Old Town offers festive fun

Christmas shopping is always a somewhat chaotic experience.

The masses of people, checkout lines and the pressure to find "the perfect gift" at a price you can afford tend to diminish the cheer and festivity of the holiday season.

Malls, outlet centers and superstores like Target and Walmart may be appealing for their large selection and sometimes lower prices, but to me they always epitomize the chaos of the season.

That's why I prefer to shop in Old Town.

During the day the area is bustling with patrons, but the spread out pedestrian mall and ability to wander the decorated streets and "window shop" offers a bit more ambiance than the average shopping center.

The tree-lined streets are also quite a sight to behold at night when the lights sparkle amongst their bare branches.

Aside from the quaint gift shops and relaxed holiday atmosphere there are several festive activities being offered by the Downtown Business Association that shouldn't be overlooked:

- Old Town Skating Rink: Open weeknights and weekends, the rink is great affordable holiday entertainment. Skating costs $2 and skate rentals are only $1.

- Horse and Carriage Rides: Starting this weekend horse drawn carriages will roam the downtown streets available to hire for romantic after dinner rides or scenic tours Wednesdays thru Sundays and the Tuesday of New Years Eve.

- Santa Claus & his workshop: Wednesdays thru Sundays from now until the 24th Santa and his helpers can be found in his hut in Old Town Square. Special events like storytime and skating with Santa will be offered throughout the week and a professional photographer will always be on hand to take pictures.