Diane Taylor

A Week of Decorative & Sweet Celebrations….

Next door to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Next door to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory is an M&M store featuring reasonably priced chocolate items for Valentine’s Day.
Photo by Diane Taylor

Las Vegas doesn’t need much of an excuse to celebrate. The town thrives because lots of people come to town celebrating a birthday, a wedding or an anniversary. In the process, of course, the celebrants spend money.

And holidays? Always a big deal.

This current time period is a bonanza of special occasions. Today, February 14, is Valentine’s Day. Tomorrow is Presidents Day, and the celebration for Chinese New Year ends tomorrow as well.

For local Las Vegans who visit the Strip, Chinese New Year decorations are a special visual and photographic treat.

Locals who like a bit of chocolate with their gambling look forward to Valentine’s Day because of chocolate give-aways. Last Thursday, for example, Station Casinos offered players a free heart-shaped box of chocolates after earning 300 gambling points. Friday, a similar chocolate-box offer was made at the Coast Casinos for just 100 gambling points.

For those tourists and locals who actually want to purchase chocolates, the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory Gift Shop has extended Valentine’s weekend hours — from 8:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday AND Sunday, Valentine’s Day. (I wonder how impressed a young woman would be to receive her “gift” at 11 p.m. on Valentine’s Day night.)

On Friday night when we visited the Ethel M Chocolate Factory complex at 2 Cactus Garden Dr. in Henderson, a number of the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden lights had once again been lit. The blue and green lights from Christmas were gone, but red and white lights along with a few hearts and “X’s” and “O’s” glowed and are glowing during the Valentine weekend. (Best to see this display at a distance.)

In addition, a small craft and food fair had set up shop on the Ethel M walkways on Friday night. We were told Ethel M’s ‘Decadence in the Desert” art, craft and food event was making a one-time appearance on a Friday. Typically the event happens at Ethel M the third Thursday of every month. Yes, the vendors (and a few food trucks) will be at Ethel M this coming Thursday evening.

Presidents Day? That may be a day to buy furniture and other retail items in Las Vegas, or it may just be the day when a local gambler in a chocolate haze goes to the mailbox, sees no mail and then realizes it’s Presidents Day.

What follows are just a few of last week’s photos.

Monkey
The Wynn Las Vegas clearly wants to welcome its Asian gamblers. This Year of the Monkey display is just inside the Wynn’s main entrance.
Photo by Diane Taylor
The Ethel M Chocolate Factory Gift Shop features this display of heart-shaped boxes of candy. The sale prices run from $29.99 for
The Ethel M Factory gift shop features this display of heart-shaped boxes of candy. The sale prices run from $29.99 for “The Like Box” up to $64.99 for “The Forever Box”. (Pay attention, girls, to the size of the box you receive.)
Photo by Diane Taylor
Big Spenders at Ethel M receive a bonus Teddy Bear plus four sample chocolates. After all that chocolate, one's waistline "bears" watching. Photo by Diane Taylor
Big Spenders at Ethel M receive a bonus Teddy Bear plus four sample chocolates. After all that chocolate, one’s waistline “bears” watching.
Photo by Diane Taylor
Ethdisplay
Just in case the tour buses bring in an Asian delegation, the Ethel M Chocolate Factory Gift Shop features this display along with its Valentine’s Day display.
Photo by Diane Taylor
Family
On Friday night, the Ethel M Chocolate Factory parking lot was full. Many local families came to shop and to see the cactus garden lights.
Photo by Diane Taylor
Free candy
It’s Valentine’s Day candy pick-up day at Green Valley Ranch. Most gamblers had to earn 300 gambling points ($300 through a machine) to qualify for a box of “free” Russell Stover candy.
Photo by Diane Taylorr
Dragon
In the hallway between the Wynn Las Vegas and the Encore is this massive overhead dragon in celebration of Chinese New Year.
Photo by Diane Taylor

Comments

4 responses on “A Week of Decorative & Sweet Celebrations….”

  1. Great pics and commentary! I should have stayed longer….just for the chocolate give-a-ways! I did miss your audio/video commentary but I guess eating the chocolates along the way might have muddled your pronunciation a bit. 🙂

  3. Wish I could run around Las Vegas with you as a shadow – love the videos, pics, stories. We make it there every so often, but would like to retire there, maybe, like you did.

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