Things To Do in Westchester this Weekend: Sinterklaas Festival, Laurie Berkner, Holiday Train Show

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Head to Rhinebeck for Sinterklaas Festival Day on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Sinterklaas Festival

With Thanksgiving so late this year, the holiday fun that would otherwise have been spread across two weekends is now jam-packed in the weekend ahead! There are Santa sightings, breakfasts with Santa, craft fairs, tree and menorah lightings, and a host of other seasonal attractions throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley. How to optimize each weekend this month requires some strategy.

Many of the recurring holiday events we've previously listed are now supplemented with a fresh batch of festive fanfare, including the large-scale Sinterklaas Festival Day, Holiday on Huguenot Street (which takes place Friday, as well), and a Dutch celebration of St. Nicholas Day—all of which are FREE. Several holiday performances are scheduled, including Laurie Berkner's holiday concert and an interpretation of The Nutcracker performed by marionettes. 

If you were hoping to catch the stage production of Peter Pan, both performances are sold-out.

Read on for all our top picks—then be sure to consult our Event Calendar for the full panoply of options (and there are many!), including alternatives to holiday-themed activities. Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Fun Guide to plan the remaining days of the season and our December GoList for our top picks for the month. 

Be sure to sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on all kinds of fun!

Things To Do 0n Long Island this Weekend: Dickens Festival, Laurie Berkner, Tree Lightings

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Thrill to the Girl Scouts Of Suffolk County's Holiday Light Show. Photo courtesy of Mass Mutual of Greater Long Island

Experience the Chandlery of the 1800s as the Village of Port Jefferson magically transforms into the Dickensian era. Children can learn what it was like to live the privileged life during the 1930s in a Gold Coast mansion – and have fun doing it at the Vanderbilt Museum. 

View more than 60 trees decorated by different organizations as they light up Stony Brook Village. Best-selling artist Laurie Berkner will perform holiday hits at The Paramount. The unique Holiday Boat Parade showcases festively decorated vessels along Freeport's Nautical Mile.

Santa comes to Greenport; arriving at noon aboard a LIRR Greenport Scoot at the Railroad Museum of Long Island, as part of the village's month-long Holiday Festival.

See our Holiday Family Fun Guide for the best in seasonal entertainment, including our Christmas tree cutting guide, breakfast with Santa events, Hanukkah fun roundup, ice skating rinks and plenty of FREE events and activities. As always, our Event Calendar and December GoList are loaded with fun, daily happenings for Long Island kids.

CAMP SoNo Opens for Indoor Play and Shopping for Connecticut Kids

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CAMP combines shopping and play into one kid-friendly experience.

Just in time for some holiday fun: CAMP, a favorite of our NYC readers, opened its first Connecticut location in the new shopping and entertainment center, The SoNo Collection. At first glance, CAMP may seem like your regular toy shop, but there's a secret world of art and adventure behind the cheery storefront. With free interactive play areas, arts and crafts programs, and even a canteen to satisfy kids' cravings, CAMP is a place where kids can have a blast while you sneak in some shopping.

For more ideas to keep kids busy when the weather is chilly, check out our guide to indoor play areas around Fairfield.

Things To Do in NJ this Weekend: Holiday Lights, PJ Masks, Skate with Santa

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Six Flags Great Adventure lights up this weekend for Holiday in the Park. Photo courtesy of Six Flags!

There's holiday spirit happening throughout New Jersey this weekend, from seasonal shows to Santa visits.

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of holiday prep to take in a kid-friendly show, including Elf: The Musical, Angelina Ballerina, and PJ Masks Live. Santa's popping in this weekend at Kale's Garden Center, Terhune Orchards, and Warinanco Sport Center, and he'll be making appearances in towns like Chester and Warren.

Celebrate Christmas past this weekend at Wassail Day, Dutch Christmas, and Sinterklaas Day, and on horse and buggy in Red Bank and at Maplewood's Dickens Village.

Find even more weekend options in our Holiday Guide, including Where to Take Pictures with Santa in NJ and Spectacular Holiday Light Displays. And look to our December GoList and event calendar for a complete listing of happenings this weekend and beyond.

Mommy Poppins Launches in Orlando and Atlanta for the Holidays

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We at Mommy Poppins get almost as excited about the holidays at this time of year as your kids do—in fact we're so excited that we want you to unwrap our two new Mommy Poppins city sites right now! Welcome to Mommy Poppins Orlando and Atlanta!

Our two new sites join our growing family of cities that includes Washington, DC, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Houston, as well as NYC, Long Island, New Jersey, Westchester, and Connecticut.

December GoList: Best Things to Do With Houston Kids This Month

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It's the time of the year when the Christmas decorations Target put on display in October are finally appropriate. The holidays are here! We have you covered with our guide featuring events and things to do around Houston this month from where to see holiday shows, FREE holiday events for the family, and places to take photos (or eat breakfast) with Santa.

There are tons of fun festivals and holiday extravaganzas in December, like Zoo Lights, Moody Gardens' Festival of Lights, and Magical Winter Lights. Make sure to keep an eye on our calendar for daily events, and if you haven't already, sign up for our FREE weekly newsletters to receive our latest posts and things to do around town. Read on for the best Houston events this month.

December GoList: Best Holiday Events and Activities for LA and OC Kids

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Thanksgiving is behind us, and the daily, backward-counting dose of chocolate known as Advent begins. Suddenly we have barely three weeks left to squeeze every bit of holiday fun out of this city that we possibly can. There are amazing holiday light displays to take in and loads of free holiday extravaganzas. There are Santa photos to snap, trees to light, and Nutcrackers to see. In short, no matter how hard you try to do it all, there is more epic fun stuff going on than anyone could possibly do in a month. If you had to choose, though, below are the dozen December events we suggest you make time for.

Best Things to Do with NYC Kids: December GoList

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Santa isn't the only one making a list and checking it twice. Our carefully curated December GoList is packed with the absolute best things to do with kids in NYC throughout the month. Our top picks include holiday traditions like the quirky Unsilent Night musical procession in Greenwich Village, great holiday theater, and cool family activities.

Many festive picks from our November GoList continue through December too, including holiday lantern shows in all five boroughs, the Dyker Lights holiday displays, Macy's Santaland, and the New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show—plus various Nutcracker performances around the city.

Keep checking our Event Calendar and Holiday Guide for the most up-to-date celebrations, including tree lightings, Santa sightings, and totally FREE holiday events for NYC kids.

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