A Magical Holiday Tradition: GloWild and Glimmer at the KC Zoo

Happy holidays, friends!

Last week, we continued our "exploring KC" December tradition with a Christmas outing to GloWild at the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium. This annual fundraiser (now in it's fourth year), transforms the zoo into a nighttime wonderland—with over a mile-long journey of dazzling, lighted sculptures. 

🎅Festive Fun Around Every Corner

Visitors can meet Santa, decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus, ride the Endangered Species Carousel, enjoy live music from local choirs, and savor seasonal treats and beverages. While the animals rest after dark, the KC Zoo Railroad becomes a whimsical ride through a lighted Whoville, complete with the Grinch as conductor. This year’s theme, Time Traveler, takes guests on a journey through nineteenth-century Paris, America’s centennial celebration, and even a sci-fi-inspired future—plus a few delightful surprises along the way. Each display is a masterpiece, crafted by more than 150 artisans using 34 tons of steel and 89,000 feet of fabric.

🎄New This Year: Glimmer

This year, GloWild introduced Glimmer, an adults-only holiday pop-up bar. I couldn’t resist snagging add-on tickets (over a month ago) to experience the festive décor, themed cocktails, and tasty appetizers. The posh private igloos were stunning, and since this unique bar and experience sold out pretty much every night, I felt lucky to get us in!

🌟An Unforgettable Night

Despite the very high winds and extremely chilly weather, we braved the elements—and it turned out to be perfect. With gusts over 40 mph, the zoo was nearly empty, giving us the rare chance to explore without crowds. I captured some incredible photos of GloWild and Glimmer, making the evening even more magical.

📸Come Along for the Journey

From glowing sculptures to cozy igloos, this holiday adventure was unforgettable. Join me as I share the sights, sounds, and sparkle of GloWild—because the season is all about creating memories that shine.

🤶Christmas Is Almost Here

With Christmas just a couple of days away, the excitement is building! The lights, music, and cozy traditions make this season so special, and I’m soaking up every magical moment. Whether it’s watching a holiday movie or braving the winter chill for dazzling displays, these experiences remind us why this time of year feels so warm and bright.

⛄More Holiday Cheer Ahead

The celebrations aren’t over yet—there are still plenty of festive sights and surprises to share! Stay tuned for more holiday adventures, sparkling lights, and joyful memories as I count down to Christmas Day. Wishing you peace, laughter, and a little extra sparkle as we wrap up this wonderful season together.

✨ What about you? 

I’d love to hear your favorite holiday traditions or festive outings! Drop a comment below and share how you’re making this season merry and bright.

Our Christmas Eve Tradition

Greetings friends! One last 2024 Christmas post, as we prepare for the new year. Today (tonight), I am sharing photos from our annual Christmas Eve tradition. 

This yearly outing on Christmas Eve started when we moved to Kansas City in 2019, making this was our sixth year. Many of you know, my husband is in management for UPS and always works on Christmas Eve and usually on Christmas - this makes it impossible for us to travel during the holidays and nearly impossible to make any special plans. The first year in Kansas City, we decided when he got off work on Christmas Eve that we would drive downtown to the Plaza to see the holiday lights. It was nearing 10:00 PM when we arrived in the Plaza, and we were both hungry (we left right when he arrived home and neither of us had dinner). We started looking for an open restaurant and everything was closed...then we spotted the Cheesecake Factory with lights on and decided to take a chance. Turns out, they were open until 10:00 PM. We stopped in, hoping we could maybe get some food to go, but they actually had a table for us and told us they were closing very soon. Now every Christmas Eve, we make a reservation for as late as possible at the Cheesecake Factory and have appetizers and a cocktail…then walk around the Plaza and look at the holiday lights. Afterwards, my husband humors me and we drive around to see some of the best local lights. So, that is how we have decided to spend each Christmas Eve, if he can be home in time – if not the contingency plan is to have appetizers and a cocktail at home and watch a Christmas movie. It is always challenge to be apart from our families for the holidays, but after 26 years, we have gotten used to it and started our own tradition (which is incredibly special to us!).

After appetizers (Tex Mex Egg Rolls and Factory Nachos with Spicy Chicken) and a cocktail (a Pineapple Moscow Mule for me and a Stella Artois Beer for Travis), we walked the Plaza and enjoyed the lights. When we first got down there it was packed with people, but by the time we left the restaurant, the streets had cleared and it was quiet. We drove downtown to Crown Center to see the the giant Mayor’s Christmas Tree and the Hallmark Christmas Experience. Next, we drove through beautiful Brookside to Armour Hills (a KCMO neighborhood off of Ward Parkway) with some of the best lights in the city...and it did not disappoint. Before heading home, my husband suggested a place in Olathe that he sees lit up every day on his drive to work - it is at the Olathe Community Center and Stagecoach Park...it is called Glolathe. This year it had over 100,000 bulbs on over six miles of light strings. We visited at the perfect time; at 11:00 PM on Christmas Eve, it was quiet and we walked the sidewalks lined with luminaries almost completely alone. We chuckled when we got to the pond, as it was surrounded by geese and some were brave enough to be in the frigid cold water! It was the perfect place to wrap up our Christmas Eve tradition...

Union Station lit up for the Chiefs game on Christmas Day.

Thank you so much for spending your holidays with me! Planning a special event each Saturday in December and creating some fun designs/patterns to share made my holiday extremely special. Usually, December finds me a bit sad and alienated, but this year I focused on the true meaning of Christmas; it has been a true joy sharing it with you.

Now, we prepare for the new year ahead. We will be having a casual New Year's Eve gathering at our house - we have invited the neighbors on our street and our good friends in the area. I always create a large charcuterie board and a three-tier tray of treats...many attendees bring a dish to share...and everyone brings their own beverage. We set-up our garage for playing games and darts and everyone just mingles and enjoys the evening. We have found this is a great way to start the new year!

Thanks for visiting with me...I can't wait to catch up with you again soon...