A Bright Lights Christmas in Las Vegas
Woman in the Middle | December 27, 2014We knew we had to do something different this Christmas. We wanted to get out-of-town and have a complete change of pace. But we didn’t want to fly, we didn’t want to deal with snow and possible bad weather, and we couldn’t be gone too long as Hubby’s work is usually busy at the end of the year. After considering all these variables, we decided to go to Las Vegas!
I was a little skeptical when Youngest Daughter suggested Sin City for Christmas. But I did a little research. One thing I was worried about was going somewhere for Christmas and then finding ourselves stuck in a hotel room, with no place to go and nothing to do on Christmas Day. Well, that was not something I had to worry about in Las Vegas. It truly is the city that never sleeps, even on Christmas. I checked and there were shows playing on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and I found out that all shops and malls connected to a casino would be open as well.
We decided to spend the 23rd – 26th on our trip, three nights total. We stayed at Paris-Las Vegas, which was conveniently situated in the middle of The Strip, otherwise known as Las Vegas Boulevard. We saw two shows, visited one exhibit, and ate one buffet meal. This is what we learned about Christmas in Vegas:
1. Lots of people come to Vegas at Christmas, many of them from foreign lands.
2. Most of these people want to eat at a buffet. We ate Christmas Eve dinner at the buffet at Treasure Island (AKA “TI”). We began waiting in line at 5 pm and were shown a table at 6 pm. We expected about an hour wait so it wasn’t too distressing for us, but we only wanted to do it once. If we had gotten in line a half hour later we probably would have had an hour and a half wait, as the lines get really long around 5:30 to 7, when most people want to eat dinner.
3. The Strip is crowded like Disneyland, but not necessarily decorated like Disneyland, for Christmas. Some casinos/hotels had lots of decorations, some had just a few. The Bellagio was beautiful, with the reception area, the shopping area, and the Conservatory all done up in an amazing way for Christmas. The decorations at Paris where we stayed were much more subdued. There was a tree in the reception area, some wreaths, and a little greenery on the light poles in the shopping area, all but the tree easy to miss. We got the impression that the hotels that seemed to cater to a more foreign crowd were less decorated. So Las Vegas, at least on the strip, is not exactly a winter wonderland. On the other hand, it is lit up like a Christmas tree 365 days a year, so how much more decorated can it get?
4. We went to see a production of “Jersey Boys” at Paris on Christmas night. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it. The theater was on the smaller side (for Las Vegas) and I don’t think there was a bad seat in the house. Eldest Daughter actually saw Jersey Boys on Broadway and she said the sets, the quality of the talent, and the energy of the show were just as good as on Broadway.
5. On Christmas Eve the four of us saw our first Cirque Du Soleil production, “Mystere” at TI. While the acrobatics were very good and interesting to watch, the costumes and “story” that ties it all together left us, well, “puzzled” may be the best word I can think of. We were puzzled by the large man dressed as a baby that had a prominent role in the show, the woman dressed a toddler in footie pajamas, the people in fantastic costumes who wandered on stage for a moment just for the heck of it (we guess) and the 25 foot snail with a human face that graced the end of the show. Watching Mystere was like analyzing a poem you kind of like but don’t want to dig too deeply into. All in all, the four of us decided we aren’t Cirque du Soleil people. However, there are numerous Cirque productions in Las Vegas, so obviously someone likes them.
6. Back to the Buffet. The buffet at TI was delicious. One of the food stations was called “Regional BBQ.” I have no idea what they meant by that, but I never visited any other food station, it was so good. They had sweet potatoes, collard greens, BBQ beans to die for, amazing mac and cheese, baked chicken, and ribs Hubby said were excellent. Dessert was good too, although I was so full at that point that I couldn’t enjoy it as I normally would. Then, Youngest saw a woman walk by with cotton candy. Eldest shoved me out of the booth and ran and got some. We finished that and then I ran and got some. It was a fun finish to an already yummy meal.
7. The Bellagio has an art gallery with rotating exhibits of famous paintings and other works of art. While we were in Vegas (and through May) the exhibit featured works of Faberge, jeweler to the Russian Tsars. We all like Faberge, especially the fantastic Easter Eggs the company produced for the Russian royal family. This exhibit included four eggs I had never seen in person. The ticket price was $17, less if you are a senior, military, teacher or student. So we had a little culture on Christmas Eve day.
This Christmas trip to Las Vegas was exactly what we wanted it to be, a complete change of pace for our family. It was good. We enjoyed it. But I think we are all ready now for Christmas next year to be back at home. And that was the whole point!
The beautiful Christmas tree, inside the Conservatory at the Bellagio
Sounds like you should have stayed at the Bellagio even though it probably was too expensive.
BTW: When did Eldest Daughter go to Broadway?
It was a few summers ago.
She’s so lucky! Was it for school?
No, a friend was sending the summer there with her sister, so she stayed with them for 12 days. It was a wonderful adventure for her.
I would love to go to Vegas one day it is on my to visit list
It is an amazing place. You have to see it to believe it!
Glad you had a good time. Did they have different styles of BBQ at the buffet? There’s Texas, South Carolina, Georgia etc. A friend of mine took a Road Scholar trip to Georgia where for 3 days they learned how to make different BBQ styles.
No, just the ribs and chicken and all the sides. But whatever region it was from, it was good!
What a lovely Christmas you had! I was even more transfixed by your post since Bill and I will be heading to Vegas soon too!
If you want any helpful hints, let me know. And the Fabrege exhibit at the Bellagio was really interesting!