The Las Vegas Christmas Season Guide will be updated through Christmas Day. This guide will have four main sections which are an overall view of the Christmas holiday, Las Vegas Area Christmas Events, the malls sales and events, and what restaurants will have special Christmas Eve and Day menus. There is a Las Vegas Christmas Season Guide 2010 and a Las Vegas Christmas Guide 2009 which tells what happened that year and has links which have not yet be added to this guide.
This year in Las Vegas Christmas Day December 25th will be on a Sunday. Ffor Christians, this day is the celebration of Christ birth though the actual day is unknown. As in rest of the USA, Christmas is a holiday with most government agencies and businesses closed. Since it is a Sunday, the actual day off will be December 26th. It is common where essentail service are need such as a hospital, people who are not Christian will volunteer to work this day to allow their coworkers to celebrate the holiday.
Santa Claus is in shopping many malls and other locations in Vegas. It is traditional to take children to visit Santa in shopping malls and department stores in which he ask the kids if they have been naughty or nice and what they would like to get for Christmas. While the Christmas tree in most of the United States is one of the important symbols of this holiday season, in Las Vegas, they use a Christmas cactus for many of the public displays.
Christmas may be divide into two separate events which are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is waiting for the bith one and is marked in many cultures and religions by fasting and abstinence from meat though seafood and fish are usually allowed. While Christmas Day is a celebration of his birth and is marked by a feast similar to other holidays.
Las Vegas is home to many ethnic groups who have their own way of celebrating Christmas Eve. People of Polish descent offer serve a meal of pierogi, pickled herring, fish soup, carp, and other vegetable side dishes and is called the Wigilia which is the Polish word for vigil. At the end of the meal, there is a sharing of "oplatek" which is a Polish Christmas wafer similiar to holy communion wafer which has various christmas scenes on it which is dipped in honey and when sharing there is a offering for good upcoming year. Oplatek means Angel bread. Italians in Vegas will have a seven course fish dinner called "Feast of the Seven Fishes" or in Italian festa dei sette pesci and is also called the vigil or in Italian "La Vigilia". The fish selection or seafood selections include: Stuffed baked lobster, fried smelts, oyster shooters, deep fried cod, whiting, and many other seafoods. People of Cuban or Puerto Rican descent serve roast pork. Romanian serve what is called Turte de Ajun or Christmas Eve flat cakes. Germans-Americans traditionally eat carp and sweets such as marzipan and lebcuchen.
Bellagio Las Vegas is located at 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109 has a Christmas display. The Winter Wonderland display located in their Conservatory and Botanical Gardens includes Christmas trees with lights and ornaments, toy soldiers, reindeer, sled, rocking horse, toy train, peppermint sticks, penguins, and much more.
Cowboy Christmas Gift Show runs from Thursday, December 1st through Saturday, December 10th, 2009 which is runs 10am to 5pm, daily at the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109. Admission is free.
Ethel M Chocolates' 18th Annual Cactus Lighting Event is on November 16th from 5pm to 8pm and is hosted by George Wallace with performances by Human League and Zowie Bowie. The lights will be on display throughout the Christmas season. The address is Botanical Cactus Garden & Ethel M Chocolates Factory 2 Cactus Garden Drive, Henderson, NV 89014.
Glittering Lights at the Las Vagas Motor Speedway is located at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 7000 Las Vegas Blvd North, Las Vegas, NV 89115-1708 running from November 18th to January 1st. This year there will be a Santa's Village with frree photos with Santa, Frosty, the Nutcracker, and more. The tickets for admission are for cars is $15 and for buses $1 per person with a minmium of $20.
Las Vegas Great Santa Run will be held on Saturday December 3rd from 10am with first the 5km run followed by 1 mile Kris Kringle Jingle. The run benefits Opportunity Village. The cost to participate is $35 for adults; $25 for children 2 to 12; and under 2
Magic Forest is located at 6300 West Oakey Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89146 and is opened nightly from 5:30pm with varying closing times and runs through New Years Eve. Among the things to see and do there are ride the Forest Express passenger train; take a spin on the Enchanted Carousel; eat at the Gift Box Cafe, and shop at the Gift Cabin.
North Las Vegas Christmas Tree Lighting will be on December 1st from 4pm to 6pm.
Springs Preserve which is located at 333 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107 has several holiday events happening in December. Gifts from the Garden Workshop runs Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30am to 10:30am and explains how to make gardening gifts. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. Reindeer Ornaments runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5:30pm and explains how to make this Christmas tree decoration by kids. The cost is $2 for members and $3 for nonmembers with the purchase of a general admissions pass. Holiday Spectacular runs from December 17th through December 23rd from 5pm to 9pm. According to the web site, "Bathed in the glow of thousands of colorful, eco-friendly LED lights, the family-friendly celebration will feature tasty treats, holiday arts and crafts, train and reindeer (pony) rides for the little ones, photos with Santa, and for the first time, an ice-skating rink! Rumor has it there may even be a little snow in our amphitheater." The cost is $8 adults, $5 children (ages 5 to 12), free for children 4 and younger. Members save half-off admission. Ice skating is $5 per 20-minute session. There is an additional fee for photos with Santa.
The Sagebrush Ranch will offer Christmas Caroling on Horseback which runs through November 25 thru December 22 only on Thursday through Sundays at 4:30, 6:30, and 8:30.
Winterfest is located at Henderson Events Plaza and Henderson Convention Center, 200 S. Water Street, Henderson, NV and is on December 9th and 10th. The events on December 9th are Official Tree Lighting & Santa's Arrival - Events Plaza 6pm-9pm; Henderson Symphony Orchestra - Convention Center 7pm; and WinterFest Activities, Gingerbread Houses, Santa Visits - Events Plaza 6pm-9pm. The events on December 10th are WinterFest Activities, Craft Fair, Gingerbread Houses, Santa Visits - Events Plaza 12pm-8pm; Entertainment - Events Plaza 12pm-5pm; Children's Art Display Reception 1pm; and Evening Light Parade - Water Street District 5pm-7pm. The parade theme is "An Old Faashion Christmas Delight". There is a Ginger Bread House contest. Entries will be displayed inside the Henderson Convention Center, 200 S. Water Street, on Friday, December 9 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday, December 10 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Las Vegas Christmas Shopping