Operation Christmas Child

GET ACTIVE

with Snow and Ice Sports

FUN GUIDE

Kansas City’s Outdoor Ice-Skating Rinks:

The season for the outdoor rinks is typically November through February or March. Please call for hours for each location. Linden Square Ice Rink 602 NE 70th St., Gladstone, 816.423.4200, Children 4 and under skate free at this affordable local rink. The Ice at Park Place 11549 Ash St., Leawood, 913.663.2070

Our Favorite Outdoor Ice Rinks

Crown Center Ice Terrace The Ice Terrace opens for the 2022 season Nov. 4 with FREE skating from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. The rink overlooks the mayor’s Christmas tree during the holiday season. Enjoy public skating daily. CrownCenter.com/IceTerrace. The Rink at Zona Rosa Enjoy shopping from local and national retailers, dining at an eclectic mix of restaurant options and iceskating under the lights at Zona Rosa. ZonaRosa.com Chicken N Pickle (Overland Park) Offering the most affordable daytime skate rates in town, Chicken N Pickle offers fun on their ice pond all season long. Check their calendar for family skates, character skates and holiday skate parties. ChickenNPickle.com/overland-park/ice-pond

Additional Outdoor Rinks:

Summit Ice 120 NE Chipman Rd., Lee’s Summit, 816.249.2600. Enjoy skating, pond hockey, curling, broomball and ice-skating lessons at this facility. Kansas City’s Indoor Ice-Skating Rinks Open Year-Round:

Independence Community Ice Rink 19100 E. Valley View Pkwy., Independence, 816.795.7577 Kansas City Ice Center and Pavilion 19900 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, 913.441.3033 Line Creek Community Center Ice Rink 5940 NW Waukomis Dr., Kansas City, MO, 816.513.0760

More Winter Sports:

Head to Weston, MO, for skiing and snowboarding at Snow Creek Ski Resort (816.640.2200). Early winter, the facility offers snow skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing, and lessons for beginners. The most daring experience at Snow Creek is tubing at Tornado Alley. Slide down a 700-foot-long slope and then jump onto a special conveyor carpet “twister” for a ride back up! If you’re more into spectator sports, catch an ice hockey game in Independence as you cheer for the Kansas City Mavericks. KCMavericks.com

Giving Thanks

For the Small Things

It’s November, and likely the theme of giving thanks is forefront of your mind. When fall hits, it’s as if something in us switches. Maybe it’s the changing leaves or the crisp air, but, somehow, November fills us with gratitude.

It’s natural to be grateful for the bigger things: family, friends, health, and a roof over our heads. It feels easy to give thanks for those things. But what about the less-than-obvious blessings, the ones we may not always think of? These are the things not printed on catchy wooden decor signs. They may even be slightly silly or insignificant. Let’s remember to give thanks for all the small things that make our lives feel complete.

November and Thanksgiving aren’t just limited to giving thanks for larger areas of our lives, but for all things. So don’t forget the small ones!

Give Thanks for the Cozy Things

The softest duvet that feels like sleeping on a cloud. The first time you light a new candle. A bubble bath or a perfectly curated playlist. Curling up with a book in an oversized armchair as the sun streams through the window. A room lit only by a lamp or twinkle lights. A plate of warm comfort food on a cold day. A favorite movie you’ve seen a thousand times. Crisp, clean sheets. Cuddling with a pet. A quiet nursing session with a squishy babe in the middle of the night. Wrapping your hands around the season’s first hot chocolate.

We can be thankful for all the cozy things, for the things that add comfort, peace and joy to our lives. Whether they are physical objects or feelings, these things hold value. Without them, our world would be bleak. Without them, we would feel sad and lonely. They lift our moods and light up our lives.

Although they may feel like small things, we are thankful for them and their place in our days.

Give Thanks for Things We Take for Granted

A good Wi-Fi connection. A drink at just the right temperature. Genuine compliments from a friend or stranger. Technology and the ability to FaceTime distant family members. Finding a good parking spot outside a crowded building. The perfect weather—or a dreary, rainy day for curling up inside. An entire night of restful sleep. Snuggles from your child who doesn’t usually snuggle anymore. Laughter. Good neighbors. Modern medicine. The changing of seasons. An hour of total, uninterrupted productivity. The group text we go to for advice. The ability to fully experience nature minutes from our front door (Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, Powell Gardens).

