It seems that most of us face the same sorts of things when December rolls around…the holidays are upon us, and the list of things to do seems to be growing longer and longer. It’s time to shop, time to decorate, time to send cards, wrap presents, plan parties, clean for guests, go see friends, plan to get away, plan to stay at home, and try to find ways to make this a special and memorable holiday season. There are those that are overwhelmed by this season, while others (like me,) seem to be invigorated by them. For most, though, it is a joyful time in one the bleakest months of the year.

Almost every culture in recorded history has had some sort of mid-winter festival, and the purpose of this festival was to celebrate and uplift…rejoice the harvest of the fall and anticipate the re-birth of the spring, and in some way, commemorate the endurance and spirit of humanity. The mid-winter festival that I celebrate is Christmas. I love both its spirit and its meaning, and even as an adult, I still find it hard to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, in anticipation of the morning. It is now my daughter that runs down the steps to see the presents under the tree instead of me, but the feeling and the joy are still the same. I don’t have the most lights on the block, and no one is going think that a Martha Stuart catalogue inspired any of my decorating, but there is a theme in my eclectic ornamentation—most of the things come from Christmases past. There are handcrafted adornments from childhood, school projects, and cold nights at home. There are some that are so old that they are barely recognizable and should come with a descriptive paragraph to let onlookers know what they should be seeing. There are things that have been passed down through the family, and there are things that are remembrances of people that are no longer with me… Nothing matches, by the way…but then again, I wouldn’t want it to. It is a unique collection of things that is really only meaningful to my family and close friends…it is a “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” house. Things may not look right to anyone else, but I think that I have some of the most beautiful ornaments in the world. We’ll add a couple of new decorations to the house this year, of course, and in a few years, they too, will have folded themselves nicely into the collection.

Winter in Las Vegas is always an interesting time. The heat of the summer has long been forgotten, and everyone has truly enjoyed the fine days of fall…and now that the first cold front has passed through town, all the locals are feeling as if they are freezing to death as the temperatures dip down into the fifties. December is a unique time for the city. The first couple of weeks in the month stay fairly busy, the week just before Christmas, the town is empty and is the slowest time of the year, and the last week, after Christmas and before New Year’s, the town gets neurotic. During that week prior to Christmas, a lot of the shows take a holiday break and close down. It is a nice break for the performers, and they all get a holiday vacation…but visitors need to be sure to check the show listings to see the status of their favorite production.

The holiday season is always a time where the focus is on the family, and the more that people embrace the family, the home, and the holidays; the fewer people come to Las Vegas. Just before Christmas, the city is fairly empty.  (But usually Vegas locals don’t mind this because we have families, too.) However, this time can be a great time to visit Las Vegas. You can enjoy most of what the city has to offer and miss all of the crowds. The shows that do stay open often offer 2 for 1-ticket deals, and other offers which will continue to entice people to the Strip.

There are not many conventions during the month, and after the first couple of weeks, there are no more conventions booked for the rest of the year…at all. In a city of conventions, it is amazing to have an empty convention calendar for two weeks.

There are many Christmas attractions, celebrations, and entertainment; and most of these things are geared to the locals and not to the tourists. These quiet and quaint festivities are nothing that a “Vegas tourist” might anticipate. They are peaceful, sweet and oftentimes show the true heart of the city. People forget that the Strip is not the city. The Strip is a fantasyland where people work, but do not live. The city is truly everything else, but the Strip. The real city is actually a quiet and rather humble place to live.

One of my favorite winter attractions is Opportunity Village’s, "The Magical Forest," running until December 30^th. The Enchanted Carousel, the Forest Express Trains, live music, sweet treats, lavishly decorated trees, whimsical displays, millions of lights and visits with Santa Claus provide people of all ages with a winter wonderland each night during the holiday season. Opportunity Village is a not-for-profit organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities by providing them with vocational training, employment and social recreation services that make their lives more productive and interesting. Once thought by society to be unemployable and unimportant in the community, people with severe disabilities are engaged, active residents who contribute to our society. Through Opportunity Village’s programs and services, hundreds of people with disabilities are learning vocational skills and being placed in jobs throughout the community.

