Crystal Valley Blog

With so many classic holiday shows to celebrate the season, you’ll have a hard time picking just one! The Broadmoor presents a very special holiday evening with an elegant dinner and show by Grammy Award-winner Debby Boone! You can also get all decked out to visit the festive Cherokee Ranch Castle for a Holiday Tea or a Bing Crosby tribute show! And the old-fashioned Christmas variety show, Home for the Holidays, is sure to delight everyone in the family!

TODAY/TONIGHT, December 19

HOLIDAY TEA
Kick off the holidays at a very special Holiday Tea! The mountaintop Cherokee Ranch Castle provides a festive setting to dress up and munch on fancy foods like finger sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and jam! You even get to take a tour of the castle, all decked out for the holidays!

Cherokee Ranch & Castle, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia 
12:00 p.m.
Tickets: $50
Phone: 303-688-5555

SPARK! HOLIDAY CONCERT
The final SPARK! program of the year is a festive sing-a-long! This free program series is offered in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Association for people experiencing mild memory loss, early stage Alzheimer’s, or a related dementia, and their family, friends, and guests.

The lovely Celtic artist, Marta Burton, will be leading a holiday caroling party, as well as performing a few Celtic Christmas gems and some spoken word poetry. There will also be be seasonal refreshments and a chance to mingle with friends and neighbors!

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
1:30 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 720-509-1000

MILE HIGH DANCE CENTER’S HOLIDAY SHOWCASE
The talented young dancers from Mile High Dance Center will be presenting their first ever Holiday Showcase! The enthusiasm is contagious and the Christmas cheer will be spreading when these students perform to festive holiday music! 

The Schoolhouse Theater, 19650 Mainstreet, Parker
5:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Phone: 303-841-4500

Thursday-Saturday, December 19-21

HOLIDAY MARKET IN MANITOU
Would you like to get away for the holidays but don’t want to deal with the hassle of traveling? Make your way to the charming artist town of Manitou Springs, where you can take part in the festive Holiday Market! The quaint small-town atmosphere is the perfect setting to browse fine art and craft items made by local Colorado artists. You may even find the perfect gift for someone on your list!

Manitou Commonwheel Artists’ Association, 102 Cañon Avenue, Manitou Springs
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 719-685-1008

THE NUTCRACKER OF PARKER
Everyone looks forward to the hometown edition of the family holiday classic, with Parker’s own dance school performing The Nutcracker to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score. Join Clara on her magical journey with the Nutcracker Prince to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and a bunch of dancing toys. With costumes and set design as enchanting as the holidays themselves, The Nutcracker is sure to delight the entire family!

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:00 p.m.; Sat., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $26-$32
Phone: 303-841-4500

Thursday-Sunday, December 19-22

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
For an old-fashioned variety-style musical Christmas show, you can’t beat Home for the Holidays! This family-friendly holiday celebration has something for everyone: traditional dancing, singing, holiday songs, hip hop, and of course, appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus! 

If this show is already a holiday tradition in your family, you’ll be excited to learn there’s a new storyline that includes performances by the Denver Dolls and an amazing gospel choir!

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 1:30 and 8:00 p.m.; Sun., 1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $36-$63
Phone: 720-509-1000

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE 
With the Sound of Music, of course! The music and story that families have loved for generations is live on stage, just in time to be a special holiday gift for your family. Relive the inspiring true story of aspiring nun, Maria, who becomes a nanny for the von Trapp children—and falls in love with their widowed father. This show is recommended is for ages 6 and up.

Fine Arts Center at CC, 30 West Dale St., Colorado Springs
Thurs./Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 5:00 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$50
Phone: 719-634-5581

Friday, December 20

HOLIDAY CAMP AT THE LIBRARY
Treat kids to a full day of holiday craft-making, and you’ll be amazed at what you find under the tree! In the morning, campers will be taught by artists from KidzArt, and in the afternoon, professionals from Craftsman & Apprentice will lead the gift-making session. 