Cultivating gratitude for the smaller things can be difficult sometimes. We take these things for granted, things right in front of our eyes or even in our neighborhood. They are always there for us to experience. These things are not always recited around our Thanksgiving tables, but they should be!

Give Thanks for Things That Improve Our Lives

Your robot vacuum. Programming your coffee maker to brew as you wake up. A cleaning service, grocery delivery or the ability to get packages to your front door in less than 48 hours (Yes, this mama is thankful for you, Amazon Prime). Coordinating calendar apps or reminders with your spouse. A treasured and trusted babysitter. Learning from our mistakes. A stranger’s kindness.

So many things—conveniences, services, extras— drastically improve our lives. We can be grateful! If we did not have access to these things, our lives would not function as smoothly as they do. We frequently overlook or rush past them. We deem them unnecessary or simply extra.

More often than not, we don’t appreciate just how valuable these unnecessary extras are. We are thankful for these little things that greatly improve our lives.

How to Give Thanks for the Small Things

We know we should give thanks, and now we know to give thanks for both the big and the small things. But how? How do we shift our mindset to be grateful for not just the larger things in life, but the smaller ones, too?

n Be present. It’s easy to bypass smaller moments of thanks when you’re not paying attention. n Consciously practice gratitude. Whether it’s checking off giving of thanks each day on the calendar or starting first thing when you wake up, make it a priority n Voice your thanksgiving. Sometimes, you truly need to say it out loud. Try saying it alone in the car, shower or anywhere! n Notice things with all your senses to really experience them. n Write it out. Try reflecting by journaling or making a list of at least three things each day. n Check in with an accountability partner. n Involve your children and the entire family in your practice. n Surround yourself with like-minded, positive people. These are the people who will propel you toward gratitude!

Being thankful for all things, not just the big ones, improves our attitude. It actually changes the wiring in our brains and teaches us to be grateful for things we may otherwise overlook.

Channeling gratitude fine-tunes our responses. It allows us to be gracious and grateful, rather than frustrated or overwhelmed … at least most times. We busy parents may find it easy to slap a big metaphorical “thankful” sticker on all the major things in our lives and call it good. But let’s not forget the little things. In this season, let’s practice giving thanks for things we may have left out before. No matter how trivial or silly it may feel to do so, it can truly change not just our mindset, but the attitudes of those around us.

Giving thanks is an ongoing practice, something on which we can always improve and toward which we can strive. So this Thanksgiving, as you go around the table and share with your loved ones all the things you are grateful for, remember the little things, too. Because though it may seem trivial to give thanks for a self-brewing coffee maker or the ability to catch a perfectly timed sunrise, you absolutely can. And should!

FUN GUIDE

Kailyn Rhinehart writes from Warrensburg, MO, where she could always be more grateful for the remarkable life she lives with her husband and two littles.

the BEST GIFTS

for the holidays

Superspace A life-sized modular magnetic play space set that connects like magic. Kids can create almost any structure they dream up and then play in their innovations. Packs away into a small footprint. $299, ages 2-10, GetSuperspace.com

BY ELENA EPSTEIN

DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL PARENTING PRODUCT AWARDS

For more product reviews, visit NAPPAAwards.com.

BFF by Cry Babies The collectible fashion dolls from Cry Babies. Six characters that come dressed in trendy outfits and strike various poses. Unbox the doll and discover seven surprise accessories. $19.99, ages 5-8, Amazon.com

Bunny Hopkins Swing Collection A unique handmade wooden disc swing for indoor or outdoor play. Created with sustainable materials and American-sourced maple wood. Vibrant natural and color stains create amazing underlying wooden grains patterns. $59-$99, ages 2-8, BunnyHopkinsToys.com BrainBolt Genius The all-new, mind-melting memory game. Watch the lights flash across the 21 buttons and use your memory to recreate the pattern without missing a beat. Has five different levels and head-tohead and solo modes. $23.99, ages 7+, Amazon.com

Magna-Tiles Builder Called It! An easy-to-learn game that is fast and fun for the whole family. Players must turn over their topmost card in the center at the same time and be the first to call out the biggest animal. Great for travel. $12.97, ages 5+, Amazon.com

Critter Creator Fossil Kit Build, paint and fossilize 10 different little critters with airdry clay. The kit includes molds to create dragonflies, spiders, hornets, scorpions, lady bugs and more. $24.99, ages 7+, Crayola.com

