It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the end of the semester. For any students like myself, I know my schedule has been too packed to plan any Christmas outings. Coordinating dates and costs with friends is tricky too. However, this list contains activities that repeat for multiple weekends or are ongoing for the entire month of December so you don’t miss out. Starting from least to most costly, here are some Christmas Activities in Kansas City under $20 that are memorable and won’t break the bank.
- Pictures and the Polar Express at Union Station
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Union Station is the perfect picture spot for the holidays. The large Christmas trees and train displays are absolutely beautiful. Since it is a popular Christmas attraction in KC, I’d recommend going during an odd time of day to avoid a large crowd. If you’re wanting to make your Instagram feed more festive, this is the place to rack up those photos. For any Polar Express fans, there are movie showings from December 9—December 24. The showtimes are listed here.
Costs:
Visiting – $0
Polar Express Movie Ticket – $3.50
Total – $3.50
- Christopher Elbow Drinking Chocolate
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Christopher Elbow Drinking Chocolate is thick and rich and definitely unlike any other hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Even though Christopher Elbow offers hot chocolate all year long, visiting the shop still makes for a great holiday outing. Since the menu seasonally updates, I have the price breakdown for buying a container of the Drinking Chocolate to take home. I used a friend group of four for the cost breakdown.
Costs:
1 Container of Drinking Chocolate – $22
Divided by four friends – $5.50
Total – $5.50
- Crown Center Ice Terrace
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The ice skating rink at Crown Center is open until March, so there’s plenty of time in your holiday plans to schedule a day or night out with friends. Since the ice rink is connected to Crown Center, there are a variety of restaurants and shops inside to enjoy after the fun. Some of my favorites include Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant and Crayola Kansas City.
Costs:
Admission Ticket – $8
Skate Rental – $5
Total – $14
- Create an Embers Christmas Candle
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Embers Candle Bar is the perfect way to craft your own holiday candle. The various sizes and shapes of candles range from $16-$52. After choosing a candle, you’ll pick three scents for the wax and begin pouring. Reservations for groups can be made online to ensure you can do the activity together with your friends.
Costs:
Cheapest Candle Option – $16
Total – $16
- Carriage Rides Viewing Country Club Plaza Lights
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Enjoy the light display at the Country Club Plaza while riding a carriage. You can schedule a carriage ride reservation for a Christmas outing with a group of friends. The base price for the carriage is $80 and then an additional $10 per extra person. If the group is larger, the cost will be split among more people. For the cost breakdown, I used a group of five people to keep within the budget.
Costs:
Base price for 2 people – $80
Price for 2 individual people – $20
Total ($100) divided by 5 people – $20
Great Christmas memories don’t have to come with a huge cost. After wrapping up the semester and finding time with family, you can make sure that going out with friends during Winter Break is both magical and affordable.