Not all Christmas memories have to involve chestnuts over your fireplace or unwrapping gifts under your freshly chopped tree aglow with lights. Trade in your holiday norms and try something new and exciting this season. The best part? You won’t have to go far to find a new experience fit to bolster your holiday spirits. Just a short drive down the freeway in Roseville is the Skatetown Ice Arena, which for the first time ever has introduced an outdoor skating rink for the holiday season.

 In just a couple of months, the employees of Skatetown transformed what was once a plain, fenced-in area of dead plants and grass into an icy surface surrounded by décor fit for the most avid Christmas celebrators. Open during every open skate for the rest of the season, the new outdoor rink is sure to be a hit for all seeking a new adventure. If you’re new to skating, the skate rentals are cheap (only $3.50) , and the smaller size of the rink (which is about a fourth the size of the two larger rinks inside) allows you to easily make your way around the sides and exit when needed. Plenty of employees are willing and able to assist you, outdoors and in. For the more advanced skaters, the change of atmosphere from the dull inside to the decorated outside is worth experiencing. If you decide that the outdoor skating isn’t your thing, the passes will still work for the rinks in the building at no cost to you.

 Also inside, you can find more seating areas and the Café. While the food can get a little expensive (with smaller than average hot dogs going for $3 a pop), the Café provides plenty of options that will take the edge off your hunger. While you’re here, there are three large TV screens that will play the biggest games of the day in hockey or football while you warm up. The area has the feel of a family-friendly sports bar.

 Not only is this experience sure to be enjoyable, but it is also reasonably priced. For a normal session, which lasts an hour and half, skaters who need to rent skates pay $12.50 for admission to the indoor and outdoor rink. Rentable hockey skates and figure skates come in all sizes, and are leaps and bounds more comfortable to wear than rentable skates in other skating venues in the area. If you already own your own pair, admission drops to an even more affordable $9.

 If you’re looking for something new and fun to do for the 2013 holiday season, this would definitely be something you should come and try at least once. The amount of enjoyment you’ll get out of ice skating at the new outdoor rink at such an affordable price makes the short drive to Roseville more than worth it. Experience the newest way to make this season unique for you and your friends at Skatetown’s newest addition.

by CARSEN VAN DER LINDEN