Last Weekend Before Christmas: Things To Do In Golden

GOLDEN, CO – There's one more weekend before Christmas to enjoy the holiday excitement. How will you spend it? You can fight the crowds for last-minute shopping or take part in one of these Golden events – some of them off the beaten path – for your last pre-Christmas weekend.

• Golden's Foothills Art Center Holiday Market This is the 44th Annual Holiday Art Market, . HART, which runs through December 30, offers free admission and is held at the Foothills Art Center, 809 Fifteenth Street in downtown Golden.
• Saturday, Dec. 22: Free Nutcracker Workshops for young dancers by by Golden Ballet Theater will take place in two different locations: Golden Yoga Sanctuary and Inspiration Fitness (InFit). Check out the theater's website for more information.
• Both Denver Zoo Lights and the Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Lights are SOLD OUT for this weekend, but you can check out the Water World Drive-Thru Holiday Light Show in Federal Heights.
• See the hilarious Miners Alley Playhouse adaptation of A Christmas Carol which uses five actors and minimal sets in a fast-paced rendition of this holiday favorite. Tickets available for Friday and Sunday, Saturday's production is SOLD OUT.
• Participate in State Christmas Bird Counts. The JeffCo Open Space Big Year 2018 needs birders to Register on eventbrite, then Start an account through ebird to track your progress registering birds you see in JeffCo Open Space.
• Ice Skating at the Evergreen Lake House 29612 Upper Bear Creek Rd Evergreen.
  Hours are 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., weather permitting. Make sure to confirm by calling the Hot Line: 720-880-1391. 10 Denver-Area Ice Rinks Open For The Holidays
• Visit Santa and Mrs. Claus: appearances all over metro Denver are mapped out here, thanks to our friends at MileHighonthecheap.com.

More area holiday fun this weekend:

• Take in a wild Winter Solstice gathering Friday, Dec. 21 such as the Shamanic Dolls & Denver Circus Collective Solstice Ball which includes aerial circus stunts and an interactive fairyland gathering. Or something. Wild Things To do In Denver For The Winter Solstice
• Denver's Christkindl Market - in Skyline park (on the 16th Street Mall at Arapahoe Street) features free German and Austrian-related entertainment nightly in a "old world" style European setting with lights, musical performances and vendor huts made of wood. Drink German bier in steins and sip mulled wines while gazing at hand-crafted glass-blown ornaments or munching on fruit sticks. Hours this weekend: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Go swimming. Did you know "Public pools" is the phrase most commonly Googled by visitors to Colorado over Thanksgiving? You can burn off a little holiday hysteria in a public swimming pool. Check out the times and fees here: Public Swimming Pools In Denver Holiday Schedules

Here are some other non-traditional things you can do this weekend to celebrate the holidays:

• Fri. Dec. 21 Denver Philharmonic "I'm Dreaming of A White Sand Christmas" with Steel drum band Pan Nation, along with the Colorado Chorale.
• Sat. Dec. 22 Run in a 1M, 5K, 10K or Tiny Tim Fun Run at the Christmas Carol Holiday Classic
• Sun. Dec. 23 Participate in Christmas Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga

Image via Jenna Fisher/Patch

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