Portland, Oregon: Gingerbread Scene in the Benson Hotel Lobby -- 2 MORE DAYS

We went downtown to see the gingerbread display in the lobby of the Benson Hotel, which they were calling a masterpiece.

https://bensonhotel.com/portland-events/gingerbread-masterpiece-on-display/

The tableau is based on the story The Polar Express. Even before seeing the sign, I recognized the similarity to the book's illustrations, as well as being tipped off by the (disproportionately large) bell hanging from the star.

I have to acknowledge the similarities, which indicates success for the goals of the bakers. I still found the whole scene rather drab, especially compared to the best pieces on display at the Gresham Historical Society.

The other hotel decorations were more impressive, especially the staircase made festive with lights and poinsettia. It made the location popular for pictures, apparently including an engaged couple.

COVID: Masks were being worn, and distancing was mostly possible. There were other visitors coming to look at the display.

Accessibility: I am sure there was a wheelchair accessible entrance somewhere, but I only saw steps and stairs, at the top of which was a revolving door flanked by two heavy doors. My initial impression was that it would be a terrible experience for guests with mobility issues.

Although I was not impressed with the display, it will be up through the 26th, so it is one more Christmas thing that can still be done before the season ends. If your children love The Polar Express, that may be extra motivation.

Otherwise, for attractions reviewed last year, Lightopia (free, seen below) tuns through December 31st, and ZooLights (not free) runs through January 9th.

https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/our-city/departments/parks-recreation/events/festivals-celebrations/winter-events

https://www.oregonzoo.org/visit/zoolights

Lake Oswego: The North Pole at Eagle Crest -- ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT

As Christmas gets closer, the time period for all of these displays will get shorter.

This particular Christmas display is set up in the garage bays and driveway of a private home, and I believe it is consideration toward the neighbors that influences the limited display times. They have only been open from 6 PM to 10 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for a few weekends in December. Tonight and tomorrow night are your last chances for this year.

The other downside of that location is that it can be kind of hard to find. I have written before about difficulty navigating Lake Oswego. Once you find the correct address, you need to find parking along the street, then go down a fairly steep driveway, and work your way back up.

That being said, I have to acknowledge that the display is really well done. It is not particularly large, consisting of what appears to be three garage bays and the connected driveway, but everything set up is cute.

It brought back memories of the Meier & Frank Santaland, back in the day.

I have to admire someone who loves Christmas that much, and who makes the display available free of charge. There is a box for donations to St. Jude's.

They are also serving free hot chocolate out of a van, and the hot chocolate was quite good.

There was also a surprisingly luxurious warming area, that looked more comfortable than most. This is appreciated because the odds of rain are fairly good.

So I don't know that the display is "must" see, but I am nonetheless glad that we found it. That process did involve several missed turns and course corrections. (Think Lake Oswego is bad in the daylight?)

But then, if you make it there, you find Santa and snow men and elves and reindeer.

Accessibility: The steep grade of the driveway could really be a problem for those with mobility issues. Depending on where you park, you may also be navigating a poorly lit area. I will say that the parking situation changes rapidly, given that the display can be seen fairly quickly.
 

COVID: The attraction is outdoors, so mask wearing was not strictly enforced. It is pretty easy to distance socially.

https://www.facebook.com/christmasateaglecrest/

https://www.instagram.com/christmasateaglecrest/

Gresham, Oregon: Christmas at the Historical Society

We recently visited the Gresham Historical Society & Museum, which has been housed in Greshams' Carnegie Library since 1990.

We had not been to Gresham for a while, but the museum is situated in the heart of a downtown enriched with various statues of all kinds of subjects, which we hope to explore later when the weather is a little more dry.

We were there for "Christmas at the Museum" and the Gingerbread House contest.

We loved the displays, including several attractive Christmas trees. This is one of the smaller ones, but the ornaments featured are from a selection you can choose from with your $5 admission fee.

Between the display, the ornament, and the ballot for the gingerbread contest, the felt like a very good value.

The displays included all sorts of Christmas decor and memorabilia, from refreshment trays to a wide variety of manger scenes.

That included not only types of items on display, but items from different time periods. There is likely to be something familiar from your past.

There was enough to border on crowded, but spaced out well enough to just make it feel cozy.

There was even (not pictured) Santa and an elf available for pictures.

But the real attraction was the gingerbread house contest.

It was fun to see the creativity, and the sources of inspiration, as with this depiction of the Gresham post office.

Many of the contestants used kits, and there were some available at the museum if you were inspired to try your own hand.

Even starting with a kit, there is a lot of room for creativity, but many participants went more free-form.

Some of them were so charming and well done that it was a shame not to vote for them.

However, there were two that were so outstanding, that the real contest was between them. (I hope the fun and creativity of competition was its own reward.)

One was a fire lookout, impressive for its construction, windows, and the depiction of the woods and stream below. I will understand anyone voting for it.

However, the Sugar Plum Bake Shoppe not only had that excellent construction, including windows, but also finer detail, including displays of baked goods in all of those windows.

Come on!

For us, that was the clear winner, but I don't think that takes anything away from the enjoyment we had looking at the other displays.

    

Displays continue through December 19th, Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 AM to 4 PM. 

The museum is located at 410 N. Main Avenue, Gresham, Oregon 97030.

https://greshamhistorical.org/

https://www.facebook.com/GreshamHistorical

https://greshamhistorical.org/2021-christmas-at-the-museum-gingerbread-contest/ 

 

COVID: Everyone was masked, and it was easy to maintain social distancing.

Accessibility: The main entrance is series of steps. It looked like there was a ramp to the side. Once inside, the aisles seemed pretty good for navigation.

Aurora, Oregon: Pacific Hazelnut Farms & Candy Factory

Despite the lengthy name, you won't see much farm or factory when you visit the Aurora location. There are trees nearby, and there is manufacturing inside, but mainly, you will get to see the store.

There are still some fun things to see outside, including a statue of the world's largest hazelnut, and a painted truck trailer featuring Phil and Bert.

It is also true that you can order from the web site. However, the store is all fixed up for Christmas, and there are worse things to do than take a country drive, and then look around and buy some chocolate.

The web site does have recipes and things, so you can certainly go to both the physical and online locations. The guides in the store are useful, with lots of photos and well organized stock.

Some products may more obviously convey "winter wonderland" than others.

In addition to food products, there are also kitchen items and some decor.

We were glad we went.

http://www.pacifichazelnut.com/

COVID-19: Masks were being worn in the store. The space is small, so crowding could come out, but one advantage of the rural location is that crowding is less likely.

Accessibility: Due to the size, aisles can be narrow which may create some navigation challenges. Obviously it would also not be a fun place for those with allergies to tree nuts.