The Live Big® Chronicles: Holiday Edition

Over the years, we’ve compiled several creative and dynamic lists of ways individuals can have rich, Live Big experiences without spending a lot of money. Many of the ideas on these lists – like the Live Big List and the Live Big Chronicles – come from suggestions by Clients, friends, and family, and we continue to welcome new additions from anyone who would like to participate. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, we would like to use this space to share ideas to Live Big during the last few weeks of the year. These ideas are specifically local to Yeske Buie’s office locations in the DMV and Bay Area, but there are undoubtedly similar events being held all over the country. No matter if you consider the ideas on this list or not, we hope you find yourself living big this holiday season.

Turkey Trot

A Turkey Trot is a foot race that is held on or around Thanksgiving Day. The course length, size, and popularity vary from city-to-city, and many of the races benefit local charities. Some choose to participate in the race as an opportunity to burn off calories before indulging in a Thanksgiving feast while others enjoy the company and dressing up in Thanksgiving attire.

• San Francisco Bay Area
  • This year’s San Francisco Turkey Trot in Golden Gate Park has already reached full capacity, but registration for a number of other local trots is still open!
• DC, Maryland, Virginia Area
  • Check out the Turkey Trots, Gobble Wobbles, and Cranberry Crawls throughout the DMV area!

Free Museum Days

Museums are a great way to learn more about history, to get inspired by a culture, and to make memories with friends and family. The majority of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC are free, unlike the museums in San Francisco. However, there are select “admission-free” days for many of the museums in San Francisco and several of these days are coming up soon. No matter where you live, it’s never a bad idea to find a date, pick a museum, and learn something new!

• Admission Free Museum Days in San Francisco
  • Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park: Thursday, November 23^rd
  • Asian Art Museum: Sunday, December 3^rd
  • Conservatory of Flowers: Tuesday, December 5^th
  • Contemporary Jewish Museum: Tuesday, December 5^th
  • de Young Museum of Fine Arts: Tuesday, December 5^th
  • California Academy of Sciences: Sunday, December 10^th
• Smithsonian Holiday Festival in Washington, DC
  • Each December, the Smithsonian hosts a two-day holiday festival that features family-friendly entertainment including festive exhibits, seasonal décor, and more. This year’s festival will be from 10am – 5:30pm on Saturday, December 2^nd and Sunday December 3^rd.

Tree Lighting Ceremonies and Light Festivals

The tradition of lighting trees, homes, and city streets for the holidays dates back to the 17^th century when people used candles as part of their illuminating displays. Continuing on this tradition, today there are an incredible number of electronic light displays that can be enjoyed by foot and by car. Below are just a few of the many festive displays in the DMV and San Francisco Bay area.

• San Francisco Bay Area
  • Tree Lighting Ceremony at Pier 39: Sunday, November 19^th at 6pm
  • Tree Lighting Ceremony at Union Square: Friday, November 24^th at 6pm
  • Tree Lighting Ceremony at Ghirardelli Square: Friday, November 24^th at 7pm
  • Rainbow World Tree of Hope at City Hall: Wednesday, December 4^th
  • Illuminate SF Festival of Lights: Experience San Francisco’s citywide gallery of lights with free light art tours and artist talks Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
• DC, Maryland, Virginia Area
  • Tree Lighting Ceremonies: While the most well-known tree lighting ceremony is held at the White House, there are a number of ceremonies held all across the DMV area.
  • Candlelight Tours: Take a step back in time and enjoy candlelight tours in historical towns like Mount Vernon, Alexandria, Leesburg, and more.
  • The National Zoo Presents ZooLights: The Smithsonian National Zoo puts on a stunning display of more than 500,000 environmentally-friends LED lights to transform the Zoo into a winter wonderland and features live music, tasty winter treats and more. The festival is held daily from November 24^th through January 1^st.
  • Bull Run Festival of Lights: If you’re not a fan of the cold, you can enjoy beautiful light displays from the comfort of your cozy car at the Bull Run Festival of Lights. The festival runs from November 22^nd through January 7^th.

Other Events

We could spend days surfing through the wealth of winter festivities available this holiday season! Below are just a few more ideas of unique activities that may spark your interest. We hope that you have enjoyed this list and we would love for you to share your ideas with us, either via comment in the box below or via a picture of you living big like those in our Where in the World is the Live Big^® Glass? photo gallery!

• Unique Festivities in San Francisco
  • Santa Con: Sunday, December 9^th
  • San Francisco Fire Fighters Toy Drive: Events in November and December
  • Union Square Ice Rink: Open daily from November 1^st through January 15^th
• Unique Festivities in the DC, Maryland, Virginia Area
  • Model Train Displays: Displays can be found all across the DMV area.
  • Wolf Trap Holiday Sing Along: Saturday, December 2^nd at 4pm
  • Wreaths Across America: Saturday, December 16^th.
    • While many people are aware of the annual wreath laying ceremony, many are unaware of the need for volunteers to help on wreath retrieval/clean-up day. This year’s clean-up day will be Saturday, January 20^th.
  • Outdoor Ice Skating: There are a variety of outdoor ice skating rinks across the DMV area.