Spidey & His Amazing Friends Web Spinning Hauler Join Spidey, Ghost-Spider and Miles Morales as they chase down villains inside this fun car. As Spidey takes the wheel and Ghost and Miles operate two web dart launchers, users can spin the dial on the hauler’s rear to the correct symbol, emerging characters from the roof. $27.99, ages 3+, Target.com T.A.P.E.S. Turn-based. Approximate. Proportion. Estimation. Showdown. A wild new family party game where players guess the size of objects in the room using 16 wacky units of measurement ranging from honeybees and apples to playing cards and squirrels. $29.99, ages 6+, Amazon.com

ZipLinx Triple Tower Blast Load ’em! Link ’em! Launch ’em! Create high-flying, chainreaction fun. This set delivers a different eye-popping payoff to the classic domino run—launching pieces into the air up to three feet high! $39.99, ages 6+, ZipLinx.com Switcheroo Coding Crew Embark on challenge-solving rescue missions using a codable robot with three shells that transform into a police car, fire truck and construction vehicle. Race around the town’s puzzle piece board to learn coding concepts, logic, problem solving and critical thinking. $59.99, ages 4+, Amazon.com

Cool Maker Stitch ’N Style Fashion Studio An all-in-one fashion studio that includes an innovative cartridge thread system and automatic sewing sensors to make sewing safe and easy. Customize your designs with unique prints that are magically applied with water. $34.99, ages 8+, SpinMaster.com Craft-tastic Nature – Make a Bug Hotel Give bugs and insects a place to rest and nest. Easily snap the wooden panels together and personalize it with fun waterproof hotel themed stickers. Fill it with leaves, stickers, flowers and other found objects from nature. Includes an identification guide booklet. $19.99, ages 4+, PlayMonster.com

Pokemon Flame & Flight Deluxe Charizard Fully interactive with more than 30 unique lights, sounds and movement reactions. Flaps its wings and launches fire missiles from its mouth. $29.99, 8+, Jazwares.com

Create & Play Magnetic Monsters A monstrously good time awaits as kids create one-of-a-kind monsters by mixing and matching magnetic heads, arms, torsos and more. All 20 parts turn a full 360 degrees to bring these monsters to life. $29.99, ages 3-8, LakeshoreLearning.com LeapFrog Magic Adventures Microscope Young biologists can zoom in on flowers, animals, food, minerals and more using eight double-sided smart slides. Discover answers to curious questions: How do leaves change colors? What do plant cells look like? What is sand made of anyway? $89.99, ages 5+, LeapFrog.com

Explorer X Perfect for aiding your child to transfer smoothly into riding a bike. Safety features include a frame pad, safe footrests and an adjustable seat that grows with your child. $99.99, ages 4-6, MoboCruiser.com Koosh Flix Stix Plays like lacrosse—easy to flick, catch and hard to put down. Perfect for hours of outdoor fun. Families can test their skills and go head-to-head. Each set comes with two Flix Stix and one Koosh Ball. $24.99, ages 6+, PlayMonster.com

LeapFrog LeapPods Max Beyond listening to music, hours of included activities take kids on an audio adventure. Includes a 14-page Adventure Passport for engaging soundscapes and animals sounds with detailed illustrations. Wirelessly connect to your own devices to listen to favorite music, podcasts and more. $49.99, ages 4+, LeapFrog.com

Shelly’s Pearl Join the fun with your dive team as you swim around collecting shells to trade in. This early learning game helps young players achieve goals and practice strategy while building fine motor skills. $38, ages 4+, SimplyFun.com VTech DJ Beat Boxer A pawsome new musical friend. Each interaction adds layers to the music, so you and DJ can create a new song together. Add in backbeats, harmonies or recordscratching sounds. You can even press DJ’s ear to record a quick phrase to drop into your song. $37.99, ages 3+, VTechKids.com

Moody Moody Cars In this unique and charming picture book, classic cars express a range of feelings, from excited to angry, to help kids learn about emotions. Enjoy the photos of cool cars or dive deeper into the engine of emotional understanding. $16.99, ages 4-8, EileenKennedyMoore.com

Kansas City’s Best Christmas Lights

Kansas City sparkles in holiday splendor with magnificent displays across the metro! These are our top picks for the best Christmas lights in KC!

