BOISE, Idaho — This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
As Christmas approaches, cities in the Treasure Valley are preparing for the season with tree lighting ceremonies, holiday lights, parades and art galleries. Here’s a list of some happenings taking place this year in the area:
BOISE
The Capitol Contemporary Gallery in Boise is celebrating the holiday season with a collection of artwork and a silent charity auction featuring an artist that made ornaments to benefit Camp Rainbow Gold, an organization that provides for children with cancer and their families with fun, outdoor experiences.
The Group Show and Ornament Auction will begin on Dec. 5 from 5 to 9 p.m. at 451 S. Capitol Blvd. in Boise. The silent auction will close at 8 p.m.
Artists participating in the group show this year include Toby Davis, Lisa Flowers Ross, Gary Holt Peer, Geoffery Krueger, Sue Latta, Connie Wood and more.
The show runs through Dec. 28 and will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Additionally, there is the annual Winter Garden aGlow at the Idaho Botanical Gardens. Now featuring over 850,000 lights spanning 10 to 15 acres, the event draws more than 35,000 visitors each year.
The 28th Winter Garden aGlow is up and running through Tuesday, Dec. 31. This year’s “sweet treat” theme invites guests to immerse themselves in a wonderland of lights inspired by candy and confections.
MERIDIAN
In Meridian, the holiday season will be celebrated by way of letters, toy donations, citywide games, lights and a parade.
Children can drop off letters to Santa at Santa’s Mailbox, just outside Meridian City Hall at 33 E. Broadway Ave. until Dec. 15. Letters with a legible return address will receive a response in the mail from Santa before Christmas.
Meridian is hosting a Salvation Army Angel Tree toy drive in city hall’s main lobby. People wanting to participate can stop by and choose wish tags from the tree or bring new, unwrapped toys that would be suitable for a child between the ages of 0 and 12 to place in the Angel Tree toy collection bin.
The Meridian Arts Commission is putting on an Ornament Drop and Seek, a sort of city-wide game. Residents of all ages are encouraged to make handmade ornaments to hide in downtown Meridian on Dec. 5 and 6 for other participants to find and keep. More than 50 fused glass tree ornaments created by Fusion Art Glass will be dropped downtown for folks to find.
The annual tree lighting and Winter Lights Parade will begin at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 in downtown Meridian. The city’s tech-focused library, unBound, will be offering karaoke and free hot chocolate from 6 to 7 p.m. and several food trucks will be in the Meridian City Hall parking lot for folks to enjoy before the parade begins. A free shuttle will circulate between 5:30 and 9 p.m. for folks to utilize before, during and after the parade.
EAGLE
Eagle will be celebrating the holiday season from Dec. 7 to Dec. 14 by hosting a tree lighting, Festival of Trees and Last Chance Christmas Market.
The Eagle Country Christmas Tree Lighting and Festival of Trees will begin the week of festivities on Dec. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Eagle City Hall. The annual tree lighting will feature youth performances, free hot chocolate for kids and a visit from Santa and his reindeer. Thousands of lights will be lit on the City Hall Campus Christmas tree on the east side of the Eagle Museum at 8 p.m. that night.
The Festival of Trees will feature many trees in the community hall for the public to view until Dec. 14. The public can vote on their favorite tree during the tree lighting at Eagle Community Hall on Dec. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. Attendance is free, but the city is accepting donations that will go to the Eagle Lions Club like a new or gently used coat, new socks or underwear.
Santa will visit the Community Hall from 5 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 9-11 and at the Last Chance Christmas Market on Dec. 14. The market will be on Dec. 14 from noon to 5 p.m. and will feature unique holiday gift options available for purchase, food, live music and free crafts for kids.
CALDWELL
To celebrate the holidays, the City of Caldwell is decorating Indian Creek with over a million lights. The lights were first lit on Nov. 22, but will remain lit through Christmas.
Ice skating at Indian Creek will be available until mid February. The rink will typically be open Sundays and Thursdays from noon to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10:30 p.m. General admission and skate rental is $14 a person and $7 for kids under 5.
NAMPA
The city celebrated its tree lighting ceremony on Saturday evening in front of the Nampa Train Depot. This year’s 54-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce tree was donated by Nampa residents Jim and Susan Gramkow. The festivities included the Boys & Girls Club of Canyon County choir performing a sing-along accompanied by pianist Nick Monteiro, and Mayor Debbie Kling and the tree donors addressed the crowd.
Downtown visitors were encouraged to shop at Nampa’s local businesses and visit restaurants in conjunction with Shop Small Saturday, and the Nampa Farmers Market hosted an all-day Winter Wonderland in Lloyd Square. Free carriage rides downtown were also made available during the day.
The tree will remain up throughout the holiday season to light up downtown Nampa with holiday spirit.
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