Happy December! Last week, the week of Thanksgiving, is my favorite week of the whole year. I love the Thanksgiving meal prep, eating said meal, and time spent with friends and family. That week is a favorite also because it kicks off the Holiday festivities. And now that it is just 25 days til Christmas, we are REALLY in the festive mood!
Some of my favorite activities we enjoyed last week were seeing the Festival of Trees, getting holiday greenery at Edwards Greenhouse, walking through the Winter Garden aGlow, and watching the Downtown Boise Association Tree Lighting on The Grove Plaza. Thankfully, only a few of those events are limited runs- the rest we can partake in over and over again throughout the season!
The Festival of Trees is only during the week of Thanksgiving starting with the annual Gala and ending with a Fashion Show the following Monday. It’s a great way to start the season, all while supporting a good cause, one of the local hospitals.
Edwards is my favorite greenhouses in town, and they do Christmas up real big! Their poinsettias are beautiful, and we went the day before their annual Open House, so we missed the crowds but saw all the great greenery. That also meant we missed seeing Santa, but he will be there for photos on December 9th from 11am-1pm, so maybe we will catch him then. Lucy didn’t mind missing Santa, though- the koi pond was plenty of a highlight! 
Idaho Botanical Garden Winter Garden aGlow
The Botanical Gardens are so fun this time of year because they have thousands of twinkling lights covering the grounds. Thanksgiving day was their opening and it happened to be in the 60s here so we took advantage of the nice weather and went! Lucy did enjoy the evening until we decided to take a family photo, of course! The event runs through January 1, 2018 and it’s a must see!
The Grove Plaza Christmas Tree Lighting
The Downtown Boise Christmas tree stands in the center of The Grove Plaza. The Lighting always takes place the day after Thanksgiving, and it was a packed house this year! The tree lighting seems to turn the Christmas switch for downtown- it just feels so festive! While the lighting is a one time event, I highly suggest just going for an evening walk downtown to see the tree (and maybe get a carriage ride!) 