Each camper will head home with at least five handmade holiday gifts, wrapped and ready to give or place under the tree. This camp is for kids ages 7-10. Please send along a sack lunch.

Lone Tree Library, 10055 Library Way, Lone Tree
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets: $75

BING CROSBY CROON-A-LONG!
The nostalgic sounds of White Christmas and other holiday classics are all you need to hear to get into the holiday spirit! You’ll swear Bing has come back to life when you hear Leonard Barrett, Jr. singing favorite seasonal tunes from yesteryear. 

The halls of the castle are decked in full Victorian splendor, and the evening will include a Holiday Designer Showcase Tour prior to the performance and a buffet dinner. This is the perfect gift for someone who appreciates sentimental and old-fashioned traditions of the holidays!

Cherokee Ranch & Castle, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia 
5:45-9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $65
Phone: 303-688-5555

Friday-Saturday, December 20-21

SANTA’S NAUGHTY LIST (ADULTS ONLY)
If you’re in need of a little comic relief at this point in the holiday season, check out this evening of tasteful burlesque and drag queen revelry! The music and comedy will be over the top—naughty, but not raunchy! You’ve never seen the North Pole quite like this!

The Schoolhouse Theater, 19650 Mainstreet, Parker
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $34
Phone: 303-841-4500

Friday-Sunday, December 20-22

CLASSIC BROADMOOR DINNER AND HOLIDAY SHOW
Here’s an opportunity to dress up and celebrate a classy night out on the town! The elegant Broadmoor presents a Holiday Show full of cheer and a dinner that’s tailored to the most discriminating tastes. Grammy Award-winning singer Debby Boone will get you in the holiday spirit as she sings traditional songs of yesteryear. Perfect for families or a couple’s night out!

The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $65-$100
Phone: 719-634-7711

Saturday, December 21

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AND MRS. CLAUS
There’s not much time to get that Christmas list to Santa, so you’d better stop by and give it to him in person! This festive breakfast with the Jolly Old Elf and the Mrs. includes hot chocolate, Christmas stories, crafts—and a chance to write him a letter. There will be drawings for prizes and pictures with Santa, as well!

Parker Senior Center, 10675 Longs Way, Parker
8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Tickets: $5

FROST FEST AND HAYRIDE
Celebrate the season in the great outdoors at Backcountry Base Camp’s Frost Fest! There will be a vehicle-drawn hayride to see the winter scape of the backcountry, and a toasty fire at base camp, complete with hot cocoa and a s’mores bar. You’ll get to make a keepsake ornament craft to hang on your tree, and don’t be surprised if some spontaneous Christmas caroling happens! 

Backcountry Wilderness Area, 6005 Ron King Trail, Highlands Ranch
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12-$18

IMPROV FOR A CLAUS
A holiday-themed sketch comedy show in the style of a Second City Revue will have you roaring with laughter! The Parker Players Improvisers come together under the direction of a former member of Chicago’s Second City for this original improv show that’s also a charity fundraiser.

100% of all ticket sales from this show will be donated to Feed My Starving Children, a program that provides nutritionally complete meals specifically formulated for malnourished children. FMSC consistently receives the highest awards for accountability and transparency, with more than 90 percent of total donations dedicated directly toward feeding kids in need.

The Studio at Mainstreet, 19600 Mainstreet, Parker
8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20

Sunday, December 22

CHRISTMAS SYMPHONY CONCERT
The Colorado Springs Philharmonic joins forces with the Colorado Springs Chorale to perform an inspiring concert filled with Christmas favorites that will set your heart soaring! Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and Handel’s Messiah converge with other seasonal standards in a concert that’s sure to get you in the holiday spirit!

Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $29-$68
Phone: 719-960-4725

Christmas is Coming to Crystal Valley!

With Christmas less than a week away, there’s no shortage of holiday happenings near the master-planned community of Crystal Valley! You can get back to nature and still have easy access to all your favorite activities in the Castle Rock area. With beautiful model homes from D.R. Horton, Century Communities, Kauffman Homes, and Richmond American Homes, it’s easy to picture yourself in your own new home, priced from the $300s.