Welcome to...

December 1

 6:00 pm

 Sanford's

Christmas Parade

in Historic Downtown Sanford along 1st Street

 December 1

5:00 - 8:00 pm

Altamonte Springs'

Light Up the Holidays

Join in the fun as the City of Altamonte Springs and Progress Energy brighten your holiday season with the seventh annual lighting of Cranes Roost Park. This fun and free evening is a celebration of holiday lights, music and entertainment. Festivities begin in the Eddie Rose Amphitheater with the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus. There will be strolling carolers, streetmosphere performers and live entertainment. The lighting ceremony will begin at 6:30 pm and include a fireworks spectacular. Holiday treats and beverages will be available for purchase. Enjoy more than 200,000 lights around the park and the areas largest lighted tree. Blankets and lawn chairs are welcome, but no coolers or pets please.

December 1

December 15

various times

Oviedo's

 Holiday Canned

Food Drive

What are you doing with the canned food you stocked up on for hurricane season? If you don't plan to use it, we can. The Oviedo City Council and Oviedo Fire Rescue, in cooperation with Sunshine Community Food Pantry, will be conducting a canned food drive December 1st - 15th. You can drop off canned food at:

Fire Station 44, 42 South Central Avenue every day from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Fire Station 46, 300 Alexandria Blvd. (City Hall campus) every day from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
The Oviedo Gymnasium & Aquatic Facility, 148 Oviedo Blvd. Sun-Sat 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Riverside Park, 1600 Lockwood Blvd. Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sat 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Your donations are greatly appreciated!

December 1

4:00 - 6:30 pm

Longwood's

Celebrate the Season

The City of Longwood will hold its annual “Celebrate the Season” event from 4:00pm until 6: 30pm on Saturday, December 1st at Longwood City Hall on the Corner of Warren and Wilma Street (175 W. Warren Ave., Longwood, FL). There will be free crafts for the kids, a tree lighting, an appearance from Santa and his elf and various performances. Call (407) 263 – 2340 for more information.

December 4

(at sunset)

December 12

(to sunset)

חנוכה‎

Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה‎, also spelled Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, which may fall anytime from late November to late December. It celebrates the re-kindling of the Temple menorah at the time of the Maccabee rebellion.

The festival is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each night of the holiday - one on the first night, two on the second, and so on.

 

 December 4
6:00  - 8:00 pm

Altamonte Springs'

 Santa Tuesday's 

Bring your wish list and join the fun in Cranes Roost Park with Santa and his helpers under the tower. Strolling carolers, beautiful lights and other surprise guests will be appearing in the park.

December 7

7 - 11 PM

December 7

6 - 8 PM

 Lake Mary's
Holiday In The Park

at the Lake Mary City Hall

Bob Glickman music and Entertainment Performs  at 6:45pm

Tree Lighting at 7:00pm

Santa & Mrs. Claus arrive

Free Face Painting

Refreshments and cookies will be available to those who bring can goods or an unwrapped toy.

 December 8

4:30 PM

 Winter Springs'

 Holiday Pops Concert Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra

at Central Winds Park on SR 434

  December 9

11:30 - 12:30

 The Longwood Carolers

On December 9th the Longwood Carolers will be holding their 8th Annual day of carols. This group brings the spirit and joy of the season to our senior centers and hospital. The organizer, Mayor John C. Maingot, invites you to take part in this truly great event by giving the gift of your time and talent.

For more information see the flyer here.

 December 9

arrive at 5:00 pm

 Santa Visits Longwood

December 10

December 14

 Oviedo's

Santa Clause is

Coming to Town

On December 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th, Santa Claus will be making his annual tour through the streets of Oviedo on top of a Fire Engine to see who has been naughty and who has been nice. In the event of inclement weather Santa will do a rain makeup night tour on Friday, December 14th.

The tour will begin at approximately 6 p.m. each night. Santa’s annual tour is hosted by the City of Oviedo Fire Rescue.

 December 11

6:00  - 8:00 pm

Altamonte Springs'

 Santa Tuesday's

Bring your wish list and join the fun in Cranes Roost Park with Santa and his helpers under the tower. Strolling carolers, beautiful lights and other surprise guests will be appearing in the park.

 December 13

6:30 - 7:30 p.m

or

7:30 - 8:30 p.m

Oviedo's 

Story Time with Santa

Join us at Riverside Park, 1600 Lockwood Blvd., Thursday, December 13, 2007, for Story Time with Santa. This FREE event gives children two chances to hear from the jolly old elf.

