by Jeremy Henderson, Jan 10, 2014 | 7:51 pm

Gone are the days when going to casino resorts with the family meant endless days spent at buffets and boring nights spent cooped up in cold hotel rooms with cranky kids and a dissatisfied spouse. These days, besides playing hosts to venerable World Series of Poker players, casinos are pretty family-centric now and gambling enthusiasts can easily planned an enjoyable vacation at their favorite gaming spots. And guess what, the wife and kids would actually be excited to go!

Check out these exciting activities you and your family to consider next year:

Winter in Venice – Las Vegas
If you’re bored of the same old Christmas spent at your mother-in-law’s place, you could have revisited Las Vegas and saw how it transformed into a totally different realm. The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas hosted a celebration called Winter in Venice from November through January 5, 2014.

Accommodation and packages
Because it’s peak season, you won’t be at fault for balking at rates that are seemingly higher than normal, but if you stayed at least one night at The Venetian or The Palazzo, you and your family members could have received a Passaporto di Winter in Venice, which gave you access to discounted offers worth over $1,000. This passport of sorts allowed you to wine and dine, be pampered at spas, enjoy exciting retail therapy sessions and be entertained like never before – all within your ideal budget.

A truly Winter Christmas on the outdoor skating rink

If you’ve always wanted to know what’s it like to ice-skate, wonder no more. You could have taken a leisurely stroll to the outdoor skating rink located outside The Venice and be greeted with a most enchanting sight. Giant snowflakes and fairy lights embellished the area, dominated by a 65-feet awe-inspiring Christmas tree. What was even more impressive is that the skating rink was not made out of ice, but was created out of a specially-crafted, environmentally friendly materially called dubbed “ven-ICE”. Unlike ice, this material did not require electricity or refrigeration, and could be likened to a type of recyclable polymer that worked just as great as actual ice!

After doing several figure eights and enjoying the joyful atmosphere at the skating rink, you and your loved ones can stroll around the 65-feet Christmas tree that was decked out with the most colorful and bright LED lights. Entertainers and carollers were just a few steps away, so you could have enjoyed the music and fun that permeated the air.

A Winter in Venice Green Fantasy

Nature lovers could have revelled in the “A Winter in Venice Fantasy” showcase situated at the Waterfall Gardens, specially brought to you by the highly talented horticulture team at The Palazzo. Here, guests and visitors alike were enchanted by 20-foot frosted trees, majestic waterfalls, fresh flowering plants, hand-crafted ornaments and white-and-pearl peacock structures that culminated in a truly stunning winter wonderland.

Holiday enchantment parade and “Light of Venice” 3D light projection show
Think Mardi Gras parades are amazing? Then it was a shame that you did not manage to check out the holiday parade (led by the majestic Queen Aldabella) held nightly at the resort and marvel at the colorful characters and beautiful costumes they donned just for the celebration. After that, you could have stayed on and witnessed the “Light in Venice” 3S light projection show where the climax featured the complete and elaborated illumination of the resort plaza and its 65-foot Christmas tree.

Winter at Cotai Strip, Macau

Presented by Sands China, the “Winter at Cotai Strip” event officially started at the Cotai Strip Resorts Macau. If you want a change from the usual winter holiday scene, then you could have headed towards what was touted as Asia’s largest winter festival.

The entire outdoors spanning the resort’s property had been transformed into a wondrous winter wonderland complete with towering Christmas tree, sparkling ornaments and an ice-skating rink. There were also winter markets full of vendors who peddled their delightful Christmas-themed wares that made great last-minute presents and stocking-stuffers for loved ones.

The Dreamworks Experience

Kids were not forgotten during this event. Your young ones would have been delighted with a visit to the Dreamworks Experience at Cotai Strip Resorts Macau where you could have met, greeted and taken photos with your favorite Dreamworks characters from “Shrek”, “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda” at the Paradise Gardens. There were also daily Dreamworks All Star Parade that entertained your entire family as you revelled in performances by puppeteers, dancers and stilt-walkers.

Author bio:  Jeremy Henderson is an avid gamer, who also loves writing. He has for years played in poker tournaments around the world and made a living off it. He has also ghost written a number of articles that have been featured in reputed journals.