Manassas Park Community Matters Blog Post - Holidays are fast approaching… – By Sarah Barnett

In my household, Halloween has always been the unofficial start of the Holiday season. Therefore, with only 7 days until Halloween, the Holidays are FAST approaching.  Once all the Halloween costumes are safely packed away for the year, my family and I start to make Christmas plans, write lists, address Christmas cards, and decorate for the upcoming holiday.  While Halloween is my husband’s favorite holiday, Christmas is mine!  I have always loved decorating the house for Christmas.  This year should be particularly fun, as we have moved into a new house, so the decorating will be a little different.  We actually have a front yard with trees that we can decorate!  One of my favorite things to do around the Christmas holiday is to drive around at night and see how people have decorated their yards. Finally, I will have the chance to decorate my own home with lights and reindeer! 

I feel like the holidays take so much planning, which is probably why I start my holiday season on Nov 1st.  It takes me 2 whole months to decorate, send out cards, plan family gatherings and SHOP!  Shopping for gifts is probably my least favorite thing to do.  I love giving gifts, but shopping takes so much energy, and dodging the crowds is impossible!  Additionally, since I work full-time, finding time to shop, without the kids is almost impossible.  In the last few years I have resorted to buying gifts online.  Which is definitely easier, but it starts to get hard to explain to the kids why we come home every day to a new box on the doorstep, that we can’t open!  I sometimes feel like the surviving the holidays requires a degree in Logistics to pull it all off!  However, I try every year to remember that the holidays aren’t something to stress over, rather they are a time to have fun, spend time with family and friends, and let people know how much they mean to you!  Here at the Department of Parks and Recreation, we have many programs and events to help make your holiday season a fun and festive one!

Halloween:

Friday, October 25, Floating Gourd Night in the pool. 7-8:30pm. For ages 6-12.  $5/participant.

Saturday, October 26, Costume Kickball Tournament. 12p-5pm. For adults!  $50/team of 7

Thursday, October 31, Trunk Or Treat. 5:30p-7:30pm. All Ages.  FREE!

Thanksgiving:

Saturday, November 16, Fall Arts and Crafts Cornucopia. 9am-2pm. FREE for shoppers!  Find all sorts of crafts, jewelry, arts, decorations and food!

Wednesday, November 20, Cookie Decorating. 7pm-9:30pm. For Adults. $25 Come out and learn how to decorate Thanksgiving themed cookies!

Thurs/Fri, November 21 &22, Pies and Puff Pastry.  6:30-9pm.  For Adults. $100.  Learn to create amazing pies and pastries for your Thanksgiving feast!

Friday, November 29, Dive-in Movie. 7:45p-9:30pm.  All Ages.  FREE with toy drive donation.  Come see Monster’s University while swimming in our indoor pool.

Christmas:

Thursday, December 5, Dough Ornaments.  7pm.  All Ages.  $3/person.  We supply the materials, you supply the creativity in painting your ornament.

Thursday, December 12, Gingerbread House Decorating. 7pm. All Ages. $5/person.  Have fun making a Gingerbread House out of crackers, icing and candy!

Friday, December 13, Bouche De Noel. 6pm-9pm.  For Adults!  $100.  Learn how to make this holiday cake from scratch!

Saturday, December 14, Breakfast with Santa. 9am-11am.  All Ages. $5/person.  Join Santa for pancakes, photos and fun!

Saturday, December 14, Parent’s Day Out. 10am-2pm.  $15M/$18R/$20NR.  Drop your children off for a day of fun, so you can shop!

Saturday, December 14, Light Parade. 5:45pm-7pm.  All Ages.  FREE!  Watch the amazing lighted floats travel down Manassas Drive.

I hope this list makes your Holiday a little less stressful, and a lot more fun!

Sarah

Sarah Barnett is Aquatics Supervisor for the Manassas Park Parks and Recreation Department. She can be reached at 703.335.8872 x3672 or via email at s.barnett@manassasparkva.gov.

Community Matters is a blog created by the City of Manassas Park Department of Parks and Recreation. The blog features program updates, announcements of new services, special event notices, or information of general interest.