COS Town Tidings #25-358

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🤣 Today’s Chuckle

🌟Local Feature: 😶 Behind Closed Doors, the Silence Is Deafening...But Fixable

📰 City Holiday Closures: Plan Before You Go 🎄

📰 Food Safety Reminder for Holiday Meals 🥧

📰 A New Holiday Tradition Will Return 🎉

📆 Local Events + Concerts & 🤶 Holiday Fairs/Festivals

🌤 COS Weather - Mostly sunny, dry and possible record high temps (no white Christmas this year 😟)

🌟 Let’s Feature YOUR business!

Make sure you open Tomorrow’s Christmas issue! 🤗 I’m revisiting a personal childhood Christmas tradition…a story whispering through the crackle of a worn‑in record and a heart full of emotion. Maybe it will bring back a memory of your own.

Which spice is the most festive?

👉Christmas thyme 🤣

🥰 Why We Spotlight Local Businesses

Every Wednesday, we shine a light on the local entrepreneurs who make Colorado Springs vibrant and unique. When you support these featured businesses, you're investing in our neighbors' dreams and helping build a stronger community by creating jobs and keeping our city thriving. 🤗

😶 Behind Closed Doors, the Silence Is Deafening...But Fixable

🗝️ Because 'getting by' shouldn't be the standard for your forever

While the Christmas lights twinkle across Colorado Springs, the "most wonderful time of the year" often magnifies the cracks in our closest relationships. For many, holiday stress highlights a painful reality: you can be sitting right next to your partner and still feel completely alone.

Take Sarah and Mark. To their neighbors, they're the picture of a stable, 25-year marriage. But behind closed doors, their conversations have become logistical hand-offs. The emotional intimacy has been replaced by a polite, heavy silence, leaving both wondering where the spark went.

But what if this holiday could mark a turning point?

Enter Mindy Reichert, founder of Relationships Unlocked. As a Certified Master Relationship Coach, Mindy understands that long-term love doesn't falter from lack of effort, but from lack of the right tools. Having navigated her own 28-year marriage through empty nests and life transitions, she knows firsthand that quality relationships directly impact our mental health and longevity.

Mindy guides both women and men through her signature 5 C's framework: Connection with self, Communication, Comprehension, Compromise, and Connection with partner. This isn't about talking more; it's about communicating better. She helps couples move beyond co-existing roommates to rediscover why they chose each other in the first place. In her safe, judgment-free programs, she emphasizes that the greatest holiday gift couples can exchange is the clarity of truly hearing and seeing each other again.

Ready to make 2026 the year your relationship thrives? 

Mention Town Tidings when booking a coaching program to receive a complimentary one-hour follow-up session, typically a paid service, to keep your renewed connection strong long after the decorations come down.

Connect with Mindy by visiting RelationshipsUnlocked.com, email: [email protected] or call (719) 205-5935. Also on Facebook

👀 Click to watch the full interview and get valuable relationship insights directly from Mindy!

🎄 City Holiday Closures: Plan Before You Go

Colorado Springs will observe Christmas Eve (Dec 24), Christmas Day (Dec 25), and New Year’s Day (Jan 1) with widespread closures of city administrative offices, including City Hall, Municipal Court, the Pioneers Museum, transit administration, and several parks and cultural offices.

While many services pause, select attractions will remain partially open with adjusted hours, including Pikes Peak (weather permitting), municipal golf courses, and seasonal activities like Skate in the Park. Ice skating facilities, community centers, and recreation programs will follow special holiday schedules or extended closures. 

If you’re planning errands, outings, or family activities, a quick check of what’s open (and when) can help you plan ahead and avoid surprises. 

Reminder: Downtown free parking on Dec 24, 25, and Jan 1 in garages, surface lots, and on-street meters

🎅 Track Santa here…he’s on his way!

🎁 Still time for last minute gifts/stocking stuffers!

Poor Richard’s Downtown: Books & Gifts and Little Richard's Toy Store will be open today (Christmas Eve) from 9am-5pm. The restaurant and café will be open 9am-4pm. All businesses will be closed on Christmas Day.

🥧 Food Safety Reminder for Holiday Meals

As holiday gatherings fill kitchens with family favorites, El Paso County Public Health is encouraging residents to slow down and think about food safety.

• Foods shouldn’t be left out for more than four hours, especially dairy, or cream-based dishes that need strict temperature control.

• Preparing ready-to-eat foods before handling raw meats, washing hands often, and avoiding cross-contamination can go a long way in preventing illness.

• Another easy-to-miss step: letting hot foods cool slightly before refrigerating so other items in the fridge stay safe.

A good rule of thumb this season, if something seems questionable, it’s better to toss it than risk getting sick. Full Story

🎄 60 Second Holiday Tip from Kristen

🎟 Colorado Springs Just Got More Rewarding

Colorado Springs Town Tidings VIP PASS, a FREE digital wallet pass you can easily add to your Apple or Google Wallet. (Click image below to find out WHY I created this for you!) 

Be the FIRST to unlock EXCLUSIVE offers, special savings, and the latest announcements from businesses and events in our area—all delivered straight to your phone.

