Photograph by John Langholz
December in St. Louis is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, winter means icy roads, maxed-out credit cards and relatives who overstay their welcome. Then there’s the other side of the season: horse-drawn carriages, sledding on Art Hill and world-class productions at the Fox. We highlight 62 of the season’s brightest festivities, everything from elegant galas to the day you can go bar-crawling dressed as St. Nick. There’s something for everyone—sentimental moms and party-seeking singles alike. And to top it all off like a bright red bow, we interviewed local holiday experts to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on what it’s really like to be Santa or how to whip up impressive party concoctions like a pro. Consider it our way of saying, “Happy holidays to you and yours.”
THE ROMANTICS
An evening by the fire is oh-so-delightful, but there are plenty of other ways to make wintertime memories
Take a Stroll
Winter isn’t the most obvious time to stroll through the Missouri Botanical Garden (314-577-9400, mobot.org), but the arching bridges, frozen ponds and geodesic dome create a picturesque setting for a bundled-up stroll. On December 13 and 14, catch Christmas in the Garden, featuring carolers, roasted chestnuts and gingerbread houses.
The Jewel Box (314-531-0080) in Forest Park takes on new color from early December through January. During the Christmas Poinsettia Show, hundreds of red, white and pink poinsettias fill the glass building.
And of course the season isn’t complete without strapping on a pair of blades and shuffling onto the ice at Steinberg Skating Rink (314-361-0613). It’s tough to beat skating hand in hand in Forest Park on a starry winter night.
Turn Up the Tunes
A visit to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (314-534-1700, slso.org) provides the ideal setting for a classy evening affair. From December 5 to 7, the symphony performs Warm Music for Cold Nights. Then the St. Louis Children’s Choir joins the orchestra to perform Christmas classics during Holiday Celebration, December 19 to 21.
For a swingin’ time, dance to the hits of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy when the band visits Touhill Performing Arts Center (314-516-4949, touhill.org) on December 6. Or enjoy a more mellow evening with Grammy Award–winning quartet The Manhattan Transfer on December 19.
Take your date to the Fox (314-534-1111, fabulousfox.com) to catch the Rockettes’ Radio City Christmas Spectacular, December 11 to 28. The world-famous group got its start here as the Missouri Rockets. Guys: Just don’t get caught staring too hard at those legs.
Get Away From It All
Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza sparkles with more than 80 miles of lights. The shops stay open late, and horse-drawn carriages roll through the streets. The Raphael Hotel (800-821-5343, raphaelkc.com) is a luxurious place to unwind while staying close to the action.
Head north for a shopping spree along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, and stay at The Peninsula Chicago (312-337-2888, chicago.peninsula.com). Before you leave, check off several Chicago traditions: Peer in the windows at Macy’s (formerly Marshall Field’s), see the lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo and go ice-skating at Millennium Park.
Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland (615-871-5824, gaylordhotels.com)—a 60,000-square-foot hotel with an indoor atrium, cascading waterfalls and a re-created Delta river town—hosts its 25th annual “A Country Christmas” celebration. The coolest attraction is “ICE!,” an exhibition of colorful ice sculptures based on Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
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THE KIDDOS
A certain amount of kitsch at Christmas is unavoidable, especially if you have kids. Here’s where you can make it fun for the whole family
Holiday Cheer
Here in St. Louis, holiday lights are to winter what Ted Drewes is to summer. (Don’t believe us? Drive through St. Louis Hills.) Winter Wonderland (314-534-1111) in Tilles Park offers the next best thing to a one-horse open sleigh: carriage rides through the glittering park, November 26 through January 4. And during the zoo’s Wild Lights (314-781-0900, stlzoo.org), you can unwind with the animals after sunset on weekend evenings. We guarantee the penguins will be gussied up for the occasion.
For those hoping to see St. Nick, there are plenty of opportunities outside the lines at the malls. The Magic House (314-822-8900, magichouse.org) solves the problem of waiting in line with a hungry kid during its annual pancake breakfast with Santa on December 7; or grab dinner with Kris Kringle, Rudolph and Frosty at the Zoo’s Plaid Giraffe Café, December 19 to 22. Drive to the 35-acre North Pole of the Midwest, Santa’s Magical Kingdom in Jellystone Park (636-938-5925, eurekajellystone.com), to see millions of lights, a candy-cane village and a glimpse of the big guy.
