Looking to say bye-bye to your bah humbug? Try a few of these holiday favorites to get you in the mood for the Yuletide season.
- Spend the day at Christmas Town at Busch Gardens
- Watch the Christmas Eve Tree Lighting Ceremony in Colonial Williamsburg
- Enjoy the Lighted Boat Parade in Yorktown
- Attend the Williamsburg Christmas parade
- Take the Annual Christmas Homes Tour in Colonial Williamsburg
- Steal a kiss under the mistletoe
- Have Breakfast with Santa at the Virginia Air and Space Museum in Hampton
- Open presents at midnight on Christmas morning
- Pay it forward: Buy a drink for the person in line behind you at the coffeehouse
- Listen to the Virginia Symphony Perform Handel’s Messiah at Regent University
- Ice skate at the MacArthur Center in Norfolk
- Zip through the Blue Talon 5K in Williamsburg
- See Lewis Ginter’s GardenFest of Lights in Richmond
- Stop by the Newport News Park Celebration in Lights
- See The Nutcracker by the Richmond Ballet in Norfolk
- See the Model Train show at Croaker Library in Toano
- Check Santa’s naughty/nice list at Yankee Candle in Williamsburg
- See the extravagant lighting display at a house on Sharps Road in Williamsburg
- Have a gingerbread latte at Starbucks or a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake at Chick-fil-A
- Run the Christmastown 8K race at Busch Gardens
- Track Santa on Norad
- Take a horse-drawn carriage ride in Colonial Williamsburg
- Read children’s Christmas books at your public library
- Drink hot cocoa
- Volunteer at a local food pantry or soup kitchen
- Entertain guests drinks, snacks and holiday charades
- Take the Million Bulb Walk at the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk
- Sit on Santa’s lap at the Yankee Candle Factory
- Do the Holiday Myth-Understandings tour in Colonial Williamsburg
- Experience Capitol Evening in Colonial Williamsburg
- Drive your coworkers nuts with holiday music
- Hit the Williamsburg Prime Outlets for after-Christmas sales
- Be joyful
- See “The Night Before Christmas” at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center
- Watch the Coliseum Central Holiday Parade in Hampton
- Go Christmas caroling
- Go to the movies on Christmas Day
- See “Star of Wonder: Mystery of the Christmas Star” at the Virginia Living Museum
- Discover Christmastide at Home in Colonial Williamsburg
- Do the Christmas Decorations Walking Tour in Colonial Williamsburg
- Build a Snowman (if it snows)
- Go to American Big Band “Home for the Holidays” at the Ferguson Center in Newport News
- Shop at the Yorktown Christmas Market on Main Street
- Go to the Towne Bank Holiday Parade in Virginia Beach
- Watch the Old Fashioned Christmas Parade at Chincoteague
- Get crafty at the Berkley Plantation Christmas Wreath Workshop and Tour
- Run the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis in Newport News Park and at ODU
- See “Laser Holidays” at the Virginia Living Museum
- See a double feature at the Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk
- Watch classic Christmas cartoons
- Be a Santa for a Senior
- See “A Very Virginia Christmas” in Colonial Williamsburg
- Drink eggnog while enjoying a Yule log
- Stop by the Holiday Craft Show in Chesapeake
- See the Chesapeake Christmas parade
- Sponsor an Angel Tree child
- Bake cookies for a neighbor
- Have a romantic night of wine, a warm fire and listening to holiday classics, like Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”
- Go shopping on Black Friday for the first time
- Give online shopping a try on Cyber Monday
- Watch “A Christmas Carol” performed by Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk
- Go see the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Peninsula Town Center in Hampton
- Take a carriage ride at the Peninsula Town Center in Hampton
- Check out “Holidays through the Ages” at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum
- Get tickets to see Kenny Rogers perform “Christmas & Hits Through the Years” at the Ferguson Center
- Enjoy Celtic music at “Danu: Christmas in Ireland” at The American Theatre in Hampton
- Tour the 100 Miles of Lights from Richmond to Virginia Beach
- Visit the Winter Wonderland display at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center
- Sing Christmas carol karaoke at the Annual First Light Celebration at the Hampton History Museum
- Watch fireworks and other pyrotechnics at Hollydazzle in Newport News
- Make ornaments together at the Ornament and Tile Workshop at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center
- Learn how the early settlers spent Christmas at the “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia” at Jamestown Settlement
- Watch family videos of last year’s Christmas morning
- Throw an ugly holiday sweater party
- Culture yourself by celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, too
- Go skiing, snow tubing or snowboarding
- Climb the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach to get a gorgeous view
- Catch an Admirals game at The Norfolk Scope