Best Things to Do at Christmas in Tucson Arizona
Family Activities, Holiday Events, Nacimiento, Craft Market Shopping
Not only does Tucson celebrate Christmas with warm weather and sunshine, but the city's multi-cultural traditions also bring extra color and variety to holiday festivities. Here are some of the best Christmas events and activities for 2009.
El Nacimiento at Tucson Museum of Art
For over 30 years, El Nacimiento has been a highlight of Tucson's Christmas season. It opens this year on November 14 and will be on display through March in a special room at La Casa Cordova at the Tucson Museum of Art. Admission is free.
The Nacimiento is the mother of all nativity scenes, and it was created in honor of a mother as a gift from her daughter, Maria Luisa Tena. The family has lovingly staged this beautiful Christmas diorama for more than three decades. The traditional nativity is surrounded by over 800 figurines, depicting vignettes of life in a Mexican village, biblical characters and animals amid a natural setting.
Holiday Nights at Tohono Chul Park
A private park in north Tucson, Tohono Chul Park holds special evening holiday activities over two weekends, November 27-28 and December 4-5, 2009. The park is decorated with luminarias and fairy lights, and there is live music, activities for kids, and hot cider and cookies for everyone. This is a good place to buy Christmas ornaments, too.
Click here for the best places to see Christmas lights in Tucson.
Tucson Tamal and Heritage Festival
Tamales can be hard to find on a typical Mexican restaurant menu for most of the year, but they are a Mexican Christmas tradition so the holiday season is the time to enjoy them. The dish is thought to have originated with the Aztecs, and consists of parcels of masa (a dough made from corn flour) filled with meat, vegetables or cheese and chilis, wrapped in a corn husk and steamed until done.
The Tucson Tamal and Heritage Festival takes place on December 5 from 10am to 5pm at the AVA Amphitheater. Enjoy traditional foods and live entertainment, learn about local Hispanic and Native American communities, and join in a tamale-making contest. For more information contact Sol Casinos.
Christmas Family Activities in Tucson
Most holiday events are fun for all ages, but some especially focus on family activities at Christmas. Breakfast with Santa is a family event at the Pima Air and Space Museum, December 5, 9am-noon. Santa will leave the reindeer at home and arrive by helicopter, with gifts and activities for children as well as a buffet breakfast.
The International Wildlife Museum hosts a Wild Winter Wonderland on December 12, 5-8pm. Kids can make Christmas crafts, play games, pose for a picture with Santa, watch movies and listen to a storyteller's winter animal tales.
Active families with older children may enjoy the Southern Arizona Jingle Bell Run/Walk, which takes place on December 5 at 9am at Reid Park Soccer Field. Dress up in a holiday costume to run or walk the 3-mile circuit and raise money for the Arthritis Foundation at the same time.
Christmas Holiday Market and Indian Craft Market Shopping
Tucson has some wonderful holiday markets for buying Indian crafts and unique handmade Christmas gifts by regional artists.
The courtyard of the Tucson Museum of Art is transformed into the Holiday Craft Market, November 20-22, 10am-5pm. Watercolors, ceramics, jewelry, metal work and other unique items by over 120 artists are on sale, and there is live music and a beer garden.
Mission San Xavier del Bac, a few miles south of Tucson, holds their annual Native American Month Social Powwow and Indian Craft Market, November 27-29 from noon to 6pm. High-quality, handmade crafts from 40 Indian artisans are on sale, along with Native American dishes, traditional drumming and dancing contests, and activities for children.
More than 400 arts and crafts booths jostle for attention amid jugglers, musicians and street performers at the 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair, December 11-13, in downtown Tucson. There is face painting, art, and other activities for kids.
The Oro Valley Holiday Festival of the Arts takes place at the Oro Valley Marketplace, November 28-29. Sponsored by the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, it features music and dance events, 200 wine and food stalls, a pie-eating contest, and cooking and art for children.
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Christmas in Tucson's Tohono Chul Park
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Christmas in Tucson's Tohono Chul Park
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El Nacimiento at Christmas in Tucson, Arizona
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El Nacimiento at Christmas in Tucson, Arizona
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El Nacimiento at Christmas in Tucson, Arizona
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