As the fall months progress into our colder, snowy winter months, we head into the holiday season with friends and family gatherings, gift making, baking, lots of food, and holiday traditions!
I moved to North Ogden in November 1998. To my surprise, I watched everyone put up their holiday lights and trees the day after Thanksgiving! In other places I have lived, those activities were not a holiday tradition until about mid-December.
Wondering why everyone in Utah was in such a rush to get these things done right after Thanksgiving, it became all too clear once the first snows hit. I learned the hard way that everyone around was so smart to hang the lights outside before things got too icy! The tree…. well, that’s still different. But, my family’s Christmas goes from Dec 25th to Jan 6th, so if I were to put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving, I would probably want to throw it out the window before my holiday season ended!
As you begin to think about hanging those lights, please remember that there are quite a few landscaping companies that offer outside holiday light hanging services for a small fee. They often do snow removal too, if you decide that this is the year to take a break from shoveling.
Another fun tradition is the start of the baking season. Do you make a plum or Christmas pudding? Time to start now! It is so amazing to see neighbors involved in cookie exchanges, baking bread, pies, creating gifts for each other, and more. This is not typical in other areas I have lived in and it’s refreshing to see how much of a close-knit community there is in the North Ogden/Pleasant View area.
My favorite “neighborly gift giving” surprise was going out Christmas morning to see what painted, wooden ornament had been hung on the mailbox, on Christmas Eve! I always tried to see whoever it was hanging those….Thank you! I still have them all to this day.
For another neat holiday tradition, you could take the family to sing Handel’s Messiah, with performances by the Utah Symphony, USU, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or stay close at the “Messiah” community sing-along, Ogden Tabernacle, 350 22nd St., 7 p.m. on Dec. 14!
For more family fun, the Santa Run on Historic 25th, Ogden is Saturday, Nov 25th, 4:30 pm followed by the Ogden Light parade and then the opening of the Christmas Village!
For those doing “Black Friday” shopping, Nov 25th is also Shop Small/ Small business Saturday. Please visit and support the small business owners. To help you, see the coupon below to start your gift purchasing, then stay for the Santa Run, the parade, attend the opening of the Ogden Christmas Village and visit the shops on Historic 25th! Many of the stores will have treats, free gifts, hot chocolate if it is cold out and other fun activities throughout the day!
See you there! Happy start of the holiday season!
