While you’re still raiding your kids’ Halloween haul for the
Twix and Reese’s Cups (mom and dad are entitled to the good stuff), here’s
something else to chew on: The big holidays are right around the corner.
A week and a half, in fact. That’s when the holidays really rev up
here at French Lick Resort with the tree lighting ceremonies to kick off the
season. Both tree lightings at West Baden and French Lick Springs Hotels will
feature much of the usual Christmas pageantry that you’re used to from past
years. Here’s a few new things you can expect in this year’s merry itinerary:
Two separate weekends
of holiday cheer
The biggest tree lighting change? We’re spreading out the
holiday hoopla over two separate weekends.
Catch the indoor tree lighting ceremony Saturday, November
16 at West
Baden Springs Hotel. Join the outdoor tree lighting festivities Friday,
November 22 at French Lick Springs Hotel. While the tree lightings were on
back-to-back nights in past years, now you’ve got another chance to catch one
of the tree lightings if you’ve already got plans one of those weekends.
At West Baden Springs
Hotel
New this year, bring the kids a little early for Story Time with Mrs. Claus from 3:00-4:30
p.m. in the West Baden Springs Hotel library (right off the lobby). Also look
for Mrs. Claus and Santa in the library this year to hear wish lists from 5:00
up through 7:00 when the tree lighting ceremony kicks off.
Speaking of the ceremony itself, watch for special new animated light projections that will be
part of the countdown before the lights come on the tree. Also, make a stop to
see the gingerbread house that the
hotel’s pastry team is creating. It’s a mini gingerbread model of the domed
hotel, and you can find it on the second-level mezzanine above the lobby.
(Which is also a great spot to momentarily escape the crowd in the atrium, and
look down below to admire the Christmas scene.)
Also, if you’re around on Friday, November 15 the night
before the tree lighting, join a special holiday concert by The Rick Webb Family from 7:00-8:30
p.m. in the atrium. It’s a
complimentary show and a new platform for the Webbs, who’ve been a gleeful
staple in the French Lick Springs Hotel tree lighting program in recent years.
At French Lick
Springs Hotel
We had one reindeer at last year’s tree lighting, and he needed
a little company. This year we’ll have a pair
of reindeer to meet and greet on the front lawn of French Lick Springs
Hotel from 4:00-7:00 p.m. prior to the tree lighting. (Bring your own phone or
camera to snap photos.)
While the majority of our tree lighting ceremony is free to
enjoy (including complimentary hot chocolate and candy canes before the
lighting, and the fireworks finale at the end), you’ll also want to bring a few
extra bucks for some fresh features new this year. Starting at 4 p.m. in the Windsor Ballroom prior to the tree lighting, The Polar Bear Play Area will be abuzz with Christmas-themed
carnival games, and the kids can also take a mini train ride. Tickets for both can
be purchased at the KidsFest Lodge or Windsor Ballroom starting at 4 p.m., so you’ll want to arrive
a few hours early for this year’s lighting to experience the pregame
festivities. (Which includes a stop at the lobby bar for the grown-ups.)
Also, don’t forget to make a visit across the street to the Christmas
market on the town green. Grab a bite to eat, or a souvenir to take home, as
the cozy mini market will be up and running from 3:30-9:30 p.m. with six food
vendors and six craft vendors.