Spreading Holiday Cheer | Holiday Themed Activities

This time of year is always such a magical and cheerful time of year, and we LOVE it! We have added even more activities to the Activities Calendar (and even more decorations throughout the campground) for the week of Thanksgiving to enhance the overall guest experience. 

The holiday-themed activities (Thanksgiving and Christmas) begin on Monday and run through the weekend. We filled you in on all the tasty food and sweets this week, now we are bringing you all the family fun!

Below are each of the activities along with all of the necessary details. Please take note of the section labels, “Thanksgiving Activities” and “Christmas Activities.”  

Thanksgiving Activities

Holiday Wreath Workshop – November 21st @ 4 PM | 
We have added an exciting new workshop hosted by Rock N Roots Plant Co. This class is open to all guests and will provide necessary materials to teach and walk you through making your very own holiday wreath. 

Cost is $54, and you will pay the instructor upon arrival at class. Class runs from 4 PM – 5 PM. Please sign up by emailing hello@rocknrootsplantco.com or by using the QR codes provided on the flyers at the Recreation Office. 

Turkey Bingo – November 21st @ 7 PM |
We will play 10 games of bingo, and the Grand Prize will be a turkey! 1 card per person. Held in the Recreation Center. No Fee.

Thanksgiving Mason Jar Make & Take – November 22nd 2 PM – 4 PM | 
Join us in the Recreation Center, Room C, to make your very own Thanksgiving Mason Jar. We will provide all the materials necessary to paint and decorate your very own unique jar. You can use your imagination to create something or follow the examples we provide. 

Please be sure to arrive to class on time. No new painters will be accepted into class after 3 PM. All painters will have until 4 PM to finish their jars. 
Pay the instructor $5 per jar upon arrival to class. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Thanksgiving Bingo – November 23rd @ 7 PM |
We will play 10 games of bingo, and all prizes will be items that will help with your Thanksgiving Feast! 1 card per person. Held in the Recreation Center. No Fee.

Gingerbread House Contest – November 24th 9 AM – 8 PM (All houses need to be submitted by 8 PM) |  
Starting Thursday morning at 9 AM, drop off your hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind Gingerbread Houses. All houses must arrive no later than 8 PM on Thursday night. You have 2 options. You can make your house at home and bring it in or if you have little space, you can use Recreation Side Room A to create your house. 

The Recreation Team does not provide any materials. You must bring all the materials to make your house with you! Winners will be announced on Saturday at 6 PM. 

Voting: Technology is needed for voting. Voting will be done using the Ocean Lakes App – Click “Vote” to enter your favorites.

We encourage all to come join us in the Recreation Center to vote for your favorite Gingerbread Houses. Voting will be held Friday at 9 AM until Saturday at 5 PM. 

Starfish Strut Walk/Run 5K – November 25th @ 9 AM | 
Bring your family out for this new Ocean Lakes tradition! We welcome you to come and sign up in the Recreation Office anytime starting on Wednesday, November 23rd. We will provide you with a packet that includes instructions. You can walk/run the path anytime on Thanksgiving Day before 8 PM to win a prize. 

Please Note: You will need a way to track your walk/run via a smart watch or a walking app. You will then need to show the Recreation Office your results to receive your prize. No Fee. 

Pie Bingo – November 25th @ 3 PM |
We will play 10 games of bingo, and 10 lucky winners will receive a pie as a prize. 1 card per person. Held in the Recreation Center. No Fee.

Christmas Activities

Ugly Sweater Contest – November 25th @ 9 AM until November 26th @ 4 PM | 
Who thinks they have the ugliest sweater just laying around? Well then, this is the competition for you! New this year is our Ugly Sweater Competition. To enter, go to our photo area in the Recreation Center to take a picture of your sweater. You will then upload that picture via the Ocean Lakes App. 

You can enter the competition and win in the following categories: Best Crafted Sweater, Craziest Sweater, Most Creative Sweater, Most Embellished Sweater, Funniest Sweater, and Best Overall Ugliest Sweater. Winners will be announced Saturday evening. No Fee.

