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Taking the Kids: Lighting up your holidays

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

Is it possible there is something everyone in your gang will enjoy this holiday season, no matter what their ages -- even the I-don't-want-to-go-anywhere-with-you teens? Even better, you're guaranteed not to bust the holiday gift budget in the process.

Not only will you not spend much, but you'll find some bona fide holiday cheer and forget all the extra work the holidays bring, at least for a few hours.

I'm talking about taking the kids -- and grandkids -- to see the holiday lights. I admit such excursions don't always go as planned. When I tried to recreate my childhood memories by taking my kids to Fifth Avenue in New York to see the store windows and the famous Rockefeller Center tree, it was a disaster. "Too crowded," groused one. "Too cold," complained another. I was ridiculously stressed worrying that we'd lose one of them in the crowd.

Since holiday lights have become more and more festive each year, create new traditions to see them, even as early as Thanksgiving weekend, wherever you find yourselves. Small cities and towns deck themselves out as well as the biggest metropolis. Just pack a thermos of hot chocolate and some candy canes and see if this year's display tops previous years. You'll also find fantastic displays in museums too, like Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, which displays more than 50 volunteer-decorated trees reflecting Chicago's diverse ethnic communities and traditions.

Everyone oohs and aahs over the tall tree decorated with handmade origami ornaments inspired by exhibits and collections at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Learn origami folding from the volunteers on hand. At the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world's largest children's museum, the Jolly Days exhibit is complete with a two-story Yule Slide, Santa arriving on a racecar "ice" fishing.

Every year, we put together the Taking the Kids Guide to Holiday Lights. There are holiday lights around lakes, in city parks and along riverfronts, Here's just a sample of what's waiting for you around the country:

 

ANNAPOLIS, MD. "Lights on the Bay" is a drive-through holiday light show at Sandy Point State Park along Chesapeake Bay with more than 60 stationery and animated displays, including a glowing lighthouse, Navy midshipmen, oysters and blue crabs. Visit starting November 23.

CHARLESTON, S.C. The annual "Holiday Festival of Lights" returns to James Island County Park this year Nov. 14 to Jan. 1. Named one of the top 20 events in the southeast, the festival will showcase millions of lights in more than 750 displays along a three-mile driving course. Don't miss the Enchanted Walking Trail and gingerbread houses!

CHATANOOGA, TENN. Rock City Garden's "Enchanted Garden of Lights" returns Nov. 23 with more than 30 illuminated holiday scenes. Ready to get your face painted like a reindeer?

CLEVELAND, OH. Starting in early December, head to Nela Park, home of the GE Lighting Institute in East Cleveland, to see thousands of lights illuminate buildings along Noble Road.

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