🙋‍♀️ Yes, I want my VIP Pass

🎉 A New Holiday Tradition Will Return

It’s official, Old Colorado City’s Christkindlmarket was a hit, and it’s coming back next year! Crowds filled Bancroft Park through the final day, with shoppers browsing handmade gifts, festive treats, and soaking in the European-style holiday charm. Organizers expanded the footprint and added food trucks to keep up with the turnout, making this first-year event a joyful success for both visitors and local vendors.

🎯 The Secret to Financial Confidence You Deserve

🍞 Fresh Baked Sourdough breads, pastries 
📍3312 Austin Bluffs (Inside The Cupcake Doctor): 
M-Sat, 9am-6pm (Closed today & Christmas Day)

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🎉 Events Calendar! (More events including FREE, click here)

Have an event to share? Click on calendar above and add it

📆 Sample Local Events

*Weather permitted

• Dec 26-28, 1-4 PM: 3-Hour Original Colorado Springs Food Tour @1 Tejon St $69-$87

• Dec 26-28: SPECIAL Ultraviolet Underground Cave Tour @ Cave of the Winds, Manitou $30

• Dec 26-28: Mary Poppins @ Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale St $18-$70

• Dec 29, 9am-5pm: Dog Days at the Zoo @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo

• Dec 31, 11am, 2 & 4pm: Big Bubbles New Years Eve @The MAT, 1626 S Tejon $33 (Limited Seats Available)

• Jan 4, 6pm: Swing 'n Jam Gatsby Gala @ 2103 N Weber $8-$10

• Jan 6, 2-3pm: Listening To The Quiet Voice Within: A Talk On Intuition @ Treehouse Cafe $20

  • —> Taught by Laurel: 👁️‍🗨️ The Strength To Endure Comes From This.

• Jan 9, 6pm: Soap Making Class @ Meraki Springs, 2703 W Colorado Ave $65

• Jan 10, 4-8pm: 2nd Annual Hope Blooms Benefit @ Phantom Canyon Brewing, 2 E Pikes Peak Ave $80+ (40% Off ends 7pm Dec 26 use promo code GIFT)

🎶 Fall Concerts - Weather permitting

• Dec 24, Noon-2pm: Christmas Brass in Manitou Springs Christmas Eve @ Downtown Manitou FREE 2 hour parking

• Dec 30 & 31, 7:30pm: New Year’s Eve: Rhapsody In Blue @ Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, 190 S Cascade $70-$120

• Dec 31, 8:30pm: New Year's Eve Bash featuring Disco Revue @ Phil Long Music Hall, 13071 Bass Pro Dr $62 - $168 (21+ yrs old) (Limited Tickets available)

• Jan 10-11: The Human Equation @ Ent Center for the Arts $18-$41

• Feb 6, 7pm: Three Dog Night @ Pikes Peak Center $63-$260

• Feb 22, 3pm: Pikes Peak Philharmonic: Pops @ENT Center for the Arts, 5225 N Nevada $14-$20

🤶 Holiday Festivals, Fairs & Activities

• ⛸ Through - Jan 18 (Closed Dec 25): Skate In The Park @Acacia Park $15

• 🕯 Through Jan 4, Fri & Sat (5:30-10pm) & Sun - Thurs (5:30-9pm): Magic of Lights at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) $28-$72/vehicle

• 🎄 Through Dec 27: Christmas at Forest Bend @ Black Forest, 9525 Burgess Rd $15 (Tickets Sell Out Fast)

• Dec 25-Jan 1, 5-8:30pm: Electric Safari @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo $21-$24

• Christmas Lights Guide - COS, Manitou & Woodland Park

• Jan 3 (Delayed Start)-Feb 21: Ice Castles @ Cripple Creek $16-$29 (tickets on sale now)

   

• Dec 24: Christmas Eve @ Mountain Springs Church, 7345 Adventure Way

• Dec 24, 5pm: Candlelight Christmas Eve Service @ The Table at Highland Park, 2550 E San Miguel St COS FREE to attend

• Dec 24, 6pm: Christmas Eve Service & Candle Lighting @ Renovation Church, 13071 Bass Pro Dr FREE to attend

• Dec 24, 7pm: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service @ Community Congregational Church of Manitou Springs, 103 Pawnee Ave, Manitou Springs FREE to attend

• Dec 25, 1pm: Christmas Feast @ Wackadoo Brewing, 5158 Centennial Blvd FREE

• Dec 26-27, 5:30-8pm: 🎄 2.5-Hour Holiday Lights & Bites Progressive Dinner @ Downtown COS $99 (waitlist only)

• Dec 26, 6:30pm: Pajama Paw-ty @ Pub Dog, 2207 Bott Ave

• Dec 27, 6-9pm: Murder Mystery, The Hollywood Hit - Holiday Show @Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Dr $79.95

• Dec 31, 8:30pm: Broadmoor's New Year's Eve Bash $80 + $25 parking

• Dec 31, 9pm-midnight: New Year’s Eve Party @ Mining Exchange, 8 S Nevada Ave $99 (21+)

🌡 Pendleton Heating & Cooling
Brandy’s Warning

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