There are many fun holi- day activities in the Portland area this December. Many students and professors have events that they go to every year and would like to discover even more fun, festive things to do during winter break.
Sophomore Blake Ku-
roiwa enjoys many differ- ent activities in the area and aspires to try even more this year. Every year, Kuroiwa likes to “see the ZooLights and catch the train and ev- erything if the line isn’t that long.” ZooLights takes place at the Oregon Zoo. The cost of admittance into the zoo for adults is $10, however, there may be an extra fee to take the train to see the ZooLights.
ZooLights takes place from Nov. 29 to Jan. 5 but doesn’t occur on Dec. 24 and 25. It’s best to go early because the line can tend to be very long. If you don’t want to wait in a long line and pay to take the train, the lights adorning the rest of the zoo are beau- tiful and it’s fun to just walk around and look.
Senior Kyla Keller also enjoys going to ZooLights at
the Oregon Zoo.
She does more low-key
activities like eating “Christ- mas dinner at home” with the whole family and getting “minty hot chocolate from Dutch Bro’s on outing, like af- ter Christmas shopping.”
A fun show to see is “The Nutcracker” at the Keller Au- ditorium in downtown Port- land. This is a beautiful ballet that is perfect for putting you in the Christmas spirit. The show runs from Dec. 14 to 24.
Depending on where you sit, ticket prices range any- where from $62 to $289. There are matinees at 2:30 p.m. on Fri- days, Saturdays and Sundays and there are 7:30 p.m. show- ings every day of the week ex- cept Tuesday and Wednesday. The show is about two hours long and is a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays with your family.
A favorite Christmas event of Professor Darlene Pagán is the drive through light exhibit at the Portland Speedway on the north side.
She said that, “Instead of rac- ing cars, they deck the whole track with light displays that depict Christmas scenes, songs and moving images like reindeer leaping from one side of the track to the other.” She encouraged people to car- pool, though, because they charge per car load. Although you have to pay for the event, she believes “it’s a great deal because it’s a nice, leisurely drive and though there is al- ways a line, it moves quickly.” Pagan recommends going early to avoid the line, but re- gardless of the wait or the cost it’s worth the trip. This event runs from Nov. 28 through Christmas day and is the larg- est drive through light show.
Other fun events to try would be driving through Pea- cock Lane to view beautiful Christmas lights or watching the Christmas tree lighting at Pioneer Square.
In Portland, the possibili- ties are endless so the holiday season is bound to be great and festive.
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