Getting in the spirit
It’s the greatest time of year, and not just because it’s the Christmas season. December holds the few weeks of each year that family and friends are almost guaranteed to spend time together.
Whether it’s around a dinner table or decorating a tree, feeling the love and embracing the joy among everyone is always a good time. And if you’re looking to start a new tradition or meet at a fun event, check out our listing of holiday and winter events in this article.
Letters to (and from) Santa
► Where: Varies
► Hours: Thanksgiving week to Dec. 19
Part of the magic of Christmas is writing a letter to Santa, but one resident, John Feagin, has taken it a step further to act as Santa and reply to the letters. Children and families are encouraged to send letters to “Santa” before Christmastime. Letters can be dropped off in the decorated mailboxes located at Gilchrist, Swoop, Smith’s Variety and the Chamber of Commerce.
Feagin said he will check the mailboxes until Dec. 19, after which he will no longer be able to reply to the letters due to the timing of Christmas this year. To ensure a reply from Santa, letters must have a return address clearly written on the envelope.
MBAA Holiday ART Show
► Where: The North Pole next to The Summit Cinema
► Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nov. 23-Dec. 23
► Web: mountainbrookartassociation.com
The Mountain Brook Art Association will be hosting their ninth annual holiday art show at The Summit. The show will be in the “North Pole” with Santa Claus, next door to the Summit Cinema.
The show will be open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Members of the MBAA will be giving painting demos, and weekend visitors can sit for a charcoal portrait.
Artwork will be available for sale, ranging from $10 to a few thousand dollars to purchase.
Hand in Paw therapy organization is the show’s chosen charity again, so some therapy dogs will make visits to the show.
Mountain Brook Holiday Parade with storytime popup
► Where: Mountain Brook Village
► Hours: 3 p.m., Dec. 2
► Web: mtnbrookchamber.org
One of the highly anticipated annual events for Mountain Brook, the holiday parade, is set for the first weekend in December. The parade route is the same as previous years, starting at Office Park and continuing along Cahaba Road, Culver Road and Petticoat Lane in Mountain Brook Village.
Upwards of 2,000 friends and family gather for the event, which features locally-made floats, the Dorians, the MBJH and MBHS marching bands and, of course, Santa. The Emmet O’Neal Library will be hosting a popup story time in Village Circle immediately following the parade, as well.
Samford Legacy League Home Tours
► Where: Varies
► Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4-8 p.m. Dec. 6
► Web: samford.edu/legacyleague
As Samford University Legacy League’s largest fundraiser, the event offers guests the chance to tour local homes that are decorated for the holidays in Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. Homes include those of the Kaples, 2940 Pump House Road; the Yanceys, 2809 Pump House Road; the Prewitts, 417 Sunset Drive; the Stephens, 216 Sheridan Lane; and the Westmorelands, 1994 Shades Crest Road. The Westmoreland house will also have a Christmas market, musical entertainment and finger foods.
Proceeds go to financial need scholarships for Samford students, which are funded by the League. Tickets are $25 through Dec. 4 or $30 at the door.
Zoolight Safari
► Where: Birmingham Zoo
► Hours: Evenings, Dec. 7-9, 14-23 and 26-31
► Web: birminghamzoo.com/events
Animals might not have specific holidays that they celebrate, but that doesn’t mean the Birmingham Zoo doesn’t get in the spirit. With the annual Zoolight Safari, guests will be taken to a winter wonderland complete with the Jingle Bell Carousel, the Yuletide Slide and Santa’s Reindeer Racers. Seasonal games will also be available on Henley Lawn.
Zoolight Safari is scheduled to run select evenings in December from 5 to 9 p.m., although Public Relations Manager Samil Baker said the times may be adjusted for the weekdays or weekends. The zoo’s breakfast with Santa is also planned for Dec. 15, but the times were not determined as of press time.
Tickets are free for members and $10 for nonmembers. Proceeds will go towards animal care and conservation.
