Christmas trees, ice skating, holiday lights, snow, caroling, horse carriage rides….. yep, the holiday season is upon us once again.  Quite a few events in the downtown district kick things off this weekend to get you in the festive holiday spirit.

Holiday Promenade  

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Holiday Promenade which is held in the East Village.  This event just seems to get bigger and bigger each and every year.  With everything from holiday carolers, to shopping, to free horse and carriage rides.  Stores will be staying open later than usual, until 9pm in fact,  so you can get started on your holiday shopping early or just check out some of the stores that you’ve never had a chance to get to during their normal business hours.

Maybe shopping isn’t your thing.  Maybe you wanted to check out some fireworks.  While it may not be the 4th of July just yet that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a great show.  The fireworks start at 6:20 in the East Village.  If you’re looking for the best spot to watch them then look no further than the Brenton Plaza or the Center Street Pedestrian Bridge. Speaking of the Brenton Plaza, Friday the 18th marks the opening day for the outdoor skating arena with the grand opening ceremony kicking off at 5am!

With festive music and events all across the East Village there’s sure to be something for every family member.  More information can be found on the East Village website here.

Jolly Holiday Lights – Tour de Lights

Every year just outside of downtown in Waterworks Park, Des Moines plays host to the largest holiday lighting display in the state, featuring more than 3 1/2 miles of lights and supporting a great tradition of helping others out during the holiday season.  Put on every year by the Iowa chapter of the Make-A-Wish chapter all proceeds go towards helping children’s wishes come true.  The event runs November 22nd – January 1st and admission is $5/car, $20/limo, or $45/bus.  However if you want to get a sneak peak the Tour de Lights occurs this weekend on Sunday November 20th.  This is a special one night event that allows you to walk, run, or bike through the winter wonderland.  Entry is $5 per person and children under 3 get in free.  Full details can be found here.

If your looking for a way to kick-start your holiday spirit, get a jump on your holiday shopping, or just enjoy a nice family friendly weekend then you have no further to look.

It can be a daunting task moving from one city to another.  Finding a new job, and a new place to live in a new neighborhood.  Moving from the well known to the unknown can be a scary thing.  One of the scariest things can be how the cost of a new city can effect your bank account.  We’ve found this handy tool on the CNN website that helps you calculate the cost of living between cities.  You can find the cost of living calculator here.  Or if your interested in a second opinion Sperling’s has a similar calculator here.  After running a few tests we found Des Moines ranked lower on pretty much every category when compared to other cities in Iowa!  Feel free to give it a try yourself though.

With the last of the Farmer’s Markets done with for the season you might be feeling a bit dismayed without your weekly supply of locally grown vegetables, fruits, and meat. Well, one of the advantages to living in a bigger city such as Des Moines is the availability of products and services that you would be unable to find elsewhere. One area where Des Moines shines in this department is in the health food and organic  market. Whether you’re looking for healthy, organic, vegan, or even just locally grown foods, you can find what you need here in Des Moines.

Although the Fall Farmer’s Markets may be done with for the year, there are still a few dates you can mark onyour calendar.  That’s because the third weekend in November and December mark the return of the Winter Farmer’s market.  For those of you that don’t want to break out your calendar that’s going to be November 18th & 19th, as well as December 16th & 17th.  The weekends before Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The Winter Market does a fabulous job of creating an ambiance that portrays the harvest, winter, and the holiday season in general while still providing ample locally grown food products.  More information can be found on the Des Moines Winter Market’s website.

If the winter markets are too long to wait, then in the mean time there are plenty of local grocery stores and co-ops that can provide you with your fix of of fresh produce and organic foods.  Trader Joe’s has a cult following across the nation, and after stopping in there, you’ll find out it’s for a good reason.  If you’re looking for someplace a little closer to downtown then you might be interested in checking out the Gateway Market which is located on Martin Luther King Parkway on the west side of downtown. Or check out Campbell’s Nutrition which has two locations, one in Urbandale and one in Des Moines near Drake University.  They sell local produce, organic groceries, gluten-free products, vitamins and supplements at each location. If you want to continue supporting local farmers you can actually order food from them at the Iowa Food Coop.  Just put in your food order online and then once a month stop into either their retail location in Merle Hay Mall, or their other pick-up locations in Ankeny and West Des Moines.

And if that’s not enough for you, Whole Foods announced they are coming to Des Moines.  They will be moving into the Water Tower Place in West Des Moines, with plans to open  in the spring of 2012.