The last day of finals for BYU students is on Dec. 19. For those going home for Christmas, this does not leave much time to participate in holiday activities before Christmas Day. Fortunately, Utah and Salt Lake counties have planned activities and events in the area this holiday season that families and friends can attend that are sure to entertain people of all ages with all different interests.

As a part of WinterFest 2008, Provo will put on a Living Nativity inside the Provo Tabernacle Thursday through Saturday. Shows begin at 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m.

Another holiday activity that plays a part of WinterFest is the annual Christmas parade in historic downtown Provo.

This year’s theme is Santa’s Candy Land Christmas, said JaNel Grim, recreation supervisor for Provo City.

The parade will be on Saturday at 10 a.m. It will start at 500 West on Center Street and proceed east toward Uni-versity Avenue. More than 50 groups, such as local businesses and various city government departments, will be participating by creating bright, festive floats and marching through the streets.

“In light of this special time of the year the name of Center Street will be changed to Christmas Street in Santa’s honor during the month of December,” according to information provided by Provo city.

Another popular holiday tradition that requires a warm coat, gloves and scarf is ice skating. Provo’s Seven Peaks Ice Arena has begun blasting holiday carols to help skaters get in the Christmas spirit.

“Everyone thinks of ice skating around Christmastime, so we get super busy,” said Brie Scott, Seven Peaks em-ployee.

From Dec. 22 through Jan. 2, Seven Peaks will hold extended all-day public skate hours. They will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Seven Peaks will close early at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day. Additionally, they plan to host a New Year’s Eve Party on Dec. 31.

Sledding is an alternative winter activity where participants bundle up.

Tanner Wells, 22, a business major from Orange County, Calif., recommended sledding at Rock Canyon Park in Provo.

“Rock Canyon Park is probably the No. 1 place to go in the area,” Wells said.

For those interested in more extreme sledding, “scouching” has been invented. Wells and his friends came up with the idea last season and now build and sell scouches, the sled replacement in this new sport.

“A scouch is a glorified sled,” Wells said. “It’s a couch put on a frame that is mounted to skis.”

With a scouch, at least four people can ride down a hill together, as comfortably as if they are at home watching television.

“Not any couch can be made into a scouch,” Wells warned. “The structure must be built right, so it is sturdy on the skis.”

For those interested in staying warmer while celebrating the holidays, the Hale Centre Theatre in Orem is per-forming Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” It opens Friday and runs through Dec. 23. Tickets are available at halecentretheatre.com.

Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City invited the public to attend their Second Annual Lights Festival, Zoo Lights. It is open now and runs through Dec. 31. The display contains more than one million lights and is the largest ani-mated light display in the state. Nearly 200 animated animal sculptures decorate the zoo. They are made of steel, and the attached lights are timed so they move.

“One display looks like the animals are passing a star from animal to animal to animal before a snake puts it on top of a tree,” said Holly Braithwaite, community relations coordinator at Hogle Zoo.

The lights are on, and the display is open daily 5-8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Live entertainment will be performed throughout the season and hot chocolate and other treats are available for purchase. Ticket prices are $3-6.

A Dinner with Santa at the zoo will be held Dec. 16 and 17 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $14 for kids. Tickets include a buffet dinner, as well as admission to Zoo Lights, a chance to talk with Santa and an up-close and personal animal presentation, Braithwaite said. Tickets should be purchased in advance through guest services. More information can be found online at hoglezoo.org.

Temple Square in Salt Lake City offers another impressive light display. Hundreds of thousands of lights deco-rate the grounds around the temple with a life-size nativity on display.

Copyright Brigham Young University 4 Dec 2008