Beyond lights and Santa, there are plenty of other must-hit Christmas destinations. At Eckert’s (618-233-0513, eckerts.com), you can do manly tasks like felling trees and building houses. (OK, they’re gingerbread, but the kids will be impressed all the same.) What better time of year to visit The Eugene Field House and St. Louis Toy Museum (314-421-4689, efhouse.org)? While there, don’t miss “Not That Cuddly: Misfit Toys,” an exhibit that explores the fine line between cute and creepy. And take your older kids to historic Soulard and Lafayette Square during the Annual Holiday Parlor Tour (314-621-6226), December 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fittingly, many of the Victorian homes appeared around the time Charles Dickens penned A Christmas Carol.
Get Movin’
Is anything more quintessentially St. Louis than sledding on Art Hill? There’s something special about standing under the statue of the city’s namesake and watching citizens of all ages plunge down the famed hill on makeshift sleds. Also, what kid hasn’t seen The Polar Express and thought, Wouldn’t that be cool? The St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway (800-455-7245) offers its own version: the Santa Express. During the first three Saturdays of the month, the train departs from Jackson—100 miles south of St. Louis—as St. Nick reads the classic book over the loudspeakers and then visits with kids as they sip hot cocoa.
That’s Entertainment
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (314-968-4925, repstl.org) performs two holiday classics: It’s A Wonderful Life, November 26 to December 28, for ages 12 and up, and The Little Fir Tree, December 20, 22 and 23, a kid-friendly play about a tiny tree that spends its days hoping for love. At the Touhill (314-516-4949, touhill.org) on November 30 at 8 p.m., catch the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker, featuring 12-foot puppets and a jungle backdrop. Or see our very own Saint Louis Ballet (636-537-1998, stlouisballet.org) with its classic interpretation, December 12 to 21. And December 12 to 14, COCA (314-725-6555, cocastl.org) presents The Little Dancer, the story of a girl who travels through famous paintings while admiring a range of dance styles along the way.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (314-968-4925, repstl.org) performs two holiday classics: It’s A Wonderful Life, November 26 to December 28, for ages 12 and up, and The Little Fir Tree, December 20, 22 and 23, a kid-friendly play about a tiny tree that spends its days hoping for love. At the Touhill (314-516-4949, touhill.org) on November 30 at 8 p.m., catch the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker, featuring 12-foot puppets and a jungle backdrop. Or see our very own Saint Louis Ballet (636-537-1998, stlouisballet.org) with its classic interpretation, December 12 to 21. And December 12 to 14, COCA (314-725-6555, cocastl.org) presents The Little Dancer, the story of a girl who travels through famous paintings while admiring a range of dance styles along the way.
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THE GOOD SAMARITANS
Giving is one thing, but giving back can be even more rewarding
Galas and Balls
One of the best things about a ball in December is the winter attire—festive gowns, flowing wraps and men in classic black-and-white suits. The Judevine Center for Autism (314-432-6200, judevine.org) hosts its 25th annual Festival of Trees Gala Ball and Auction on December 3 at 6 p.m., with Y98’s Guy Phillips and the popular Smash Band. Or celebrate the 25th annual Snow Ball during the Mental Health Association’s (314-773-1399, mhagstl.org) Spirit of St. Louis dinner on December 5 at 6 p.m. The next night, choose from three more elegant soirees: Stray Rescue of St. Louis’ (314-771-6121, strayrescue.org) Hope for the Holidays, the Arthritis Foundation’s (314-991-9333, arthritis.org) Silver Ball or the St. Louis Public Library Foundation’s (314-340-2403, slplfoundation.org) Winter White Gala. For one of the most star-powered events of the season—with plenty of signed auction items, local sports stars and El Hombre himself—attend the Pujols Family Foundation’s (pujolsfamilyfoundation.org) O’ Night Divine Christmas Celebration on December 7. And don’t miss the Saint Louis Art Museum’s biggest fundraiser, the elegant Biennial Gala (314-655-5385, slam.org), December 13. Themed “Express Yourself,” the black-tie event includes dinner and dancing in the museum’s Sculpture Hall.
Toy Time
While you’re checking off items on your own kids’ wish lists, why not grant a less fortunate child’s wish by picking up and donating one more toy? For more than six decades, the U.S. Marine Corps has been delivering toys to kids who otherwise might go without during Toys for Tots (toys4totsstl.com). Gateway Homeless Services also collects toys and canned goods during its annual Kids Caring for Kids Toy Drive (314-231-1515, gatewayhomeless.org). Or help one of more than 1,000 local children with HIV and AIDS during Project ARK’s Holiday Gold for Kids Toy Drive (314-535-7275, projectark.wustl.edu).
