Melanie Preis
Melanie Preis is a writer, editor, wife, and mom of three (including her beloved bernedoodle). Before joining Mommy Poppins, she worked at StyleBlueprint, Turner Broadcasting, and HowStuffWorks. She loves reading, anything Bravo, art fairs, and, of course, her bernedoodle.
Latest posts by Melanie
Fill up your Christmas bucket list in Orlando, while Santa works on his naughty or nice list! We've rounded up some of our favorite must-do Christmas activities and events in Orlando that families will definitely want to hit up this holiday season. From the twinkling magic of holiday lights to exciting Christmas events at Orlando theme parks, we've got awesome ideas to finish the year with a bang!
Atlanta knows Christmas lights and how to show up, and show off, for the holidays! Neighborhood Christmas lights include intricate designs, clever themes, and surging electricity bills. Residential holiday lights include houses that offer walking tours; other houses welcome families to drive by and tune radio frequencies to their synchronized Christmas lights; and some houses are a part of an entire neighborhood that creates a collective attraction!
In fact, enjoy Christmas lights AND do charitable work—some of the homes mentioned below are part of Cobb EMC's Christmas lights map, where you can vote for your favorite and the top three winners get $500 to donate to the charities of their choice!
The Nutcracker ballet is the quintessential holiday event for families, and luckily, Orlando has several productions to choose from. Families may prefer to attend the classic version of The Nutcracker, performed by professionally trained dancers from Orlando Ballet and Central Florida Ballet, or something a bit more modern, like this pyrotechnic version!
Besides The Nutcracker, there are many holiday shows for every age group and interest. As theaters and venues open doors for holiday shows and events, lucky Orlando residents and tourists have their pick in choosing some of the best holiday shows around!
Ice skating near Atlanta is the quintessential winter activity, whether you're ready for the Olympic trials or can barely stand upright. Though it may take a few turns around the ice skating rink to get your "ice legs," families enjoy spending time together spinning, skating, and realistically, falling down, together. These seasonal outdoor ice skating rinks pop up from November through early 2025. Families can find lots of ice skating in Atlanta, most of which include music and hot chocolate. We've rounded up the best ones and even included one that requires no skates at all (sock skating at Fernbank)!
Take a look at our favorite ice skating spots to nail that triple toe loop or cling to rink walls! Want more ideas this holiday season? Check out the Atlanta Christmas Activities and Holiday Guide for great winter events. If you need more ideas of things to do in Atlanta, visit our Atlanta events calendar.
We love to trick-or-treat in Atlanta and the surrounding communities, and this city knows how to do scary—zombies and monsters creep around The Walking Dead and Stranger Things sets, and terrifying Atlanta haunted houses like Netherworld make even the bravest cry. So of course surrounding trick-or-treat Atlanta neighborhoods go all out for Halloween! Grab your candy buckets because we're highlighting some of our favorite neighborhoods to trick or treat in Atlanta.
For even more Halloween content, make sure to visit Atlanta's Ultimate Halloween Guide! We've got so many holiday ideas, like FREE Halloween events in Atlanta, Halloween events for Toddlers, and more sugary sweet Halloween articles.
Orlando haunted houses will make even the bravest teens and tweens cower this Halloween! We've got the spookiest, creepiest Halloween events sure to make older kids and adults run for cover. Make sure to check out the details of each of these Orlando haunted houses and spooky sites, as many have minimum age requirements for entry as well as details about the dos and don'ts of visiting. Be ready for scares around every corner—you've been warned!
For tamer Halloween scares, check out our entire Orlando Halloween Guide for more ideas of where to go and what to do during the spooky season.
Enjoy the colorful celebration of Dia de los Muertos in Atlanta on November 1 and 2, as well as the end of October. This beautiful holiday pays homage to the spirits of the dead, acknowledges the relationship between the living and the dead, and help people celebrate the memories of their deceased relatives. Dia de los Muertos decor showcases skulls and skeletons, made of various materials (even sugar and icing!) in a festive way, with spirited music, delicious food, and good fun. Take a look at Dia de los Muertos Atlanta events for the whole family!
In addition to Dia de los Muertos, we've got more tasty holiday treats in our Atlanta Halloween Guide!
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