Über-Urban Holiday

Recently, a friend passed around a wonderful post on Facebook. It was Michael Mitchell’s 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters. It’s a list of simple and meaningful tasks every father of a daughter should carry out.

I read the list after decorating our Christmas tree and took rule number forty-one particularly to heart. This is what it said…”Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.”

I thought about it for a moment and realized that while I only vaguely remember some of my childhood Christmas gifts, what I’ve truly retained are the memories of experiences that I shared with my family. So I decided that for the remainder of this Christmas season, what I want to do is actually “do” things with my daughter.

One excursion that I recently discovered is Season’s Greenings at the U.S. Botanic Garden. It’s free and runs until Jan. 2. While the Washington landmarks constructed from plant materials are super cool, what takes the cake here is the garden railway. Follow the train’s trail as it travels through this year’s exhibit, “Who Lives Here,” and see all kinds of awesome abodes, from an opossum apartment to a critter condo. 

Another freebie and definite  D.C. must-see is the Holiday on the Ellipse display. The National Christmas Tree is neat and all, but not to be missed are the displays representing all 50 states. Seeing the trees that represent each of the states is a great learning opportunity and an especially fun sightseeing stop for any guests you might have visiting.  

Christmas on the Potomac at the National Harbor seems like the place to be for any urban family. The Gaylord National Resort has been totally transformed into a winter wonderland! The young, and young at heart, will love the glass Christmas tree, indoor snowfalls, fountain shows and especially the Potomac Express train.

Gaylord also has ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Merry Madagascar. The DreamWorks TV special is brought to life in colorful ice sculptures carved from two-million pounds of ice! Yes, this means you have to wear a coat and hat to see this exhibit and frankly, I’m not about to pay $35 to freeze, but it’s supposed to be pretty awesome. 

If you have a toddler like me you must check out the Holiday Train Show at Union Station. Trains and Christmas go hand in hand like Rudolph and red noses and who wouldn’t love to spend some time in beautiful Union Station? What I really love about this year’s display is that Columbia, Md.’s own MTH Electric Trains, is providing the locomotive exhibit that consists of model trains from every railroad era and includes trains from Europe and other parts of the world.

And finally, my personal favorite event this year has to be Zoo Lights. I’ve been to a lot of zoos around the world and nothing compares to D.C.’s National Zoo. This year, check out dozens of animal light displays, an “iceless” skating rink, a special train ride for kids and various other special activities. Zoo Lights is the ultimate Über-urban holiday outing.

Whether you fancy trains or ice, there are tons of options for you in the District this holiday season. Just remember, it’s not the toys that make memories, it’s the experiences that make the season special.