Feed the Need
Wouldn’t it be great if we could make hunger a ghost of Christmas past? Unfortunately, the need continues to grow as foreclosures and layoffs become more common. This season, make a commitment to feed others not just during the holidays, when area soup kitchens are sometimes filled with as many volunteers as recipients, but throughout the entire year. The St. Louis Area Foodbank (314-292-5397, stlfoodbank.org) is in need of everything from food and financial donations to volunteers who can repackage and distribute food. The food bank serves 500 agencies in 26 counties.
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THE SPIRITUALISTS
The holiday spirit takes on its central meanings at these local happenings
Christmas
The drive to Belleville is well worth it during The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows’ Way of Lights (800-682-2879, snows.org), November 21 to January 4. At no charge besides the cost of gas, you can gaze at more than 1 million lights depicting the Nativity story. For a few extra dollars, catch a colorful laser show, ride a camel or see the impressive wreath and tree displays.
Observe more than 20 Nativity scenes in shop windows all over the Hill during the Hill Nativity Walk (314-773-3560, shopthehill.com), December 4 through 31. Neighborhood association president Tom Stremlau says the scene at Amighetti’s is a must-see: “It’s almost a village.”
Performing songs as soulful as they are spiritual, Grammy Award–winning vocalist CeCe Winans joins the Saint Louis Symphony and its IN UNISON Chorus to ring in the holidays with A Gospel Christmas Concert (314-534-1700, slso.org), December 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Midnight mass on Christmas Eve at the Cathedral Basilica (314-373-8200, cathedralstl.org) is a sight to behold. Priests in satin robes, dozens of packed pews, hymns echoing into the heavens and the twinkle of the world’s largest mosaic collection make for a memorable experience no matter what your faith.
Hanukkah
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s Chanukah: Festival of Lights (314-577-9400, mobot.org), December 21 from noon to 4 p.m., begins with the lighting of the menorah and includes performances by traditional Israeli folk dancers and singers, as well as an Israeli-style marketplace with traditional Hanukkah gifts.
Rabbi James Stone Goodman realizes the power of story, which is why the Congregation Neve Shalom tells the story of Hanukkah using a combination of music and poetry. “What we’re celebrating is dedication, the dedication of ourselves to a spontaneous, irrepressible expression of who we are,” he says of the Festival of Lights (314-863-4366, neveshalom.org), December 27 at 8 p.m. Goodman’s conventicle of musicians will perform during the evening.
Winter Festival and Kwanzaa
At the Ethical Society’s (314-991-0955, ethicalstl.org) Winter Festival, December 19 at 6 p.m., you can enjoy a potluck dinner and see the annual lighting of five candles representing joy, goodwill, hope, love and peace.
During the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Kwanzaa: Festival of the First Fruits (314-577-9400, mobot.org), December 30 from noon to 4 p.m., learn about the African-American tradition from local storyteller Janice “Mama” Katambwa, see the ceremonial lighting of the kinara and peruse a market with jewelry, clothes and other African wares.
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THE GIFT GIVERS
Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be a chore. Make that wish list more than a to-do list at these gift-driven events
Local Shopping
Last year the downtown Macy’s (314-444-3111, macys.com) restored a long-lost tradition by bringing animated holiday scenes to the store’s display windows. This year the store unveils five vignettes depicting the story of Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus in windows along Olive Street on November 21 at 6:45 p.m., just after Macy’s Holiday Festival of Lights.
Plaza Frontenac (plazafrontenac.com) offers an upscale shopping paradise when decked out in lights. From November 22 through early December, visitors can bid on gingerbread houses created by local chefs as part of a benefit for Lydia’s House. Then on November 28 at 9:30 p.m., St. Nick arrives in a horse-drawn carriage with Victorian-style carolers in tow. And participating stores stay open till 9 p.m. during an open house on December 4.
See the lighting of a 20-foot tree in Maryland Plaza (marylandplaza.com), and get a photo of the kids with Santa during Holiday on the Plaza, a benefit for Kids Caring 4 Kids December 6 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. With reindeer, Santa’s workshop, Bob Kramer’s Marionettes and an adult happy hour with celeb DJs, there’ll be loads of entertainment. Afterward, go window-shopping in the CWE as local stores compete in a holiday window-display contest.
The Loop Holiday Walk (visittheloop.com), December 6, again brings Frosty to Blueberry Hill and a holiday movie to the Tivoli, as well as art exhibits, holiday sales and more.
Artsy Affairs
The results are unpredictable when the STL Craft Mafia brings its act to a former jailhouse. Exhibit A: the event’s name—the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show (314-771-8230, stlouiscraftmafia.com). The art fair, December 5 to 7 at Mad Art Gallery, provides an alternative to the typical holiday show, with work from local artists who dare to sell something edgier than, say, Thomas Kinkade.