Another good holiday attraction is “The Gift of Lights” at Sunset Park. It is a holiday drive-thru spectacular featuring hundreds of twinkling and animated displays. Part of the proceeds go to the Clark County Scholarship Fund. The cost is only $13 per car, but you can also receive a discount on the admission if you bring a bag of stuff for Goodwill.

The first part of December is still busy in the city.  The biggest event for this time is the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) that runs December 6^th to 15^th at the Thomas & Mack Center. This is one of the largest rodeo competitions in the world. It is filled with excitement, and in order to give all of the rodeo enthusiast’s options for entertainment, the city does its best to book all of the top Country and Western singers and entertainers.

The third annual Las Vegas Marathon is going to be run on December 2^nd. The race will start on the south Strip and proceed north to the downtown area. The success of this event in the last couple of years will make this year even bigger and better. There will be thousands of runners.

The first week is January is also fairly slow. Things don’t really gear back to normal until the second week. The International Consumer Electronics Show runs the 7^th to the 10^th, bringing with it a couple of hundred thousand people, and it is always piggybacked by the Adult Entertainment Expo from the 9^th to the 12^th over at the Sands.

Remember, too, Elvis' Birthday is on the 8^th. He would have been 72! He's not gone; he’s just left the building.

As far as the other Vegas entertainment goes…

The first weekend in December:

Las Vegas Wranglers Hockey
Orleans Hotel and Casino Through Dec 28
Home Games: 12/1,17,27 & 28

Sylvia Browne
Excalibur Hotel and Casino Nov 5 - Dec 15
Astounding Insights and Live Readings

Mexican Divas
Empire Ballroom Nov 9 - Dec 23

The Gift of Lights
Sunset Park Through Jan 1, 2008 -$13 per automobile

UNLV Basketball
Off-Strip Through Mar 8
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Men's Basketball.

Magical Forest at Opportunity Village
Opportunity Village Trough Dec 30

Cliff Keen Collegiate Wrestling Invitational
Las Vegas Convention Center Nov 29 - Dec 2

Juice Newton
Whiskey Pete's Hotel and Casino Nov 29 - Dec 1

Rodney Carrington
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Nov 29 - Dec 15

Emerson Drive
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa Nov 30 -Dec 1

Jack Jones
Suncoast Hotel and Casino Nov 30 - Dec 2

Kelly Rowland
Orleans Hotel and Casino Nov 30 - Dec 2

Kevin James
Mirage Nov 30 - Dec 1

Andrea Bocelli
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 1

Blues Traveler
Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa Dec 1

Dane Cook
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 1

Grapplers Quest West Champioships
Sports Center of Las Vegas Dec 1

Russell Peters
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 1

Social Distortion w/ Time Again
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 1

The Las Vegas Great Santa Run
Fremont Street Experience Dec 1

Fall Out Boy
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 2
The Young Wild Things Tour

Social Distortion w/ Girl In A Coma
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 2

The New Las Vegas Marathon & Half-Marathon
Multiple Locations Dec 2

Tony Sacca's 22nd Annual TV Special & Live Performance
Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower Dec 2
Benefit Performance

With Gym Class Heroes, Plain Whtet T's & Cute is What We Aim For
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 2

 

The second week has:

Jody Nix
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa Dec 3 - Dec 5 - Free

Terry Fator
Las Vegas Hilton Dec 3

Hinder and Adelitas Way
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 4

21st Annual Downtown Hoedown
Fremont Street Experience Dec 5 - Free

Suicidal Tenencies w/ Municipal Waste & Creep Division
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 5

Vegas Top Idol
Cashman Cente Dec 5 - Dec 8

Charlie Daniels Band
Golden Nugget Dec 6 - Dec 8

Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 6

Motion City Soundtrack w/ Mae, Anberlin & Metro Station
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 6

NFR Cowboy Christmas Gift Show
Las Vegas Convention Center Dec 6 - Dec 15
The Cowboy Christmas Gift Show, the longest running and only "Original" gift show