IPC Holiday House Tours
► Where: Varies
► Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8, 1-5 p.m. Dec. 9
► Web: ipc-usa.org/serve/missions/holiday-house.html
In addition to the Legacy League Home Tours, the Independent Presbyterian Church will be hosting their home tours Dec. 8-9. The homes of the Holmans, 2509 Country Club Circle; the Delaneys, 10 Honeysuckle Lane; Mark Thompson and Jay Draper, 4036 Clairmont Avenue South; and the Schleusners, 2333 Highland Crescent are on the docket, as is the Independent Presbyterian Church at 3100 Highland Avenue.
Tickets are $30 (available online, at the church or at the homes) and proceeds will benefit IPC ministries, which provide educational opportunities for women and children.
Grand Menorah lighting
► Where: Saks Plaza at The Summit
► Hours: 4:30 p.m., Dec. 9
Organized by the Chabad of Alabama and the Levite JCC, the Grand Menorah lighting will take place Dec. 9 to mark the start of Hanukkah. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Saks Plaza at The Summit and will include family-friendly activities for kids of all ages.
The main event, of course, will be the lighting of the 12-foot-tall menorah, which will take place at 5:15 p.m.
There will also be a street fair with booths and performers, as well as a gelt drop for kids.
Birmingham Boys Choir Christmas Concert
► Where: Briarwood Presbyterian Church
► Hours: 7 p.m., Dec. 20
► Web: birminghamboyschoir.com
As in past years, Music Director Ken Berg said the 41st annual Birmingham Boys Choir concert will be free to the public and will be “completely Christmas-focused; not a ‘holiday’ or a ‘winter’ concert.” However, due to an ever-growing audience — past years have seen more than 2,000 attendees — the concert outgrew its previous home at Canterbury United Methodist Church and has moved to Briarwood Presbyterian Church.
Tickets for the concert are free and there is no need to RSVP to the event, but Berg said those who would like certain seats should arrive early to reserve their spots.
Living Nativity
► Where: Mountain Brook Baptist Church
► Hours: 6:45, 7:30 and 8:15 p.m. Dec. 20-22
► Web: mbbc.org
Mountain Brook Baptist Church, 3631 Montevallo Road, is bringing back its Living Nativity for three nights this year, with three showings per night: 6:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The event has been around since the early 1960s and features a recorded narration from Dotson Nelson — the church’s pastor at the inception of the show — and local actors and live animals to present a live presentation of Christ’s birth.
Cookies and hot chocolate will be served for those present. The show will take place in the lower parking lot of the MBCC.
Great Wall of Chinakah Dinner
► Where: Chabad of Alabama
► Hours: 5-8 p.m., Dec. 25
For more than a decade, the Chabad of Alabama has hosted an annual Chinese food dinner on the evening of Christmas. “It’s become a tradition that Jewish people eat Chinese on Dec. 25, as nothing else is open,” said Mushka Posner, a Chabad spokesperson, in a previous Village Living article. The meal will also be kosher.
Tickets for the dinner are $20 for adults and $10 for children before Dec. 20, and $30 for adults and $20 for children after Dec. 20. For details, contact 970-0100 or office@chabadofalabama.com.
Tree recycling
► Where: Birmingham Zoo
► Hours: Normal business hours, tentatively Dec. 26-Jan. 10
For those who celebrate Christmas and decorate with a real tree, the Birmingham Zoo will be offering tree recycling again this year. Zoo. The trees, which can be dropped off at the pavilion near the entrance to the zoo, will be turned into mulch that is used throughout zoo walkways and landscaping features.
Public Relations Manager Samil Baker said in years past, trees have been accepted starting Dec. 26 through Jan. 10, although those dates may be updated closer to Christmas. Trees can be dropped via the Cahaba Road construction entrance during normal business hours and should be cleared of all ornaments, lights, tinsel and other decorations. There is no cost to recycle the trees.
Did we miss a holiday event in Mountain Brook? Feel free to email lcoon@starnespublishing.com with information about the event to be included in the online version of this article.