Christmas has arrived in Pagosa. The town and buildings are beautifully lit up with holiday lights to welcome all of our visitors, and Holiday Palooza festivities continue throughout the month of December with a variety of activities and events for the whole family.
Parade of Stores
The Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring you Parade of Stores, a tax-free shopping weekend with participating stores. The ninth annual Parade of Stores runs from Thursday, Dec. 4, through Saturday, Dec. 6.
Over 30 stores will be offering tax-free shopping. Some stores are offering even more discounts on top of the tax-free benefit. Shoppers can also enjoy the numerous open houses that will be held at various stores from the east to the west side of town. Many stores are also offering late shopping hours, until 7 p.m., so grab the friends or family and head out to shop locally.
The Parade of Stores offers two fun shopping programs. The first part is the frequent shopper program. Shoppers can obtain a Parade of Stores brochure and visit the stores on the list. While browsing through the store, get your brochure stamped. If you obtain 15 stamps from various stores over the three-day period, you become eligible to enter the store giveaways. Every participating store will be donating a wonderful gift.
You can pick up your brochures at the Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center or any participating store. When you are finished collecting your 15 stamps, you may turn in your brochure to any participating store or at the Chamber and Visitor Center. The Chamber also has a mail slot in the front door, so you can always slide your brochure through the slot.
We will collect and tally all the brochures on Monday, Dec. 8, and winners will be notified by Wednesday, Dec. 10. If you win a prize, you can then go directly to the store where you won the prize to retrieve your goody. Stores will not release their giveaway until they are notified by the Chamber. You do not have to purchase an item in order to get your brochure stamped.
The second part of the Parade of Stores Extravaganza is that for every $10 you spend in any of the participating stores, you will be entered into the prize package giveaway, which consists of out-of-town and local vacation packages. Imagine an expense-paid getaway in another Colorado town. Obviously, the more you spend, the more chances you have to win.
The beauty of the Parade of Stores is that you keep your shopping dollars local.
Visits from Santa
For the children in Pagosa and visiting children, get your Christmas wish list together and come visit Santa at the Visitor Center every Saturday through Dec. 20. Santa has blocked out time in his busy schedule to be at the Visitor Center from noon to 3 p.m. on those days. Santa will be there to listen to all the children’s wishes and it will be a wonderful opportunity to get this year’s traditional Christmas card photo. There will also be delicious cookies, hot drinks and party favors.
Festival of Trees
Another fun event this weekend is the Festival of Trees at the Ross Aragon Community Center — a wonderful tradition in Pagosa.
Don’t miss the free public viewing on Thursday, Dec. 4, from noon to 7 p.m., where you can vote for your favorite tree and help raise funds for area nonprofits.
The main event will be held on Friday, Dec. 5, where all trees will still be on display, but only the top 10 from the voting will advance to the live auction. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with cocktail hour; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The auction begins at 8 p.m.
The trees range from the elegant to the whimsical and all trees will become a collectible holiday decoration in your home. You also have the opportunity to donate the tree to a family in need. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at the Community Center in advance and only until Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.
‘Wonders of Christmas’
“Wonders of Christmas” is the theme for this year’s holiday concert presented by the Pagosa Springs Community Choir.
The concerts will be held for three days, beginning Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. and concluding on Dec. 14 with an afternoon matinee at 4 p.m.
Get into the Christmas spirit with music ranging from the inspirational to the jolly. The performances will be held in the Pagosa Springs High School auditorium and are free to the public.
For the athletes
For the athletes, there are a variety of options during the holidays.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, the Sweaty Santa 3k and 5k fun run/walk will take place at the Community Center at 10 a.m. The race will occur sun, rain or snow — so be prepared to bring your snowshoes, if necessary. There will be prizes for the best “Christmas Cheer” holiday runner or group. Registration is at the event only and begins at 9 a.m.
The Pagosa Springs Nordic Club will host a free cross-country clinic on Saturday, Dec. 13, in a relaxed, informal and interactive manner. On Dec. 14, the club kicks off its 2014/2015 season with a biathlon featuring Red Ryder BB guns.
Theater options
Incredible theater can also be found in Pagosa during the holidays with from both Curtains Up Pagosa and the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts (PSCA).
“Beehive: The 60’s Musical Sensation” — Curtains Up Pagosa’s annual winter production — will run for four days, Dec. 3-7, at the Pagosa Springs High School Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults; $12 for seniors; and $10 for students.
The PSCA will present “Chaps! A Jingle Jangle Christmas,” running throughout the month of December, beginning on Dec. 12.
The Whatchamawhozits Children’s Theatre presents their holiday show on Dec. 6 and 7 at the PSCA. This heartwarming holiday show is written by the talented kids in the theater class and will delight people of all ages.
For more information about the shows at PSCA, call 731-SHOW(7469).
As you can see, there is no shortage of events kicking off the holiday season. For more information about events occurring throughout the month of December, please refer to the insert in the Nov. 27 issue of The Pagosa Springs SUN newspaper. Additional calendar inserts may be obtained by stopping by the Visitor Center.
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