Home For The Holidays by CLAUDIA POLZIN, Independent Consultant

MAY WE ALL BE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS in Person or Spirit

Hoping everyone is able to celebrate the Holiday Season and that it has already begun for you with a delicious Thanksgiving. There will be many ways to celebrate the season in Naples beginning with two of our wonderful theatres—the Sugden and the Naples Players and TheatreZone. At the Sugden theatre, A Christmas Carol will continue through December 18. This favorite Dickens tale takes on new life with the musical adaptation which ran for 10 years at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden; and now you can enjoy it here in Naples.

A bonus if you purchase your ticket to A Christmas Carol, you will also have a ticket to enjoy the TREES & TEAS FESTIVAL. This marks the third annual festival—the theatre lobby will be filled with beautifully decorated trees designed by local artists in the theme of favorite productions. There will also be a pop-up holiday gift shop for your shopping pleasure. So enjoy the Trees & Teas through December 18.

GULFSHORE OPERA presents a favorite on December 1 at The Club at The Strand—Christmas celebrated in true Naples fashion—a delicious meal with Christmas celebrated in song with beautiful
voices performing beloved melodies.

THEATREZONE presents Home for the Holidays December 9-11 at the theatre on the campus of Community School of Naples. TheatreZone is a professional equity theatre company, presenting The Lost Treasures of Broadway. Home for the Holidays is a festive feast for the senses, with memorable songs, unique choreography, extravagant costumes, professional cast and live orchestra.

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS will be heard all over town, so check your church calendar and enjoy the music of the season. One you might not want to miss is on December 11 at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m.—it will be a Festival of Christmas: A Joyful Celebration of the Season; combining favorite carols and new compositions to celebrate the season.

Many of our concerts in CAMBIER PARK were curtailed with the pandemic, but this season they are back. Start the month off with the Naples Concert Band on December 4 at 2 p.m.; December 10 the Naples Jazzmasters at River Park at 2 p.m.; December 11– the Gulf Coast Big Band at Cambier Park at 2 p.m.; December 12 and December 13–the Stardust Memories band at Cambier Park at 7 p.m.; and December 18–the Naples Dixieland Jazz Band at 2 p.m.

December has some special favorite annual events that you should not miss. December 6 beginning at 6 p.m. is the NAPLES CHRISTMAS PARADE —downtown with all of the glitz of a festive season. December 8 at 6:30 in the Sugden Plaza downtown in front of the Sugden Theatre you can hear the sounds of many tubas in concert. You read that right— tubas—many tubas playing Christmas music—you will be able to hear them for blocks. December 16 will be the fifth annual CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS CAROLS event at 6:30 at Cambier Park.

From this writer to you and your family, I sincerely hope that you all have come through the recent events that we have endured over the past two years and in the most recent hurricane season. We all know individuals that have suffered significant loss, even if we came through relatively unscathed. We will need to “band” together for months and years to come to help our neighbors and friends recover and be able to prosper once again. With this in mind, I would encourage you to support all of our local businesses, and enjoy the wonderful holiday season in Naples.

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