Most displays operate from Thanksgiving through Christmas, from sunset (5:30) to 10:00; however, there are a few exceptions. Check websites to verify times.

Holiday Light and Magic near Legends Shopping Center: Holiday Light and

Magic is a Christmas lights experience out by Legends Shopping Center. The familyfun holiday event is held nightly from mid-November to the new year. Don’t miss this opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime. HolidayLightAndMagic.com. NEW LOCATION for Winter Magic: Kessler Park. Come one, come all, to Winter Magic, the most fantastic of drive-thru holiday events in Kansas City. Truly, a world of winter wonder awaits you! Wear your pajamas and bring your hot chocolate, if it pulls your sled. WinterMagicKC.com! GloWild: Kansas City Zoo. See the zoo in a different light with a new, completely unique and immersive nighttime experience, GloWild. The lanterns will be spread throughout the topside of the zoo thru Dec. 11. Guests will walk a one-way pathway through the display. KansasCityZoo.org Crown Center Mayor’s Christmas Tree: Crown Center Square. The 100-foot-tall tree is adorned with 7,200 lights. Legendary Christmas: Legends Outlets Kansas City. Unique lighting display on a 45-foot holiday tree created by a world-renowned technology-driven holiday lights team, all synchronized to music. LegendsShopping.com Festival of Lights: Powell Gardens. Festival-goers walk a mile-long path spread out over 25 acres through the gardens featuring a variety of immersive light displays. PowellGardens.org Christmas in the Park: Longview Lake Park. Christmas in the Park features more than 500,000 lights, 175 animated figures and splashes of Christmas color. This enchanting drive-thru winter wonderland’s magic will delight the entire family. Country Club Plaza Holiday Lights: Country Club Plaza. Take in the lights Thanksgiving through mid-January. Enjoy more than 80 miles of illuminated strings of bulbs. Coming Home for Christmas: Silver Dollar City. Silver Dollar City shines brilliantly with more than 6.5 million lights, an eight-story animated Christmas tree, a light parade and more. SilverDollarCity.com Alta Sciences Animated Lights: Alta Sciences. From mid-November through Christmas, the 175,000-LED light display is beautifully choreographed to music for an animated light show your children will love! Sar-Ko-Aglow: Dec. 2-mid-January, Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park. Take a nighttime stroll around Rose’s Pond to view the beautiful annual lights display in Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park throughout the holiday season. Lenexa.com

FRESH-CUT CHRISTMAS TREES

KC’s Guide to Christmas Tree Farms

Make Christmas memories with a nostalgic trip to a Christmas tree farm. Choose your own fresh tree at one of these area farms.

Family Tree Nursery

FamilyTreeNursery.com Family Tree Nursery has three locations across the metro. The garden centers are transformed into magical winter wonderlands lined with forests of decorated trees, lights, decorations and holiday gifts. Choose a fresh Christmas tree from a beautiful selection.

Colonial Gardens

27610 E Wyatt Rd., Blue Springs, MO, 816.229.1277 Colonial Gardens sells fresh Frasier firs during the holiday season. The nursery is transformed into a winter wonderland where you can enjoy photos with Santa and other holiday fun. Additionally, they sell fresh wreaths, boughs and garland, decorative embellishments and an array of poinsettias.

Bierman’s Christmas Tree Farm

2825 S. 63rd St., Kansas City, KS, 913.375.1317 Christmas picture cutout and heated barn with gift shop. Choose and cut Scotch and Austrian pines 5 to 10 feet tall. Precut white pines up to 9 feet are available, as are Fraser firs, Michigan Grand Firs and balsam firs up to 18 feet tall. Indoor restroom, Christmas egg hunt, fresh wreaths and garland, and hot chocolate.

Christmas Ranch Tree Farm

24818 NE 148th St., Excelsior Springs, MO, 816.630.5086 You may cut the tree, or farm staff will help. They provide saws and carts, and they shake, bale and drill the trees. They also provide twine and assistance in tying the tree to the top of your car. Enjoy the free hot chocolate, cider and cookies. Evening Star Pines

9820 Evening Star Rd., Eudora, KS, 785.542.1634 Take a complimentary tractor-pulled sleigh ride and select from Scotch or white pine, white and Black Hill spruce in the field or precut Wisconsin Fraser firs. Enjoy free hot chocolate and candy canes. Purchase fresh wreaths and arrangements, locally made jams and jellies, and holiday items. Services include shaking, netting and loading or tie-down of tree to vehicle.