Ricky & the Redstreaks
Golden Nugget Dec 6 - Dec 15

Tom Jones
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 6 - Dec 19

Trace Adkins
Las Vegas Hilton Dec 6 - Dec 8

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
Thomas & Mack Center Dec 6 - Dec 15

2007 Las Vegas Coaches Show
Las Vegas Convention Center Dec 7 - Dec 9

Andre Rieu Orchestra
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 7

Clint Holmes & Friends Celebrate the Holidays
Suncoast Hotel and Casino Dec 7 - Dec 9

Country Christmas Western Gift Expo
Sands Expo & Convention Center Dec 7 - Dec 16

Cowboy Marketplace Western Lifestyle Expo
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 7 - Dec 15

Del Castillo w/ special guest Patricia Vonne
Four Queens Hotel and Casino Dec 7 - Dec 8

Rodney Atkins
Boulder Station Hotel-Casino Dec 7 - Dec 8

The Dan Band
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 7

Debbie Harry
Santa Fe Station Hotel Casino Dec 8

Floyd Mayweather, Jr vs. Ricky Hatton
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 8

Jamfest Cheer & Dance National Championships
Cashman Center Dec 8 - Dec 9

John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band
Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa Dec 8 - Free

Spice Girls
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 8 - Dec 10

UFC Tuf 6 Finale
Palms Casino Resort Dec 8

UNLV vs. Fresno State Basketball
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 8

"A Tennessee Christmas" starring Lee Greenwood
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 9

Big & Rich w/ Cowboy Troy and James Otto
Las Vegas Hilton Dec 9 - Dec 11

Chris Cagle and the Lucky Bucks
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 9

Terri Clark
Golden Nugget Dec 9 - Dec 11

 

Week number three has:

WNFR Team Ropers Autograph Session
Golden Nugget Dec 10 -Free

Big Damn Holiday Jam
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 11
Featuring Angels & Airwaves with Against Me!,VHS or Beta, and Kenna.

Bright Lights on Ice
Fremont Street Experience Dec 11 - Dec 22- Free

Holiday Festival
Fremont Street Experience Dec 11 - Dec 22

Jonathan Davis of KORN Acoustic
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 11

Brooks & Dunn
Las Vegas Hilton Dec 12 - Dec 15

Fuel & Trapt
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 12

Ronnie Milsap
Golden Nugget Dec 12

9th Annual Performance, Ranch & Trail Horse Sale
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa Dec 13 - Dec 15- Free
Equestrian Event

Bill Engvall
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 13 - Dec 16

Clay Walker
Golden Nugget Dec 13 - Dec 14

R. Kelly
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 13

Tool
Palms Casino Resort Dec 13 - Dec 14

American Cheer & Dance Championships
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 14 - Dec 16

Hawthorne Heights w/ Escape the Fate
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 14

Keith Anderson
Santa Fe Station Hotel Casino Dec 14 - Dec 15

Lynyrd Skynyrd
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 14 - Dec 15

Phil Vassar
Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa Dec 14 -Dec 15

Soulful Christmas starring Brian Culbertson
Boulder Station Hotel-Casino Dec 14

Squirrel Nut Zippers
Red Rock Casino Resort Spa Dec 14 - Dec 15 - Free

Stephen Sorrentino - Voices in My Head
Suncoast Hotel and Casino Dec 14 - Dec 16

Bjork
Palms Casino Resort Dec 15

Buckcherry's 300th Show
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 15

Crossroads of the West Gun Show
Cashman Center Dec 15 - Dec 16

Larry the Cable Guy
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 15

PRCA World Champions Brunch
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa Dec 16

In week four, things really slow down:

David Copperfield
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 20, 2007 - Jan 2, 2008

Las Vegas Bowl Pep Rally & Buffet Bowl
Fremont Street Experience Dec 20 - Free

Bill Maher
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 21 - Dec 22

Black Nativity Musical
Cashman Center Dec 21 - Dec 22

Johnny Mathis
Las Vegas Hilton Dec 21 - Dec 22

Little Anthony & the Imperials
Whiskey Pete's Hotel and Casino Dec 21

Marie Osmonds Holiday Celebration
Suncoast Hotel and Casino Dec 21 - Dec 23

Las Vegas Classic Basketball Tournament
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 22 - Dec 23

