchanting!

The Friday after Thanksgiving they kick things off with their Tree Lighting Ceremony and their merchants are open for a special open house.   You may even catch a glimpse of  Father Christmas and his elves causing mischief.

It is really cold so you may want to head over to Pony Espresso or Good Bean Company for a warm beverage. Then you have the opportunity to stroll Downtown Jacksonville enjoying all of the stores decked out with festive wreaths, garlands, lights and window displays.

There are even carolers out to add to the Christmas cheer.  Nothing like some beautiful holiday songs to get the excitement for the season going.

If you want to go, the Merchant Open House is on Saturday, November 26th, 2016, 5-7pm during which there will be the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony & Caroling from 530-6.

The following Saturday, December 3rd we went to the Victorian Christmas Parade.  It's never really too crowded and the kids love it.  There are dancers, musicians an awesome classic cars all decorated for the season.  Afterwards we went and visited with and Father Christmas, and walked around and listed to the carolers.  You can visit with Father Christmas every Saturday & Sunday through December 18th from 11am-4pm.

Other activities every Saturday & Sunday, December 3rd-18th Include:

11am-3pm  Beekman House Holiday Tours | St. Joseph's Rectory Open House | Beekman Bank Tours

Noon-5pm  Bark Carved Gnow Village Exhibit - The Woodcarving Place - 255 E D Street

11am-5pm  Small Treasures Exhibit at Art Presence

Special Events

Saturday & Sunday, December 10th & 11th, 2016, Sat 2pm, Sun 630pm -  Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon Chamber Music Concert at the Historic Prsebyterian Church

Sunday, December 18th, 1-3pm - Princess Court High Tea at Bigham Knoll

Christmas Eve Saturday, December 24th, 11am-4pm - Classic Holiday Movies in Old City Hall
Boxing Day, Monday, December 26th & Tuesday, December 27th, 11am-3pm - Hanley Farms Christmas Tours

For more information visit: Jacksonville Oregon Chamber of Commerce

All photos are by Evening photos by Antal Ullmann photography Daytime photos by WTDISO

For all of the Holiday Festivities in Southern Oregon you can go here.  We also have a page for Holiday Bazaars.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest

UMPQUA VALLEY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, SUSAN CREEK FALLS, AND MORE!!

Who doesn't love going to see Christmas lights?  We usually get the kids dressed in their jammies, get our thermoses full of hot cocoa, and make a whole evening of it!  It is so enchanting, and it really adds to the "magic" of Christmas.  It is so fun to watch our childrens faces light up with happiness and wonder as they take in the displays that are especially awesome on Cherry Lane and Greystone Court in Medford.  Well, last year we decided to venture out of our own neighborhood and took a little road trip up to Roseburg for their Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights.  Even on the rainy evening that we went it was beautiful and the kids had a blast!

For $10 a car we were able to drive through viewing all of the beautiful light displays.  And we got to see the World's Largest Nutcracker which will soon be recognized as the largest in the world by Guinness World Records. 

My personal favorite was the carousel and toy solider with rocking horse that actually rocked.  Ilias loved the Grinch and Olivia loved the mermaid.

We were able to drive through as many times as we wanted so that we could catch all of the details we missed the first time.  Ilias decided to make a game of counting all of the elves that were hidden throughout the park.  They would pop out from behind the trees randomly with a mischievous look in their eyes. 

We only drove through twice but we could have driven through a couple more times, our three year old just wouldn't allow it. :). Our only regret is that we didn't make it up there sooner.  When it opens in November they have a Holiday Village set up where you can visit with Santa Claus, munch on holiday treats and have fun making arts & crafts and more if you can believe it.    It only runs through Christmas Eve so we missed out.  The last bit of fun we missed out on was the Wagon Ride.  They offered the option of taking an old-fashioned wagon ride around to see the lights instead of driving ourselves.

If you are visiting from a ways like we did, travelling from Medford, we stayed at the Best Western Inn Lodge in Sutherlin.  The rooms were clean and cozy, they had an indoor pool (which the kids loved, of course) and they had a complimentary breakfast complete with chef prepared omelets.  Oh, and they gave us each a yummy homemade cookie.

For dinner we ate at McMenamins Roseburg which was perfect for a family meal.  The kids could talk without disturbing the next table, using their normal high pitched kiddie voices.   The beer was great which is expected of any McMenamins establishment and the food was tasty.  If you have never been to a McMenamins a visit to any of their establishments is visually and historically intriguing.  They take over old buildings that need some love, and polish them off to become beautiful pieces of architectural art.  It's fun to read the history behind each building that they choose.

After eating breakfast and getting in one last swim we decided to take a little adventure on highway 138 and visit the Umpqua River and headed to Susan Creek Falls.  It was well worth the detour to take the two mile hike to the falls.  The kids were able to get out some energy so that the ride back to Medford went quite smoothly.  MAP to Susan Creek Falls

We will definitely make sure to get up there earlier in the season to enjoy every bit of holiday fun this year.   It is only an hour, fifteen minutes away and it was a fun-filled packed one day excursion that left us wanting to repeat again and again!

If you want to go to the Umpqua ValleyFestival of Lights, they open this Sunday, November 20th until Sunday, January 1st at 530pm every night!  MAP to River Forks Park

For all of the Holiday Festivities in Southern Oregon you can go here.  We also have a page for Holiday Bazaars.

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Heavenly Scents of GingerBread Jubilee

It's the November and we are eagerly anticipating the official beginning of the holiday season.  So what do we do?  We kick it into gear by going to the GingerBread Jubilee of course!  The GingerBread Jubilee is a benefit auction that makes it possible for the Craterian Theater to bring all of the wonderful national and international performers to us locally here in the Rogue Valley.  It is a long-running celebration that will surely become a family tradition.

When you walk in you are immediately hit with the sweet heavenly scent of gingerbread.  And then, you see the displays and you just want to dig in...with your eyes and your mouth!  The first displays were all by students ages 18 and under. Simply amazing!

This little village was put together by five siblings.  So cute!

This was just awesome!  The speeder and all of the characters were perfect down to every minute detail. If you look around the whole display you will find Han Solo, Guido and Princess Leia in addition to a lot of other characters.    

After the student category we went upstairs to look at the group displays.  These were really fun because it was creations by groups like Girl Scout troops and families.  You could see little parts where different ages added their personal touches.  They made me want to try building a gingerbread house with my children.

This one was very clever!  A gingerbread version of 'Inside Out'

I really liked this one which paid homage to Medford's own Providence Festival of Trees.

It was really fun seeing all of the creations the artists put together and the imagination in using all sorts of candies and cookies to make amazing, edible works of art. The final section consisted of Adult entries.  All I could say is wow!

Can you guess what this is a reimagining of?...Kevin is even around the corner.  Made me smile.

All together there were over 50 different gingerbread creations.  At the end we all got to vote for our favorite and even our three year old chose her own.   

After we voted we sat down, listened to some holiday music by local musicians and enjoyed a homemade gingerbread cookie.

Watching the joy and wonder on our little ones faces as they took in each sweet, little detail made me realize that we will be coming back every year.  From the Christmas decor, to the holiday music and cookies, it all just made the occasion that much, more special.

If you want to go Gingerbread Jubilee will be Saturday-Monday, November 19th-21st.  It is located at the Craterian Theater at 23 S Central in Medford and it only costs three dollars per person to get in. You will surely leave with dreams of the wonderful season that we are just at the beginning of and with anticipation of all the joy that the holidays bring.  Happy Holidays!!

For all of the Holiday Festivities in Southern Oregon you can go here.  We also have a page for Holiday Bazaars.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest