1.  See a performance of "The Nutcracker."

Every year, the Central Florida Ballet presents a unique performance of "The Nutcracker" where they incorporate pyrotechnics and aerial acrobatics into their ballet production. How cool is that? Plus, the show is critically acclaimed with high praise from the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and USA Today. And the tickets start at only thirty dollars! And if you want to spend a little extra for better seating, the best seats are only sixty-five! So go ahead and mark your calendars for December 15^th and 16^th and order your tickets ASAP. It'll be the perfect excuse for you and your boo to wear cute holiday outfits together.

2.  Attend the Tree Lighting Celebration at Lake Eola.

The City of Orlando presents their annual Tree Lighting Celebration at Lake Eola Park where they will officially light the city's 72-foot Christmas tree in front of the Walt Disney Amphitheater. The tree features over 7,000 ornaments, 88,000 LED lights, and six twelve-feet tall nutcrackers displayed around the amphitheater. There will also be a synchronized light show along with live entertainment and holiday music. The event kicks off at 5:00 p.m. on November 30^th (with the actual lighting at 8:00 p.m.) and admission is free for everyone! There's even free photos with Santa from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Get some friends together and make it a fun Friday night on the town!

(The light shows will continue every night through January 5^th at 5:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 8:45 p.m., and 9:45 p.m.)

3.  Support local shops at College Park Main Street.

The College Park Main Street District presents their annual Holiday on the Drive event, inviting the community to the neighborhood of Edgewater Drive (between Smith Street and Clayton Street just a few minutes north of Lake Eola near Ivanhoe Park) for an evening of small-town shopping and holiday fun! From 5:00-9:00 p.m. on December 6^th, Edgewater Drive is turned into a Winter Wonderland with holiday music, a visit from Santa and his friends, and SNOW! (Actual cold stuff, not that fake soapy snow they use at the parks.) It's the perfect opportunity to pretend that it actually gets cold in South Florida while exploring the local shops and restaurants at College Park—it'll be just like a scene out of every Hallmark movie.

4.  Bring the fam to a holiday movie under the stars.

Every week in December, there will be a free movie presented at the Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola park. Here's the lineup:

• Friday, December 7^th 7:00 p.m.—"Polar Express"
• Saturday, December 15^th 7:00 p.m.—"The Santa Clause"
• Friday, December 21^st 7:00 p.m.—"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"

Each movie night is, of course, free. With some blankets to snuggle in and some good company to snuggle with, it'll be the perfect way to celebrate the holidays.

5.  Walk the Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs.

From now until January 6^th, you can see all twenty-seven themed holiday trees along a decorated walking trail at Disney Springs. You'll love the continuous stream of snow and Christmas music as you walk through the decorations and tree displays. Along with all the restaurants and live music Disney Springs already offers, you can easily make this a date night any night throughout the holiday season. It's an attraction I look forward to every season.

6.  Ice skate at Light Up the Holidays in Altamonte Springs.

The City of Altamonte Springs presents Light Up the Holidays—a free night of entertainment, live music, train rides, and fireworks on December 1^st from 5:00-9:00 p.m. at Cranes Roost Park. There will also be multiple holiday displays with over 200,000 lights, plus a 60-foot Christmas tree with thousands of Christmas ornaments. Oh, and did I mention the ICE SKATING RINK?! Floridians on ice skates? It can't get much better than that. You'll most definitely have to get some friends together to try this out.

7.  Enjoy the snow at Celebration's Now Snowing event.

If you're looking for something a little more mainstream, the town of Celebration is presenting their 20^th annual Now Snowing event from now until December 31^st. The event features roaming carolers, photo opportunities with Santa, horse drawn carriage rides, train rides, more ice skating, and nightly snowfall every night at 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. There's also special concerts from well-known performers on December 8^th and 15^th. (Their line up for this year hasn't been released, but last year artists like Justin Bieber, Keke Palmer, and Mitchell Musson performed.) Though admission is free, extra experiences like the ice skating, train rides, carriage rides, and photos with Santa cost a little bit extra. But if you're looking for a popular, high-energy spot to celebrate the holidays, this is definitely the event to hit.

8.  TAKE YOUR DOG TO SEE SANTA CLAUS!

Y'ALL. I about screamed when I came across this event. On December 14^th at 7:00 p.m. at the Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola Park, Violectric is performing is sixth annual holiday show presented by the City of Orlando Families. Not only is the event free, but it's also pet-friendly! AND, if you bring a pet supply donation, or make a monetary donation to Pet Alliance, you get a FREE pet photo opportunity with Santa AND Mrs. Claus! I can't think of a better way to celebrate the holidays than a lit electric violin concert where I can bring my DOG! And we can get a cute family picture all to together with Santa! I am SO excited. You will definitely catch me there.

(And the website definitely says it's "pet-friendly," it doesn't specify being dog-friendly. So go nuts, bring your cats, bunnies, hamsters, fishes, birds, etc. We'll all hang out and celebrate the holidays together.)