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl
Sam Boyd Stadium Dec 22

Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 23

And the last week prior to New Year’s has:

Cheap Trick
Four Queens Hotel and Casino Dec 27

Ben Vereen
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa Dec 28 -Dec 30

Joe Rogan
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 28

The Higher w/ There for Tomo rrow
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 28

The Tubes
Four Queens Hotel and Casino Dec 28

Van Halen w/ Ky-mani Marley
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 28

Beacher's Madhouse
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 29

Reverend Horton Heat with Hank III & Nashville Pussy
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 29

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Dec 29

The Original Family Stone
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 29 - Dec 30

UFC 79: Nemesis
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 29

Beyonce
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 30

The Beyonce Experience Tour

Dancing with the Stars - The Tour
Orleans Hotel and Casino Dec 30

Salt-n-Pepa
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Dec 30

Van Halen w/ Ky-mani Marley
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Dec 30

Then, of course, there is New Year’s Eve…

The “Entertainment Capital of the World” puts on a bigger and brighter show than just about anyone else on the globe. Las Vegas is only second to New York City in being a favorite destination for New Year’s Eve in the United States and our little “Glitter Gulch” continues bring in more and more people every year. Well over a quarter of a million tourists will pack the streets and the city on that night, and the city is always ready for them. The biggest problem for the tourist is trying to decide exactly what they want to do on this night, because just about every option is going to be open to them—big or little, loud or quiet. Choices for the evening can be overwhelming, but there are many ways in which you can quickly narrow down your options.

The first thing to understand is that every hotel, casino, bar and lounge is going to have a New Year’s celebration, in addition to all of the fireworks shows that will be going on all over the city. So the questions that you’ll have to ask yourself about your own celebrating will have to do with size, location, cost, and environment.

Do you want to be indoors or outdoors? A fairly simple way to start, but will certainly define the other parameters. If you choose to be indoors, then the next question that will immediately follow is…how much do you want to spend? Oddly enough, because of the number of celebrations out there, one really gets what they pay for when it comes to the parties. They are actually quite competitive. What amenities do you want or need? The more you spend, the more stuff will be made available to you. It will really all depend on your need for either extravagance or simplicity, and the size of your pocketbook.

If you choose to be outdoors you also have a lot of options, but the bigger questions for the outdoorsy folks will be, where? There are fireworks all over the city, and if you are outside, you will see fireworks. So, again, what do you want? If you want to be with a lot of people, in the heart of the action, then go down to the Strip. That’s where you and a couple hundred thousand people can all get together to watch one of the best fireworks displays in the world. Not only that, it’s free. Then again, some folks don’t want to be jostled amongst the crowd and would prefer quieter surroundings. Then drive up to the foothills that enclose our valley and find a spot that looks over the city. From there, you will see fireworks displays from all over the city. It is both quiet and can be very romantic, too.

All of the best entertainment will be playing that night as well and will be having midnight shows. If you want to celebrate while watching your favorite band, performer, or show, then make your reservations early.

3 Doors Down
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

America's Party - Las Vegas New Year
Las Vegas Strip

An Evening with Debbie Reynolds
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa
Dinner & Concert

BB King
Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino

Goo Goo Dolls
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

Imelda Papin
Orleans Hotel and Casino

New Year's Dance Party with the Whip-Its
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa

Purple Reign - The Prince Tribute Band
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3rd Annual New Years Eve Dance Party

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Terry Fator
Las Vegas Hilton

The Las Vegas Tenors
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa

The Michito Sanchez Orchestra
South Point Casino Hotel & Spa
Salsa in the Showroom

Tony Orlando
Cannery Casino & Hotel
Dinner celebration

New Year’s Eve is a great time in Las Vegas, and you can make it whatever you want it to be. You have more choices and options than anywhere else in the world, and that’s one of the reasons that Las Vegas is so great.