An outdoor festival in December is typically a chilly prospect, but the West End Arts Council’s Wintermarkt, December 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., provides plenty to warm spirits. Enjoy live music, demonstrations from glass blowers and woodcarvers, and hot spiced cider as you peruse the arts and crafts in Greg Freeman Park (Kingsbury and Des Peres avenues, 314-862-5122).
The Cherokee Print League hosts a Holiday Print Show on December 6 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Firecracker Press (firecrackerpress.com) and All Along Press (allalongpress.com) with hand-printed work from local artists and gift items such as letterpress stationery, journals, T-shirts and more. An evening reception includes music, drinks, puppet shows and dancing.
Get Outta Town
With cobblestone streets and 125-plus specialty stores, St. Charles (636-946-0633, historicstcharles.com) offers a cozy shopping destination that doesn’t require a full tank of gas. And during evenings on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, holiday characters like Scrooge and the Sugar Plum Fairy walk down Main Street. Every weekend, see a parade with enough versions of Santa to confuse any 4-year-old.
Ste. Genevieve (573-883-3686, stegenevieve.com) hosts its annual Country Christmas Walk December 6 to 7: You can go shopping late into the evening, hear carolers and see a parade on Saturday morning. The following Sunday, December 14, the Felix Vallé House State Historic Site hosts “French Christmas.” Costumed guides teach visitors about Le Réveillon, a French feast and holiday celebration.
Hermann’s Kristkindl Markt (800-932-8687, hermannmo.com), December 13 to 14, re-creates the atmosphere of a German holiday market. Housed under the lofty ceilings of the Hermannhof Festhalle, overlooking the Missouri River, dozens of artisans, musicians and storytellers gather to create a lively atmosphere. Sip spiced glühwein (a German version of mulled wine), and nibble roasted chestnuts as you stroll among the booths and demos. And on Saturday, see decorations and decked-out trees in the historic St. George Rectory.
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THE REVELERS
Who doesn’t need a break from in-laws and itchy sweaters? Get out and enjoy the more lively aspects of the holiday spirit
Holiday Bashes
“No son, those are just drunks pretending to be Santa Claus.” This was an actual comment overheard at Bar Louie during the first-ever St. Louis Santa Crawl (stlsantacrawl.com), that not-so-wholesome evening when merry locals dress as jolly ol’ St. Nick and take to the bars. This year’s bar crawl, December 13, is sure to be as merry as ever. And since just one Santa-themed bar crawl isn’t enough, there’s Santarchy. (Visit santarchy.com for details.) Just remember to leave the kids at home.
New Year’s Eve
Westport Plaza (314-576-7100, westportstl.com) hosts a fireworks show at 6 p.m. The sparks fly for only about 15 minutes, but it’s a great way to warm up for midnight.
Before the champagne and streamers, catch the symphony’s New Year’s Eve Concert (314-534-1700, slso.org) at 7:30 p.m. As with any good surprise party, conductor David Robinson keeps the program top-secret—but you can expect to ring in the new year with a bang and some brass horns.
The biggest family-friendly party of the evening happens in Grand Center. Take note, though: First Night (314-289-1517, grandcenter.org/firstnight) is an alcohol-free event (as opposed to, you know, a free-alcohol event). Still, there’s no shortage of entertainment—live music, dancers, jugglers, opera and more—to keep you occupied before ringing in the new year with fireworks at 9 p.m. and midnight.
St. Louis casinos are always a good bet for New Year’s Eve. Ameristar (1 Ameristar Boulevard, 636-949-7777, ameristar.com) throws a Bourbon Street–like bash along its streetscape, with mini bars along the way and 4,000 balloons dropping at midnight. You can also duck into the Bottleneck Bar to see Joe Dirt, or rock out with the Wyld Stallyns at the casino cabaret.
A Schlafly tradition, Black Velvet and Bluegrass at the Bottleworks (1 Schlafly Plaza, 314-241-2337, schlafly.com) is where beer connoisseurs can savor a full-bodied brew while enjoying the musical stylings of The Grass Pack and “Naked” Mike Newman. It’s $15 to get into the Crown Room, where there’s a midnight toast with—what else?—Black Velvet, a concoction of oatmeal stout and sparkling wine.
And for art-scene hipsters, White Flag Projects (4568 Manchester, 314-531-3442) is the place to be during the Tom Huck New Year’s Evil Party. (For details, visit whiteflagprojects.org.)
By Maud Kelly and Jarrett Medlin
