'TIS THE SEASON - VEGAS STYLE Las Vegas is a thrilling, unique place to spend time during the Christmas holiday season right through New Year’s. Santa’s workshop can barely compete with this much Christmas cheer. There are so many beautiful sights and sounds to titillate your senses. The casinos, restaurants, malls, and clubs always kick it up a notch over the holidays to another whole level of excitement. The over-the-top displays of glistening Christmas trees covered with sparkling lights, the elaborate use of thousands of poinsettias, the music, and the sight of pretty girls walking around in their fancy holiday attire are all enjoyed by millions every year, and almost everything will be open for your pleasure. The fabulous shops, bars and clubs, gourmet restaurants, world’s best casinos, sumptuous buffets, and spectacular shows are at your beckon call, so you can gamble, dine, and see a spectacular show while waiting for Santa to come with an amazing gift. These are some surefire ways to enjoy the holiday season in Vegas, along with some intriguing gift ideas.
Sights and Sounds
The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Over the holidays, from December 6th through January 2nd, take time to stroll through the Conservatory. It will be decorated with a 42-foot Shasta Fir tree covered with thousands of lights. There are gorgeous poinsettias, and the spirit of Christmas is everywhere, with flying reindeer created from whole pecans, a polar bear family made from white carnations and a seven-foot tall rocking horse.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory Chocolate in the shapes of Santa, reindeer, and chocolate houses are available here, just minutes down from the Strip in Henderson. The chocolate factory is a chocolate wonderland as it turns its three-acres full of 300 different species of cacti into holiday sculptures and festive displays with a half million lights. Open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily from November 5 through January 1.
Downtown Summerlin Rock Rink Skate under the stars set to the backdrop of joyful holiday music and an impressive 40-foot holiday tree overlooking the rink. Skate rentals start at $15, and all ages are welcome. Stay warm with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s mobile coffee truck offering a variety of signature holiday beverages sure to please. And enjoy Downtown Summerlin’s anticipated restaurant, JING’s pop-up bar serving up delicious holiday cocktails all season long.
LUXURY GIFTS
1494 Fine Whiskey If your preference leans to Single Malt Scotch and you would like to start a strong collection to savor for a lifetime, 1494 might be for you. With the debut of private whiskey collector’s club, 1494, founder David Clelland has built a bridge between collector and distiller, making your hunt for mind-blowing malts just a little bit easier. 1494’s knowledge, buying power, and top-shelf selection combine to provide members with one of North America’s most comprehensive and convenient single-malt collections. The club opened this fall, and offers an exclusive membership plan suited to make any whiskey lover’s dream a reality. There are three levels of participation: Founding Members, Collectors, and Connoisseurs – with memberships starting at $15,000 a year to $175,000 for a lifetime membership.
Membership has its perks: “Meet the Master” dinners with distillers, Nat Sherman Cigars, pricing information from Bonham’s, (the world’s largest whiskey auctioneer,) private car service from Range Rover, and an annual golf and distillery trip to Scotland. Named in honor of the year Scotland’s King James IV first ordered the distillation of single-malt Scotch whiskey—the purest, most host-highly sought whiskey on earth.
Exotics Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway For a car buff, the gift of driving one of the world’s most exotic cars is a perfect choice. The most diverse motorsports facility in the world is located just 20 minutes from the Strip. You can choose from 11 exotic cars to experience, at speeds well above the legal limits on any U.S. road. Some of the world’s most exclusive cars you can drive include Lamborghini Gallardo that has a top speed of 200 mph and has a vicious acceleration of 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. Or you might choose the Ferrari 488 Italia, with a top speed of 202 mph, going from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, or the new Aston Martin DB11, the most powerful Aston Martin ever made. The all-new, 5.2-liter twin -turbo V12 produces 600 horsepower that takes it from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 200 mph. Prices start at $199 for 5 laps and go up from there. This is a must do experience for Christmas in Las Vegas.
GIFTS FROM THE HEART
Opportunity Village This organization is dedicated to helping people with severe intellectual and related disabilities become the very best they can be, serving more than 3,000 people annually through vocational training, community employment, day services, and arts and social recreation programs. What began as a modest holiday event to thank donors and in-kind contributors for helping build Opportunity Village’s West Oakey Campus has blossomed into the marquee holiday event in all of Las Vegas. 2019 marks the 29th season of Opportunity Village’s largest fundraiser. In 2018, Opportunity Village added over 1 million new lights to the Magical Forest and featured a synchronized music show with dancing lights that could be seen from any vantage point of the park. The Illumination Experience lighting spectacular will return in 2019 and run every 30 minutes from the time the Forest opens until it closes, Sunday - Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 9pm and Friday and Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children St. Jude’s Ranch rescues abused, abandoned, and neglected children of all races and faiths who have been taken from their natural parents.The safe haven lies thirty miles outside of Las Vegas on forty acres of land. On the property, a family structure is created by having ten houses that are supervised by full-time Family Teachers along with 6-8 kids in each house. These are children old enough to attend public schools. The “parents” (teachers) provide role-modeling, academic support, mentoring and discipline, as each child is required to take care of their room and help with household chores. There is also a Social Worker and Child Psychiatrist on staff who, along with the Family Teachers, help the children learn social and life skills to start new, productive lives as adults.
How Celebrities Spend their Holidays
MURRAY SAWCHUCK MAGICIAN/COMIC at LAUGH FACTORY INSIDE TROPICANA
I love Christmas. My favorite time of the year. I usually am on the road touring, but this year I will be home, and my mom Arlene Sawchuck will be flying down to Las Vegas for Christmas. I love putting up decorations and usually do the front of my house.
CARROT TOP COMEDIAN/HEADLINER at LUXOR HOTEL AND CASINO
I spend it with somebody else’s family and someone else’s friend.
JIMMY EMERSON FEMALE IMPERSONATOR
The holiday season around my house is not too much different than the rest of the year, except that instead of just having friends and family over for “cool and refreshing adult beverages,” we have lights on the house and a tree in the living room. I feel like everyday should be treated like a holiday—I mean, life is short, so let’s “get this party started!!” New Year’s Eve is by far my favorite time to be with friends and family, because we always party at my house and it’s an all-nighter, and everybody stays over, so no drunk drivers. JENNIFER ALEMAN PRODUCER “CRAZY GIRLS” at PLANET HOLLYWOOD
I always go home to be with my family at Christmas. Then I come back to Vegas for New Year’s Eve. It’s the best place to get dressed up and bring in the New Year!