Christmas in Cincinnati

A couple of my favorite things about the holiday season.

Visiting Krohn Conservatory

If you’ve spent any amount of time in Cincinnati, I am sure you’ve heard of Krohn Conservatory. It’s a lovely place to visit, especially in the winter time. A warm tropical oasis of exotic plants nestled into the gardens of Eden Park. On this occasion I’ve come to see their annual holiday show, which always involves miniature trains, replica buildings, and copious amounts of poinsettias. There is also an outdoor Nativity scene featuring a live cow, donkey, and a small herd of sheep.

While all of the displays look beautiful in the daytime, the scenery really becomes something magical once the sun goes down and the dazzling lights come to life, twinkling by leaf and flower. Many of the miniature buildings are lit from within, and all of the greenhouses have been interwoven with Christmas lights. This also includes the grounds outside, which surround the conservatory.

The main entrance Poinsettia tree and other views. Photo Credit: Amy Earls

---

Applied Imagination

All of the replica buildings on display were hand crafted by a Kentucky based company called Applied Imagination. Each one is painstakingly constructed using found biodegradable materials. Twigs, leaves, acorn caps, you name it, they can put it to use. Every building has been carefully recreated, down to the tiniest detail, often using the actual architectural blueprints! As you might expect, this is a very time consuming process and countless hours go into each one.

The building collection has grown slowly, but steadily, with one new creation added per year. Notable replicas include (but are not limited to) the Great American building, Music Hall, the Freedom Center, the fountain from Fountain Square, Union Terminal, and many others. They have also recreated Cincinnati’s famous bridges, including the Roebling Bridge and the Brent Spence (I-75) bridge (Not pictured here).

If you are ever in Cincinnati, Ohio around the holidays, I hope you will pay Krohn a visit. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to see all the exhibits, but is well worth your time. To make sure the Conservatory is open (hours may vary) and that the seasonal holiday show is live, I strongly advise calling ahead.

Ever Elusive Snowfall

I’ve been told it used to snow more, but in my time living here (since 2014) we’ve only gotten a proper snow (6+ inches) maybe twice? And when that happens the city is shut down and people start calling it “snowmageddon”. As a person who grew up in New England, and lived through blizzards that dropped 3 feet (or more) of snow in under 48 hrs. (the power was out for 16 days!), 6 inches of snow is really no big deal. I remember when I first moved here, I was astonished to discover that most people don’t even own snow shovels! (Unpossible!)

All of that aside, when it does decide to snow, it really makes my day. I just love watching those little fluffy flakes as they come swirling down out of the sky. Consequently, I always try to photograph or document the snow in some way, even if going outside is a bit too much. Do you wanna build a snowman?

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

– Norman Vincent Peale

Winter icons created by BomSymbols – Flaticon