A blog I read - GRKids.com - had an article the other day of twelve must-do events that people in my area should do for Christmas.  And I thought, 'Maybe they'll have something there that I've never done or heard of before.  I should check it out'.   Although honestly I don't think I'm cut of the same cloth as the contributing women on their team.  Okay... I'm *SO* not cut of the same cloth as these women.  And the likelihood of my being interested in something they have to offer is... well... snow in the Sahara, anyone?

Most of their stuff is extremely expensive.  That's... not good.  For example, the Balletmore 'Nutcracker' is on December 1st - only - and is $8/child, $12/adult.  That'd be almost $70 for my family, IF there were any seats left.  Then you can pay top dollar to see the Civic's "Christmas Carol", then top dollar for the Grand Rapids Ballet's "Nutcracker", then pay for the Christmas Train... are you noticing a theme, here?  Pay admission to see the 'Holidays around the World' at Meijer Gardens, pay admission to drive thru the Fifth Third's ballpark lights...  oh, but the not-so retired (and free) Breton Village Christmas train made the list.  Remember I wrote about that?  Yeah, they're promoting the heck out of it.  In fact, GRKids is the group that had NO idea what 'deception' means when I said the man scammed people.  Needless to say, I won't EVER go and support that place, again...

Y'know, it's time I admit something.  I don't like GRKids.com at all.  I use them.  For information, when and if they ever come up with any.  Which, come to think of it, has been rare.  I think spring break at the Ballet was the only thing I ever got from them worth going to.  Then again, if I got one thing, it was worth it, I guess.  Brian keeps telling me not to go to the site, but they're local and one would hope they might get someone on their staff that isn't megabucks and yuppie who might have suggestions to those of us who aren't loaded with cash and are looking for things that are local and fun.  Or is that just me?

Speaking of, I've got my own list of 12 things to do for X-mess in the West Michigan (or anywhere, really) area.  I won't be going to anything on their list... no, I've got a few other things in mind.

1.  Santa Claus Parade.  No, not the idiotic Grand Rapids one that was back on November 15th, before the turkeys were even thawed (GRKids might've been on the planning committee for that one.).  No, I mean local ones.  I know Saturday, December 1st is the Santa Claus parade in Lowell, Wayland, Hastings, Saginaw, Middleville, Wyoming/Kentwood, and more.  All free.

2.  Every Friday/Saturday night in December in Lowell, they're having Santa on the Showboat.  Free cocoa and cookies, lights, photos... if you go on December 1st, there's the parade, craft bazaar, and more.  

3. If you go to Lowell on the seventh, there's live reindeer, strolling carolers, warming fires, and music in addition to Santa and cocoa/cookies.  December 7th they're doing the same thing in Wayland - it's called ArtHop, and there are crafts for kids in the fire barn, tree lighting, carolers, fires, wagon rides... All free.  Those are the two we've been to, I'm looking into other ones in the area, because there are more.  December 7th is also SinderKlaas in Holland.  More of the same, with a more Dutch theme.

4.  Different neighborhoods across America offer 'ChristLights' - a coordinated music/light show for the holidays.  We've gone before, as a non-christian, I was highly offended at some of the programming, but your mileage may vary.  It's free, pretty, and festive.

uPDaTe:  GRKids has since asked their FB readers for light displays in the local area people enjoy visiting.  I gleaned six different neighborhood shows (so far)... so GRKids *IS* useful.  Or, at least, their readers are!

5.  Library events.  Seven different locations in the KDL district are having visits with reindeer, gingerbread house making, and several other holiday themed events.  Leighton Library is having a big screen showing of 'Arthur Christmas'.  Grandville library is even having a magician bring in some 'Ho-Ho-Humor', or some such thing.  All free.

6.  Just about every school on the planet has a choir holiday concert, a band concert, and/or both.  Elementary schools have Christmas pageants, some colleges have a holiday performance.  The community I used to live in does 'Handel's Messiah' once every three years... this year is the year.  All concerts are free to the public.

7.  Churches all have candlelight services.  My grandma, before she passed away, always went with her daughter to a different church - one she'd never been to before - just to see the different chapels lit up with candle glow.  All services?  Free.  ((Okay, not at Calvary, but they have 100+ member choir, full orchestra, and 300,000 lights...  and gave the world Rob Bell.  Whatevs.))  Of course, if you're like us, you would have to visit the local synagogue for their Hanukkah service, instead.

8.  Shopping!  You don't go to buy (necessarily)... you go to the mall to see the decorations, to watch the people, to hear the music, to toss pennies in the fountains.  To pick up a peppermint stick or have a cuppa and see the activity.  My kids LOVE the animated elf and penguin displays at our favorite mall.  In fact, X-mess is the only time we go there - just to see the decorations.  We have our Santa visit at the same place, nearly every year... our favorite mall.

9.  Downtown to the Menorah.  From what I understand, every year a giant menorah is lit at the Calder Plaza downtown in Grand Rapids.  While downtown seeing that, you HAVE to walk thru the Amway Grand Hotel and see the giant tree and decorated crystal chandeliers.  It's just amazingly breathtaking.  And if you choose, for just a few dollars, you can ice skate at Rosa Parks Circle... or simply watch the skaters with a cup of cocoa!

10.  I almost forgot about Rockford!  In Rockford, Michigan, there's a little square (Squires Street Square) with all sorts of little shops done up for the holidays.  There's a caboose fashioned into a bookstore, trinket shops, and more.  It's a WONDERFUL day trip, with the fish ladder right there to walk across, and the hot dogs are renowned in the Rockford Corner Bar (there are hot-dog challenges with prizes!).  When I was younger, we went every single year, just to browse the little village.  It's a quaint, christmassy place, and visiting is free.

11.  Those are all 'out and about' things... how about staying in?  There's X-mess cookie decorating, baking holiday logs or candies, or something like that.  There are advent calendars to make (or Hanukkah day check-offs)... here's a site of thirty-five different ideas to craft up with your kids!  Or how about making paper snowflakes?  Making homemade cards was something I used to do, too.  Paper chains, placemats with paper holly on it, popcorn chains... so many ideas!

uPDaTe:  Even more countdown calendar ideas have been added... the post is HERE.

12.  Holiday specials!  I had to get rid of my Charlie Brown one, but we watch Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, the Christmas Card, While You Were Sleeping, and my favorite, 'Disney's Holiday Present'... because it has 'Once Upon a Wintertime' on it, and that's my ultimate favorite.  I'm sure there are a lot more than that on TV, these days, but not that I know of.  ((We only do VHS/DVDs, as we don't have the converter box, let alone a pair of rabbit ears.  TV-free, 15 years.))  We also watch 'Hanukkah Lights' and our Shalom Sesame's 'Happy Hannukah' videos.  I've seen calendars of movies, one for every day of December... it's crazy what's out there.

I'm just sayin'.  I don't have to pay big bucks to have a cram-packed holiday season of wonderful memories.  GRKids don't seem to realize that.  They ask which thing I'm going to pay to see, and I blow them off.  Why would I do that?  When - right here - I've listed SO MANY free events/activities that I couldn't fit them all in two Decembers!  Things for my whole family to do together, rather than everyone sitting in a folding seat, staring at something while not communicating.  People nowadays just don't get it.  Either that or they've sold out to whatever advertising they can get paid for... I'm not sure.  I just want to be sure people understand that this time of year can be merry and bright without busting your budget... without even TOUCHING it, if you don't want!