Every year, for Christmas, the entire world turns into a haven of colors, songs and joy as everyone gets immersed in the holiday’s spirit. Surely we all remember how magical Christmas felt for us back when we were children and every year of our childhood was filled during this season with moments when we got treats such as hot cocoa with marshmallows, beautiful lights appeared everywhere and stories of Santa bringing presents to good children were told to us both as inspiration and as a motivation to behave. In my family, regardless of how much or how little money we had, the city tree lighting was something to look forward to for so many reasons for all of us, kids and adults alike!
That magical moment when the huge tree was bathed in thousands of lights captivated everyone’s attention and fired up our imagination and we would create stories to go with it each year. What is more, all children love these exuberant displays of lighting, not to mention gathering with other children, the hot cocoa that they get to drink outside in the snow, or ice tea in the warmer regions and, most of all, meeting Santa. However, once the light show is over, kids’ attention has to be focused on something else since they still have short attention spans, they are hyperactive, easily bored and have to be constantly captivated by new, exciting and interesting activities designed especially for them. My parents used imagination games with me and my siblings to keep us on our toes and before we knew it, we were sitting in Santa’s lap going on and on about the things we wanted to get. In today’s society it is sometimes easy to achieve that with smart devices, such as phones and tablets, full of apps that will keep your child busy and entertained while in line to meet Santa and read him his wish list for this year’s round of the presents that are to be expected under the tree.
As a former child myself, a parent of two, I know that many little people lose interest and patience really fast, I am fully aware of the challenges that are to be expected each Christmas. I try to keep my kids busy with small games while waiting in line to see Santa but most times I end up staying in line for them and letting them run close by to play with other children of other dedicated waiting parents who like me will call their kids to meet Santa when the turn comes.
However sometimes that is not enough so I decided to change things a bit last year and I spoke to the organizing team in charge of the tree lighting and the annual Christmas parade and together we decided that a winter cinema will spice things up nicely for the whole community who could become one giant family watching a movie together. Family movies that can be seen on the couch back home are way more fun when projected outdoors on a huge screen with larger audiences comprised of all or close to all family members, including cousins, uncles and aunts in my case, who would not normally fit into a living room, not to mention the fact that families include also close friends which adds to the number of people we want to spend Christmas with. Thus, for those of us that want a more classical approach and wish to turn Christmas into a time spent together with family and friends, an outdoor cinema would complete the picture nicely and provide an extra helping hand towards achieving that. In my case, the moment that we put away all our devices and engaged in close human interaction, we saw that our kids were doing just fine watching “A Christmas Carol”. You just can’t go wrong with family movies like “Elf”, “Arthur Christmas” or “Polar Express”, cartoons like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” or the more recently launched “Rise of the Guardians” or “Frozen” which, although do not necessarily speak of Christmas alone, offer insight into the inner workings of some of the feasts’ iconic figures and make the Snow Queen be nice this time, all of which are suitable for us adults as well being either movies we used to watch ourselves as children or movies suitable for wider audiences varying in age. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a nice movie outside with a warm beverage in hand?
An inflatable movie screen system installed close to adults and children waiting in line can be a life saver for the entire event. The great perk with an outdoor cinema while waiting is not only that it keeps children entertained but that it is also very easy to install because it is inflatable, making it very easy to set-up, it occupies little space and it gives any event that feeling our elders must have had back in the day of the outdoor cinemas. The great success with our choice of renting an inflatable outdoor cinema equipment was greatly helped by the fact that some of the parents involved in the idea with me made sure there were a few stands with gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa and some went even as far as coming up with face paint and crafts tools keeping the children active while the line progressed smoothly.
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About Southern Outdoor Cinema
Southern Outdoor Cinema, LLC, is the LARGEST producer of high quality outdoor movie events in the United States for movie studios, film festivals, marketing agencies, Fortune 500 Companies, schools and cities. Southern Outdoor Cinema produces extraordinary outdoor movie experiences with big screens and bright and colorful images so that your audience members feel like they are at a real Hollywood film premiere. Contact Southern Outdoor Cinema to receive a free consultation for your next special event.
