The651.com

So, the holiday season has officially kicked off and if you have kids you are probably out at a major retailer right now engaged in an epic battle for this year’s hottest toys. Assuming you make it out in one piece, you’ll probably be looking for some family activities that steer clear of the malls.

The first big events of the season in St. Paul happen on Saturday: the opening of the WinterSkate outdoor ice rink at Landmark Center, and the lighting of the big tree at Rice Park.

The WinterSkate rink plays host to a bunch of different events between now and the end of January, but the real draw is free, open family skating from 11 AM-5 PM on Mon-Thurs, 11 AM-10 PM on Fri-Sat and 11 AM - 9 PM on Sun. You can check out all the action at WinterSkate anytime via this handy webcam!

The opening of the skating rink is just one of the draws on Saturday afternoon from 4-5 as the Rice Park Christmas tree is lit up for the first time with 20,000 LED lights, followed by skating, dance and music performances and some fireworks to boot. Should be a pretty fun time and so far the weather looks to cooperate.