Enjoy holiday crafts, snacks and more. There will be a chance to take photos with Santa, and pictures will be available for purchase. This event is limited to 160 participants per session. You must pre-register by Monday, December 10, 2007, to secure your Story Time with Santa. To register, please call the Memorial Building at 407-971-5591 or e-mail jdavis@cityofoviedo.net.

7:00 - 9:00 pm

 December 14

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Altamonte Springs'

Friday Night Live

Bring your chair or blanket and enjoy great live entertainment in a beautiful outdoor setting. At Cranes Roost Park live in the amphitheater.  The top local artists perform Jazz, Pop, Big Band and Contemporary music on a weekly basis. The Swinging Kats will perform your favorite holiday music "Swing Style".

December 15

9:00 - 1:00 pm

Oviedo's 

Snow Mountain

at Winterfest

Sled, slide and play in 55 tons of snow, shipped in straight from the North Pole. It's Snow Mountain at Winterfest, the City of Oviedo's annual holiday chill down.

Join us on Saturday, December 15th from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Oviedo Gymnasium & Aquatic Facility. Tickets are $10 per person for unlimited rides down the snow slope and all the activites listed below. Purchase tickets before December 12th at the Gymnasium or Riverside Park and save 50%.

Also at Winterfest: Meet Santa, Ride a snowboard, Gingerbread Man Decorating, Giant Slide, Bounce House, Face Painting

 December 18
6:00  - 8:00 pm

Altamonte Springs'   

Santa Tuesday's

Bring your wish list and join the fun in Cranes Roost Park with Santa and his helpers under the tower. Strolling carolers, beautiful lights and other surprise guests will be appearing in the park.

 December 21

 Native American

Winter Solstice

The Pueblo tribe observes both the summer and winter solstices. Although the specific details of the rituals differ from pueblo to pueblo, "the rites are built around the sun, the coming new year and the rebirth of vegetation in the spring....Winter solstice rites include...prayerstick making, retreats, altars, emesis and prayers for increase."

The Hopi tribe "is dedicated to giving aid and direction to the sun which is ready to 'return' and give strength to budding life." Their ceremony is called "Soyal." It lasts for 20 days and includes "prayerstick making, purification, rituals and a concluding rabbit hunt, feast and blessing..."

 December 21

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Altamonte Springs'  

Friday Night Live

Bring your chair or blanket and enjoy great live entertainment in a beautiful outdoor setting. At Cranes Roost Park live in the amphitheater. The top local artists perform Jazz, Pop, Big Band and Contemporary music on a weekly basis. Just before Christmas the Robert Harris Group performs your favorite holiday tunes with their signature jazz flavor.

December 25

All day

Christmas Day

Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. Traditions include the display of Nativity scenes, Holly and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, compassion and peace.

In most places around the world, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25. It is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some countries is followed by Boxing Day on December 26. The Armenian Apostolic Church observes Christmas on January 6, while certain old rite or old style Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, the date on the Gregorian calendar which corresponds to 25 December on the Julian Calendar. The date as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not widely considered to be his actual date of birth.

The word "Christmas" is a contraction meaning "Christ's mass." It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. Dutch has a similar word, Kerstmis often shortened to Kerst. The words for the holiday in Spanish (navidad), Portuguese (natal), Polish (Boże Narodzenie), French (noël), Italian (natale), and Catalan (nadal) refer more explicitly to the Nativity. In contrast, the German name Weihnachten means simply "hallowed night." After the conversion of Anglo-Saxon Britain in the very early 7th century, Christmas was referred to as geol, the name of the pre-Christian solstice festival from which the current English word 'Yule' is derived. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ (Χριστός). Since the mid-sixteenth century Χ, or the similar Roman letter X, was used as an abbreviation for Chris

December 26

to

January 1

 Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa (or Kwaanza) is a week-long Pan-African festival primarily honoring African-American heritage. It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, almost exclusively in the United States of America.

Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift-giving. It was created by Ron Karenga, and first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967. Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures.

 December 30

Noon - 2:00 PM

 Eagle Watch

& Invasive Plant removal

Meet at the Flagler Trail Head and help count the eagles as well as help remove invasive plants - Call Mike Barr, 407-234-7283 for more details.