Fort Osage Farm

3022 N. Twyman Rd., Independence, 816.838.3707 Complimentary candy canes and coloring books for the little ones, hot spiced tea and cocoa. Trees include Scotch pine, white pine, Norway spruce and Virginia pine. The farm provides saws, shake, bagging and twine to tie the tree to your car.

Fulk Farm

23400 Hwy. 92, Platte City, MO, 816.225.8809 Precut and cut-your-own-trees available. Services provided free of charge include saws you may use to cut your tree, tree drilling, shaking and netting. On weekends, enjoy free wagon rides and coffee and hot chocolate. The gift shop offers handmade fresh pine wreaths and garland, as well as fir wreaths and roping, along with an assortment of gift items.

Hess Acres

24250 W. 83rd St., Lenexa, 913.484.5024 Local u-cut Christmas tree farm with Scotch pines in Johnson County.

Kennedy’s Country Farm

27102 Herring Rd., Greenwood, MO, 816.744.0386 Trees include Douglas firs, Canaan firs, blue spruce, Fraser firs and white firs. Services include free tree shaking and wrapping. Also savor free hot chocolate and cookies. Enjoy the warm gift shop after you find the perfect tree. New this year: Children will enjoy a scavenger hunt.

Midland Holiday Pines

18541 Midland Dr., Shawnee, 913.631.5095 Scotch and Austrian pines. Fraser and balsam firs, as well as white pines. Cut it down yourself, or their team will help you! They also offer precut trees. Enjoy cocoa and make family memories at this farm. They do provide shaking and netting of trees. Also enjoy a beautiful Nativity manger scene, apple cider, hot chocolate, candy canes and hayrides (if weather and tractor permit).

Pumpkins and Pines

20606 South SR 7, Pleasant Hill, MO, 816.540.3887 Enjoy a free hayride to the field and free hot chocolate (on weekends) and select one of 4,000 homegrown, hand-pruned field Christmas trees. This farm provides bow saws to cut your tree, or if you prefer, they can cut it for you. They also offer precut fir trees from Michigan. Trees on the farm include Scotch, red, Austrian and white pines. Precut Christmas trees include Fraser fir, Canaan fir, balsam fir, concolor fir and blue spruce. They shake the tree, bale it and attach it to your car for free. Santa visits on weekends (call ahead for schedule).

Reindeer Lane

19401 Fightmaster, Trimble, MO, 816.803.5853 Enjoy a complimentary hayride to the field to select Scotch pine or Eastern white pine trees. You may also choose precut Fraser fir Christmas trees. Enjoy free popcorn and hot chocolate. You may purchase fresh fir wreaths and garland and take photos with Santa on your visit.

Strawberry Hill Christmas Tree Farm

794 US-40, Lawrence, 785.331.4422 Scotch pines, Fraser firs and white pines. Enjoy complimentary cider, cookies, music and a hayride to the farm. They help load trees for customers. Wilderson Tree Farm

14820 Parallel Rd., Basehor, KS, 913.724.1057 Choose and cut a Virginia pine, or select from precut Fraser firs, Scotch pines or white pines. Please note that this farm does not accept credit/debit cards. Only cash and checks at this time.

Kristina Light writes about Christmas in Kansas City and its many wonderful traditions all season long on KCParent.com.

TIPS

• Dress for the farm. Wear warm clothes and shoes.

• Many farms sell out by the first week of December, so go early if you want a fresh tree. • Call ahead before you go for an up-to-date inventory. Many farms close for the season once they are sold out. • Measure your space before you go. This includes doorways— you have to get the tree inside the house, after all. Trees in the field may appear to be a “reasonable” size, but once placed in your living room, they may be too large for your space. Get an idea in advance of the height and width you’re after. You might even bring a measuring tape with you. • Many of these farms offer precut trees or cut-your-own. They will provide the tools to cut your own and great advice, too.

Ask staff members for tips and help. • Read the information below carefully and visit farm websites for information, including special events. Some require cash, others accept credit cards. • Many farms will shake, flock and net your tree for you. Some will help tie it to the roof of your car, and others will provide twine so you can tie it yourself. These services are a big help. • Bring hand sanitizer and wipes to help clean off fresh tree sap. • Take photos!