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Holiday Gifts That Keep on Giving

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This holiday season, consider a creative approach to gift-giving. Treat your family to a special memory and a gift they can enjoy all year long. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Crown Center

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Crown Center is Kansas City’s penultimate holiday tradition! From the 100-foot mayor’s Christmas Tree, to a special visit with Santa at the Gingerbread Village, to ice skating at the city’s original outdoor ice rink, activities and attractions abound for everyone. Complete your day with a visit to Legoland Discovery Center or Sea Life where Santa dives with the fish on select dates. Or, treat the family to A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Coterie.

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Surprise your family with a special gift to enjoy after the holidays by purchasing a membership to Legoland or Sea Life, or season tickets to the Coterie so you can enjoy the fun next year too.

Fat Brain Toys

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Fat Brain Toys, located in Overland Park, is special because they sell only creative, open-ended toys and games that are educational and fun. Many of the toys emphasize STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts and mathematics). You’ll find many wonderful toys that your children will enjoy for years. For the holidays, treat your child to a special gift from Fat Brain and include a $25 gift card for a return shopping trip to add to the collection.

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In January take your child on a special date to choose spend the gift card on an add-on to a building, science or art kit.

Union Station

Roy Inman

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Union Station is decorated in holiday splendor all season long and is the place to celebrate with the family! A beloved holiday tradition is the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express (Dec. 18-22). Stroll through the decorated train and visit Santa Claus and his elves. Throughout the month, enjoy a ride on the Jones Store Train or treat the family to a classic holiday film on the Extreme Screen.

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Purchase a membership to Science City as the family holiday gift, then enjoy the museum all year long. The membership is even reciprocal with other museums across the nation.

Kansas City Zoo

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The Kansas City Zoo is one of our favorite year-round attractions. Over the holidays, the zoo is extra magical as Santa himself dives with the zoo’s penguins every weekend at 2:00. Capture the memory with a one-of-a-kind photo of Santa as penguins torpedo around him. Watch the penguin bubbles trail the man in the red suit and hear the children giggle.

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FOTZ memberships make a great holiday gift! Spend a day at the zoo celebrating the new gift, then visit all year long. NEW this year: Memberships are good 12 months from date of purchase.

Worlds of Fun

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Worlds of Fun’s newest festival is celebrating its third year in 2019. WinterFest is a magical celebration! The park is transformed into a winter wonderland with thousands of sparkling lights and decorations. The whole family will have a blast with fabulous family-friendly holiday shows, ice skating, cookie decorating, carriage rides and park rides. Kids love the meet-and-greets with holiday characters, including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Scrooge, Gingerbread Men and more.  

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A season pass is the perfect family holiday gift! You can enjoy WinterFest now and revisit the park throughout the 2020 season.

Overland Park Arboretum

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The first two weekends in December, the Overland Park Arboretum hosts its 20th annual Luminary Walk. Thousands of candles light the mile-long walkways, music plays and decorations create a magical holiday ambiance. Family favorites include the train garden and the gnome and fairy village. Visits with Santa, horse-drawn wagon rides and hot cider around the campfire make warm holiday memories.

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Purchase a membership to the arboretum as a holiday gift for the entire family to enjoy. The arboretum hosts educational programs and special events all year long.

Dinner and a Show

Cory Weaver

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Kansas City offers many magical holiday shows to enjoy, including Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s A Christmas Carol, Kansas City Symphony’s Christmas Festival, KC Ballet’s Nutcracker, the Culture House’s Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Holly and The Ivy, and Carlsen Center’s Winterlude, Bandstand and other live shows. Dine at a local restaurant and enjoy a show. One of our favorite places to dine out is Charleston’s on Ward Parkway, where they serve excellent prime rib, grilled pork chops and salads.

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Consider season tickets to the theater as a holiday gift for the family or for your spouse to set an ongoing date night.

Independence Center

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Independence Center is the perfect place to do your holiday shopping. Spend a day shopping with each child one and one and let each select gifts to give. For a gift to enjoy year-round, take your children to Build-A-Bear, where they can create their own cuddly pal. In addition to shopping, bring the kids to visit Santa through thru Dec. 24. For more fun with a hilarious twist make plans to attend Holiday Hi-Jinx Photos on select dates.

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Consider a gift certificate with the promise of a one-on-one shopping and dining outing, or head back to Build-A-Bear to choose a new outfit for a Christmas gift. 

Kristina Light is a longtime fan of memberships as gifts. Her family gets a lot of mileage out of their season passes both locally and on trips. Learn about her TOP PICK Memberships here.

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