BY ALEX WOLFE
After five long months, the time has finally come: winter break has arrived. Winter vacation is a time for sleeping, relaxing, eating good food, sleeping, visiting family, sleeping and anything else you can cram into those two precious weeks of the year. While there are always those lucky people who are traveling over the break, many of us, including myself, will be stuck at home. But fear not! I am here as your official “stay-cation” planner, so that your limited time away from the confines of Grady is anything but boring.
Movies
As an avid moviegoer, I am ridiculously excited to see as many films as the holiday season has to offer. Choosing the right movie to go watch, however, is a decision of the utmost importance. The following are my top choices for each type of movie:
Comedy – Anchorman 2
Even if you haven’t seen the first Anchorman movie, you should still be able to follow the hilarity that unravels around Ron Burgundy, played by Will Ferrell. This movie has an extremely strong (and highly comedic) cast around Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Kristin Wiig, plus at least a dozen other cameos.
Drama – Saving Mr. Banks
Though technically a dramedy, Saving Mr. Banks follows P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the author of the original Mary Poppins book series, as Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) attempts to gain the rights from her to make Mary Poppins into a movie.
Family Friendly – Frozen
If you are going to the movies with family members of all ages, I recommend Frozen. Not convinced? Watch the short clip of the battle over a carrot between Olaf the snowman and Sven the reindeer and see if you can get through it without at least chuckling once.
Other Notable Movies – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Best Man Holiday and American Hustle.
The Nutcracker
It seems like you can hardly make it two feet during the holiday season without hearing a song from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The ballet follows young Clara, the valiant Nutcracker soldier and the mysterious Drosselmeyer as Clara and the Nutcracker journey into the beautiful Land of the Sweets.
Though many different ballet companies from across Atlanta perform the show every year, only a few present the ballet during our winter break. As the official State Ballet of Georgia, Atlanta Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker takes place from Dec. 6 to Dec. 29 at the Fox Theatre. Tickets range from $27 to more than $100 depending on your seats.
Additionally, Gwinnett Ballet Theatre is performing the ballet at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center, on Dec. 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and on Dec. 21 and 22 at 2:30 p.m. . Tickets are between $16 and $24.
Seasonal
To celebrate the holiday season, many locations around Atlanta have created their most festive events and attractions. The events at Turner Field and the Botanical Gardens in particular stand out.
The Botanical Gardens are hosting their annual Garden Lights: Holiday Nights showcase, where the gardens will be covered in more than a million twinkling lights. Open from Nov. 16 through Jan. 4, the event is $20 for nonmembers on peak nights and $17 on off-peak nights. Turner Field has gotten into the holiday spirit as well with their Global Winter Wonderland (see above for picures). This self-proclaimed “multi-cultural lantern festival” exhibits cultures and landmarks from around the world in a bright array of lights and lanterns. Amid the scenery, there are also an array of exhilarating rides and rollercoasters for those of you hoping for a thrill. This Winter Wonderland runs through Jan. 5 and costs $25.
Ice skating
While we might not have the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink here in Atlanta, we still have dozens of great ice-skating rinks to glide around.
The most notable addition to Atlanta’s ice-skating scene is the brand new ice rink at Atlantic Station. Skate Atlantic Station is a beautiful outdoor rink that can hold at least 600 skaters, but unlike most traditional rinks, it has a center island that divides the ice into two narrow sections. Open until Feb. 14, Skate Atlantic Station offers unlimited skating for only $13.
A little closer to home is the Southwest Rink at Park Tavern, an indoor ice rink that is a little cozier and can hold about 200 people. Skating costs $20 for Fridays and Saturdays, and $15 every other day. After 8:30, however, only adults are allowed to skate, so make sure to arrive well before then.
Centennial Olympic Park also hosts its own ice rink every season, and skating only costs $10. Skating is not unlimited, unfortunately, as you are only allowed to skate for 90 minutes. Still, this covered rink is more than 7,000 square feet, and well worth a visit.
Visit Santa
OK, so I know we are a little old to be visiting Santa, but just in case you or your younger sibling wants to go get a picture with the big jolly guy, here are some of the most accessible Santas in the area.
Both the Botanical Gardens and Turner Field have Santa on site as part of their special events. Santa visits the Gardens on Dec. 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and he arrives at the Global Winter Wonderland as well. He will also be at Atlantic Station until Dec. 24, and though he can be seen from afar at Phipps Plaza, you need a reservation to meet with him in person.
