The Holiday Fun Begins

'Tis the season for holiday-themed activities in all shapes and forms. Middle Georgia has a variety of activities in December for kids and grown-ups, some very Christmas-specific, and others only vaguely related. But at least you won't get bored.

One of my favorite things to do in high school was to go ice skating. The Macon Centreplex opens up an ice skating rink every December for only about a month. It costs $10 for a 2.5-hour skating session, including the skates. The sessions start at specific times, so you'll want to go to the Macon Centreplex website to see the exact dates and times.

If you want to help make (or just observe) a new tradition in downtown Macon, an assortment of people involved in downtown Macon, including some local musicians, have gotten together to organize the 1st Annual Caroling Downtown this Friday, Dec 10. The warm-up will be at 6:00 in Third Street Park, which is sort of the median in Third Street between Cherry Street and Mulberry Street. Caroling will last from 6:30 to 8:30 and will stop at several downtown restaurants. So, get some dinner on Cherry Street, or just buy some hot apple cider from Killian's, and enjoy a little Christmas cheer Friday night.

If you want to celebrate Christmas by showing a little "goodwill towards men," come to a benefit concert for the Mentor's Project of Bibb County at The 567 on Friday night. Tickets are only $5, and all the money goes to help an organization that helps at-risk teens. If you bring a coat, gloves, or a blanket to donate to the homeless, you'll get a voucher for $2 off any Blue Indian show in 2011. Bands performing include Stribling and Free Ticket. It doesn't start until 8 pm, so you can come by after dinner and caroling.

While it seems like most cultural events happen in Macon, Houston County is getting its own share in Perry this weekend. On Saturday night the Ocmulgee Symphony Orchestra is performing a concert called "Holiday Brilliance" at Perry High School. For more information, go to their Facebook page. It seems a little easier to navigate and more up-to-date than their website.

As I mentioned in my introduction, this is just a selected sampling of things to do in Middle Georgia. If you want to see the full list--including more traditional holiday events like "The Nutcracker" and "A Christmas Carol"--you should go to Macon Arts where they have an extensive calendar of cultural events.