Christmas Mason Jar Make & Take – November 25th 2 PM – 4 PM | 
Join us in the Recreation Center, Room C, to make your very own Christmas Mason Jar. We will provide all the materials necessary to paint and decorate your very own unique jar. You can use your imagination to create something or follow the examples we provide for you. 

Please be sure to arrive to class on time. No new painters will be accepted into class after 3 PM. All painters will have until 4 PM to finish their jars. You will pay the instructor $5 per jar upon arrival to class. Recommended for Ages 8 and up.

Christmas Music Bingo & Stupid Trivia – November 25th @ 6 PM | 
Join us in the Recreation Center for this fun, musical twist on the original bingo game we typically play! Snippets of songs in different categories will be played, and you will have to match up the song played with the song’s title on your bingo card. We will give a few hints along the way. In between rounds of music bingo, we will play 3 rounds of stupid trivia. 10 wacky, crazy questions in each round. NO cheating! No fee. 

Christmas Lights and Sites – November 25th until November 26th @ 8 PM | We could all use a little more holiday cheer!

Site Contestants: We encourage all to decorate your beautiful houses/campsites and spread that extra holiday cheer! We are creating a list of participating sites that will “Deck the Halls” this holiday season. Please stop by the Recreation Center to sign up before 8 PM on Thanksgiving Day to get your site on the list. The top 3 favorite sites will win a prize! Winners will be announced Saturday Evening. No fee. 

Site Judging: A list of participating sites will be available Friday, November 25th at noon in the Recreation Office. When it gets dark, you can take the “Lights & Sites” tour and choose your 3 favorite Christmas Sites. 

Vote virtually using the Ocean Lakes App – Click “Vote” to enter your top 3 choices. All votes need to be in by 7 PM on November 26th to be counted. 

Tree Trimming Event – November 26th 10 AM – 12 PM | 
Bring your holiday spirit to the Recreation Center on Saturday morning to help decorate the big Ocean Lakes Christmas Tree for Santa’s arrival later in the afternoon. All decorations used to trim the tree have been provided by our wonderful guests throughout the years. We encourage you to bring your own special ornament to add to our collection. 

We will be adding a new tree to our collection this year. This will be called the “Memory Tree” and will be pictures of yourself and your kids from past years sitting on Santa’s lap. During the event, beverages and small snacks will be provided. No fee. 

Santa Clause is Visiting Ocean Lakes – November 26th 2 PM – 5 PM |
Ocean Lakes welcomes Santa Clause & Mrs. Clause on Saturday, November 26th from 2 PM to 5 PM. Stop by the Recreation Center to take your pictures with the big man himself! We have so much fun planned for you and your family – There will be a Christmas Photo booth, Gingerbread House Voting, Candy Guess Jars, Festival Games, Gift Goodie bags, Face Painting (sign up begins at 2 PM, first come first serve) and an Ornament Making Class ($5 per ornament). 

Please arrive before 4 PM to see Santa as the line can get quite long. We do not want you to miss out on your chance to talk to Santa before he heads back to the North Pole. We encourage each child to write their own personal letter to Santa that he can read later. Letters will be provided for each child to fill out. We encourage parents to print off and have their little one’s finish letters ahead of time. 

There will be a special Mailbox located in the Recreation Center to drop off your child’s letter to Santa. Make sure to do this, as we will deliver each note directly to Santa himself. Who knows, he may just write back! No fee.

Just For Fun | There are two Christmas-themed virtual activities through the Ocean Lakes App:

Reindeer Run - Can you find all 9 Reindeer?

Santa Search Scavenger Hunt - Can you find and decode all 10 clues?

Until Next Time | So much FUN packed into just one week – How exciting! And remember to keep your eyes open for our Elf, Flip Flop, we hear he will be making his grand arrival this week!

From all of us at Ocean Lakes, we hope you all have a blessed and joyous holiday season!