Are your kids Decembored?

Published 6:08 pm Friday, December 21, 2007

Ah, the holidays: a special time for gathering together with family and friends.

At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be like, but by the second week of winter vacation let’s admit what’s really going on: The kids are driving each other and everyone else nutters.

The house feels as stuffy and tight as blue jeans after too much of Grandma’s fudge.

Everyone needs to get out of the house to get some fresh air, regain sanity and remind ourselves that we do actually love these people.

Plenty of options are available.

You can go simple and cheap: Think thermoses of hot cocoa, sandwiches and a day hike through Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island. When everybody is properly bundled, paths through evergreens and windswept beaches are just as fun to explore in the winter — and there are no crowds.

If that’s not your family’s style, rediscover tried-and-true favorites: the zoo, the aquarium, the Pacific Science Center, the Everett Imagine Children’s Museum, ice skating at the Comcast Community Ice Rink in Everett.

Or take a day to play in the snow, take a sleigh ride or explore Paradise on snowshoes.

We’re providing the inspiration, but it’s up to you to gather those kids and go.

Christmas ships: Gather at a Seattle waterfront park and watch the holiday spectacle of the Christmas ships. It’s a flotilla of decorated ships, led by the Spirit of Seattle, an Argosy Cruise boat. On board, Northwest choirs serenade the crowds on shore with holiday tunes. Catch the show for free on shore tonight at 4 p.m. at Madison Park in Seattle. Tomorrow, you can see it at 4 p.m. at Matthews Beach, 8:45 p.m. at Portage Bay, and 9:45 p.m. at Gasworks. Bonfires are planned at Gasworks, Matthews Beach and Madison Park. Join the party on the boat, too. Tickets start at $34 for adults. More information: 800-642-7816 or www.argosycruises.com.

More Christmas spirit: Still need some holiday cheer? Get a final blast in Stanwood, where the Warm Beach Christian Camps and Conference Center offers a displays made of more than a million lights, a knock-your-stockings-off Nativity scene, music, storytelling, crafts, food, children’s pony rides, draft-horse wagon rides, train rides and a petting farm, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Dec. 26 and 28, 20800 Marine Drive, Stanwood; $7 to $10. More information: 360-652-7575 or www.warmbeach.com.

Sleigh rides: Several outfitters around Leavenworth offer sleigh rides until the snow melts. At Eagle Creek Ranch, eight miles northeast of Leavenworth, take a 35-minute ride through a mountain valley with wood-edged fields. Blankets are provided. Afterward, sip hot cider in a warming room with a wood stove and picnic tables. The ranch owners don’t mind if riders bring sack lunches and play in the snow. Sleigh rides cost $16 for adults, including tax. Kids 12 and under are half-price and there is no charge for tots 3 and under. Discounts are available for groups six and larger. Reservations are recommended. The ranch is open everyday next week except Christmas. In January, the ranch is open weekends only. More information: 800-221-7433 or www.eaglecreek.ws. Other area outfitters include Icicle Outfitters &Guides, 800-497-3912, and Mountain Springs Lodge, 800-858-2276.

Snowshoeing: A good activity for families with older children. Take a guided snowshoe trip at Paradise on Mount Rainier. The first guided trip is today and starts at Jackson Visitor Center. Snowshoes are provided, including the classic “beaver tail” wooden snowshoes. A ranger takes the group on a mile and a half hike that takes about two hours. The trips will run 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily next week, including Christmas. After that, guided walks are available only on weekends. The trips are first-come, first-served, and sign-up sheets are available at the visitors center information desk one hour early. Get together a group of 15 to 25 and schedule a group walk. Everyone needs to be age 8 or older. A $1 donation per person is requested to defray snowshoe maintenance costs. More information or to schedule a group walk: 360-569-2211, ext. 3314, www.nps.gov/mora.

The Cle Elum ranger station also offers guided snowshoe walks at Snoqualmie Pass on weekends Jan. 5 to March 30. Snowshoes are provided and a $10 donation is requested. Reservations are required. No children under 10 are allowed on the regular trips, but the station is offering special outings for families with younger children Jan. 20, Feb. 17 and March 23. More information: 509-852-1062, 425-434-6111 or www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee.

Ice skating: The thermometer rarely dips far enough long enough for Northwest kids to skate on neighborhood ponds. But we’ve got one of the best ice rinks in the area instead. Skate at the Comcast Community Ice Rink every day next week except Christmas from 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Admission costs $6.25 plus $2.75 for skate rental. The rink offers a $5 lunch-break skate from noon to 2 p.m. daily. On New Year’s Day the rink extends its hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Get a group of 10 or more together and request a lesson from an instructor. The rink is at 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett. More information: 425-322-2653 or www.comcastarenaeverett.com. Lynnwood Ice Center, 19803 68th Ave. W., also offers open skate; prices and hours vary. Call 425-640-9999.

Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or e-mail dsmith@heraldnet.com