Unwrap holiday cheer in Branson

From holiday shopping to live entertainment and an abundance of light displays, Branson is an ideal getaway to get your family in the Christmas spirit.
From holiday shopping to live entertainment and an abundance of light displays, Branson is an ideal getaway to get your family in the Christmas spirit.

Don't deck the halls until after Thanksgiving -that's how most people feel when Christmas festivities become a topic of discussion around mid-November.

But if you plan to travel - and book a hotel room - during the holiday season, a little planning in advance can go a long way in making your family trip as jolly as possible.

If you're looking for a way to get in the holiday spirit over a weekend, Branson has plenty of it to go around.

Branson boasts a long history as a family vacation destination for Midwesterners. Most Central Missourians have made the trip at least once, but not all have experienced Branson's "Ozark Mountain Christmas."

The city's annual Ozark Mountain Christmas celebrates a mixture of Ozark traditions and events and honors the true meaning of Christmas, which is what makes Branson so special during the "most wonderful time of the year," according to the Branson Tourism Center's website.

With an abundance of unique stores to do your holiday shopping, several live dinner shows to keep you entertained and more Christmas lights than you can imagine, a holiday vacation in Branson will be the highlight of the season.

Make your list

Begin your trip by making your list and checking it twice before heading to the Branson Landing to finish your holiday shopping. You will be sure to find something for everyone on your list with a wide range of specialty shops and stores, plus some favorite retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Belk.

You can enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Taneycomo, and be sure to catch the winter fountain show, which takes place every hour, on the hour. The show even switches up its music selection to play some jollier songs, like "All I Want for Christmas is You" and "Carol of the Bells," rather than its usual tunes. With a scenic lake setting, more stores than you could hope for and eye-catching entertainment at the center of it all, shopping doesn't get much better.

If you don't find everything you need at the Branson Landing, Branson features a couple of other retailers to visit, such as the Tanger Outlets and The Shoppes at Branson Meadows, two top-of-the-line outlet malls, which together contain more than 120 name-brand stores.

Jingle-bell-rock at live shows

The next item on your list has to be attending one of Branson's famous live shows.

"You can't go away without seeing at least one or more of our fabulous, 100-plus live shows," said Lynn Berry, director of communications for the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Most of them switch over to a full Christmas production on Nov. 1."

Berry said one of the most popular shows is "The Andy Williams Christmas Show," which stars the Osmond Brothers and the Lennon Sisters and features a full orchestra along with several variety acts.

"To hear those Osmond Brothers and the Lennon gals harmonize - there is no comparison," Berry added.

Another crowd favorite that pleases fans of all ages is the "Dixie Stampede."

"They pull out all the stops - a full Christmas blowout with camels, nativity scenes, southern belles and Christmas balls dropping from the ceiling," Berry said. "You'll be there for just over two hours and will not be bored for a second. This is a show everyone will love."

Other notables include "Christmas Wonderland" at King's Castle Theatre, "The Baldknobbers" and Silver Dollar City's two Broadway-style productions of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "A Dickens' Christmas Carol."

Dream of a bright Christmas

A last stop for your mini-vacation should be venturing for a drive to see the holiday lights.

Branson has a few spectacles to offer when it comes to light displays. One is the Branson Area Festival of Lights, which has a mile-long trail of 175 display scenes. Another is the Trail of Lights at Shepherd of the Hills. The special part about the 2.5-mile trail is it exhibits animated themes throughout that tell the story of an Ozark Mountain Christmas.

Last, but certainly not least, is Silver Dollar City - home to more than 5 million eye-popping Christmas lights.

"Our newest thing this year is Rudolph's Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade, a nightly event featuring nine musical floats illuminated by over 200,000 LED lights," said Martha Bohner, senior publicist for Silver Dollar City Attractions.

"The parade features 33 full-costume characters, several from the classic, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.' It is the 50th anniversary since "Rudolph' first aired in 1964, so we thought it would make a great theme for this year's parade."

For more information about Silver Dollar City's Old Time Christmas, including park hours and ticket prices, visit silverdollarcity.com.