Great Things to Hear This Holiday Season in Cincinnati

Take some time during the hustle and bustle of the holidays to meet with family and friends and enjoy the season. It's not all about presents – it's about making lovely memories. At Hearing Consultants, we want you to stay connected to family, friends, and the sights and sounds of the season – which is the reason you should take care of your hearing health. Here are some of our favorite activities to consider this holiday season.

Santaland – Holiday in Lights

• Various performances and events – Dec. 1 – Dec. 23
• Sharon Woods/Sharon Centre
• First, there’s more than a mile of spectacular holiday lights including 120 moving holiday themed figures from Jolly Saint Nick to depictions of the 12 days of Christmas. Drop in to the Sharon Centre where Santa’s elves have created a winter wonderland including lots of family-friendly entertainment, a holiday train display, sweets, a selfie holiday photo-op area and, of course, gift options. Check out Everette Green, the talking Christmas tree, enjoy performances of the Dickens Carolers and there will also be performances of Ebenezer Scrooge.

PNC Festival of Lights

• Dec. 1- Jan. 1
• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
• Voted Best Zoo Lights in the USA, this year the zoo tries to outdo last year’s set up. Enjoy the “Wild Wonderland” which includes 3 million (yes, you read that right – 3 million) LED lights, and a black-light puppet show. There’s a Wild Lights Show on Swan Lake, you can ride the BB&T Toyland Express Train Ride, hear a story from Mrs. Claus, write Santa a letter at the Holiday Post office and find the hidden fairies in Fairyland. All this in addition to the 22 larger than life Animal Lanterns throughout the zoo AND the new indoor Gorilla World exhibit is open!

The Nutcracker

• Dec. 13 – 24
• Music Hall
• Recognized by the community as one of Cincinnati’s favorite traditions, the Cincinnati Ballet once again presents the charming Christmas tale set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved musical score. Take a journey with Clara and her Nutcracker Prince to the Land of Sweets where the Sugar Plum fairy will shower you with treats and celebrations. Gorgeous sets, memorable costumes and a chance for photo opportunities with the Snow Queen and Nutcracker 35 minutes prior to the start of each evening show in Corbett Tower.

A Christmas Carol

• Dec. 13 – 29
• Marx Theatre
• Hundreds of costumes and thrilling special effects make this one of the Playhouse’s most popular productions. A Christmas Carol is the story of ultimate redemption. Four ghosts show Ebenezer Scrooge it's never too late to change your miserly ways – just in time for Christmas.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!)

• Dec. 14 – 30
• The Otto Budig Theater
• Cincinnati Shakespeare Company brings back their holiday smash hit by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald and John K. Alvarez. Directed by Jeremy Dubin, this begins as an annual production of “A Christmas Carol” and evolves – or devolves as the case may be – into an irreverent look at all the beloved holiday classics including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve

• Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Dec. 14
• US Bank Arena
• Here’s to a rock ‘n roll holiday. Enjoy this production which revolves around a runaway who finds shelter in an abandoned theater on Christmas Eve. She experiences ghostly musical performances from the theater’s past. Powerful storytelling interlaced with presentations of Christmas favorites including “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “O Holy Night” along with some original Christmas songs.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

• Dec. 21 – 23
• Xavier University – Gallagher Student Center Theater
• Music, miracles and some mischief all come together in the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s performance of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Christmas chamber opera Amal and the Night Visitors. This is the tale of the shepherd boy Amahl, his mother and their life-changing encounter with the Three Wise Men. We’ve got opera singers, Pones Inc. dancers, Madcap puppet and a full choir.

Winterfest

• Dec. 1 – 31
• Kings Island
• Holiday shows, carolers in traditional costumes, shops with holiday gifts and decorations. The park is transformed into a land of enchanting productions and events including ice skating on the Royal Fountain, the transformation of the Eiffel Tower into a truly magical 314-foot Christmas tree, millions of lights and dozens of holiday characters including Jack Frost, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Candy Cane. Listen to Blitzen’s Brass Band, go to a Build-A-Bear workshop, check out the Peanuts characters in Charlie Brown’s Christmas Town and attend one of the performances of Charlie Brown’s Christmas Spectacular. It’s an upbeat Broadway style show that is sure to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Visit us at Hearing Consultants

We wish you a happy and joyous holiday season. Enjoy your time with family and friends and make some spectacular memories. And don’t miss a minute of the sights and sounds – we’re here for you so schedule your hearing evaluation and stay connected to the sounds of the holidays.