By Lani Gering

Dear God! I swear that the tree lighting, decking of the halls and “Santa Baby” renditions get earlier every year in the Harbor! I’m still working through some of the “good stuff” ie Butterfingers, Snickers, Twix from the Halloween stash, let along made a concrete plan for what I am contributing to the Thanksgiving dinner. And…only reason I know what I’m doing on that day is we pretty much spend it with our same gang of pals each year. I don’t even know if whole turkeys and the French’s fried onions have gone on sale. I do, however, have cranberries frozen from last years sale so good to go with that! Just sayin’.

I was watching some pre-Halloween movies on TV last month (the 20th to be exact) and Christmas ads came on for Macy’s and Walmart. WTH? I hadn’t even purchased the above referenced candy then. Bad enough that CVS and, I imagine Walmart, Target, etc., have the Christmas goods hitting the shelves as well. Guess the upside of this is… your odds of getting a good deal on the Halloween candy and “stuff” are really high!

This brings me to yet another “too early” holiday pet peeves – Hallmark! Not the cards, the channels. I get their whole “Christmas in July” airings but starting in with the Christmas shows before Halloween is too much. I will admit that I like the shows and do start up on them the day after Thanksgiving and will also admit to tuning my 4 Runner radio in to 97.1FM when they start playing Christmas tunes 24/7.

The hullabaloo in the Harbor starts on the 7th! What happened to the days of tree lightings and Black Friday sales beginning the day AFTER Thanksgiving? Speaking of Black Friday sales…they aren’t anything special anymore either. Some retailers have them throughout the year.

Full disclosure is that I do love the holidays and am very partial to Christmas and all of the amazing events that the season offers. I have finally weaned myself off of waiting last minute to cram in my gift shopping on the 23rd of December and have utilized the ease of online shopping during the year as I see something I think my family or friends might like as the months roll on. The only drawback to that approach is that I have found myself forgetting – more than once – where I put said gifts for “safe” keeping until I do the wrapping. It ends up in kind of a scavenger hunt situation. To that point, however, I have encountered other “treasures” that I put in safe places in my search. Guess you can call it a “win/win”, right??

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving as we gear up for the month of December!

On to what’s happening in the Harbor this month. See below for a short recap:

Waterfront Tree Lightings & Fireworks

Harbor Holidays Kickoff: On Saturday, November 7th, National Harbor officially launches its holiday season. The celebration begins in the afternoon with Santa visits (noon to 4:00 PM) and toy soldier stilt walkers roaming the area.

Nightly Tree Lighting Show: Starting November 7, the spectacular 60-foot holiday tree at the Belvedere hosts a nightly light show. The tree lights dance in perfect synchronization with a festive holiday music soundtrack.

Saturday Night Fireworks: Every Saturday throughout November, beginning on the 7th at 5:30 PM, a dazzling holiday fireworks display lights up the sky directly over the Potomac River.

The Capital Wheel Holiday Display: Underneath The Capital Wheel, a custom-themed LED light show debuts on November 7th. It illuminates the harbor nightscape in sync with the weekly fireworks. You can watch from the climate-controlled gondolas or the Flight Deck waterfront bar below.

Christmas at Gaylord National Resort

The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center anchors the region’s holiday entertainment with major indoor winter programming opening on November 14th.

ICE! Featuring ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!‘: This massive, signature walkthrough attraction features room after room of colossal structures, tunnels, and two-story slides hand-carved from 2 million pounds of ice. Warm parkas are provided to brave the 9°F environment. You can book admission passes directly on the Gaylord National Tickets page.

Atrium Transformation: The resort’s 19-story glass atrium becomes a Christmas Village, hosting indoor tree lighting displays, nightly fountain shows, Bavarian storefronts, and gingerbread decorating workshops.

The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan: From November 15th–18th, a festive pop-up arrives at the resort, offering free holiday giveaways and photo opportunities with the iconic Coca-Cola Polar Bear.

Holiday Shopping & Markets

Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show: Running every Saturday from November 7 through December 19th (noon to 7:00 PM) along American Way, local artisans and vendors offer unique crafts, seasonal gifts, and food truck options.

Tanger Outlets Tree Lighting: The Tanger Outlets National Harbor host their own holiday celebration and tree lighting event on Saturday, November 7th from 6 pm to 8 pm kicking off the seasonal shopping discounts. Santa arrives at 6:30 PM to officially flip the switch and light the main holiday tree.