Field Trip

Li ht Up the Season

Create some holiday magic in the time of COVID and spark family memories your kids will cherish.

BY JUDIAANN WOO

There’s no doubt that the winter holidays are going to look a little different this year. But if crowded malls, long lines and the pressure to buy and see it all never really appealed to you, this just might be the year to slow down and explore the truer meaning of the holidays while making some long-lasting family memories. Here are just a few magical ways to celebrate the winter season while social distancing during these COVID days.

JUDIAANN WOO

Harvest Your Own Tree Oregon has no shortage of U-cut Christmas tree farms. This year, with Santa self-quarantining, it might be fun to check out a new-to-you farm such as Loch Lolly Christmas Forest in North Plains, Plumper Pumpkin Patch and Tree Farm in Beaverton, or Sauvie Island Farms just 10 miles from downtown Portland. For families with older kids who are up for an adventure, you can get a permit from the U.S. Forest Service and harvest a tree from the wild for just $5.

Where to See Holiday Lights The Oregon Zoo’s holiday tradition of more than 1.5 million colored lights will be back on November 26 with timed ticket reservations and COVID-19 safety measures in place. In addition to a one-way, walk-through display of wonders, ZooLights will be adding a new drive-through experience on certain nights. The Sunshine Division’s Winter Wonderland, “the largest holiday light show west of the Mississippi,” will return on November 27. Visitors can expect to see more than 250 different light displays spanning the length of Portland International Raceway from the comfort of their own cars.

Let Your Kids Shop for Kids in Need The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for kids in foster care. Making a monetary donation to a foster support group is always welcome, but many also accept donations of new, or like-new, clothes, toys, books and other childhood essentials. Let your kids help select items to give so they feel involved in the gifting process. With Love, a local organization that supports Oregon’s foster community, even has an Amazon gift registry, which lets you shop and have the items delivered, contact-free.

Hanukah in a Box Kids love getting mail. And a package with their name on it is even better. Days United, a subscription-box company that helps families celebrate cultural traditions, makes it super-easy to fill the eight days of Hanukah with fun activities and experiences for the whole family. Expect a colorful guide filled with holiday traditions, crafts, songs, recipes and more. Available as a single box for $49.90 or a subscription of four or eight boxes per year.

JUDIAANN WOO Where to Find Portland’s Best Hot Chocolate Here are three fun places to try and why, each offering contactless order and pickup. Check out Soro Soro Coffee & Dessert for their perfectly executed hot chocolate in original and chocolatebanana flavors, but don’t miss ordering a few of their adorable individual desserts, often featuring googly eyes or sweet animal faces. Whipped-cream lovers will appreciate the generous swirls that top each hot chocolate order at Moonstruck Chocolate shops. Be sure to stock up on their mixes to enjoy at home. If you’re feeling adventurous, try their horchata, mint or golden milk flavors. If you’ve got a kid who can never finish a mug of hot cocoa, the House Xocolata drinking and dipping chocolate at 180 Xurros just might be a game changer. Order with fresh xurros and let the kiddos dunk away, coffee-and-doughnuts-style.

Make an Ice Igloo With Sugar Cubes Gingerbread houses are fun, but if you’re looking for more ways to keep your little builders busy, make an ice igloo with nothing more than sugar cubes and glue. Depending on your audience, call it a Minecraft fortress, Elsa’s castle or Pingu’s igloo. Dust your final creations with powdered sugar if you like, and add some toy figures to create your own snow-covered wonderland display.

The Nutcracker at No Cost If you’re one of the families who make it a tradition to attend a stage production of The Nutcracker each year, don’t let the lack of in-person performances deter you from enjoying the music and magic of George Balanchine’s famous ballet. Full-length productions, from the New York City Ballet and others, exist on

180 XURROS GREGOR HALENDA

Surprise Your Family With DIY Crackers Christmas crackers — not the snacking kind, but the surpriseholding kind — are a fun way to add a pop of fun at the Christmas table. Pull the ends apart, and the crackers make a cracking sound before revealing their contents. Popular in England, traditional crackers contain a joke or a riddle, a paper crown, and some sweets and trinkets. There are many companies that sell ready-made crackers, but it’s not hard to make your own. DIY means you YouTube and can be viewed for absolutely free with no traveling involved.

can customize the contents for each family member. Visit oldenglishcrackers. com to purchase all the supplies and watch a video tutorial.

Learn (Like, Really Learn) All the Lyrics to Those Classic Christmas Carols If you’re like me and mumble your way through anything besides Jingle Bells, maybe it’s time to finally learn the lyrics to all those classic Christmas songs. Search “Christmas Carols with Lyrics” on YouTube and you’ll be rewarded with karaokestyle singalong videos that make it fun for the whole family to get in the holiday spirit through song. Decorate for Kwanzaa During the seven days of Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1), the African-American celebration of life and family, decorate your home with the colors red, black and green. Reflect on each of the seven guiding principles (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith) and help the kids craft colorful paper garlands, woven placemats and beaded necklaces for each family member to wear during the Karamu celebration feast on New Year’s Eve. Be Your Own Events Calendar Now that you have all these ideas for how to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime season, create and decorate a large wall calendar from Thanksgiving to the New Year listing your very official “events” so the kids have something to look forward to each week and you have time to plan (and rest) in between.

Judiaann Woo lives in Southwest Portland with her photographer husband, two kids and five pets. When she’s not helping brands better connect with their audiences, she’s out exploring the best of Oregon in safe and responsible ways. Follow her family’s adventures on Instagram at @judiaann.