Christmas Weekend 2025 in New Jersey: Light Shows, Santa Visits, and More Things to Do

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Palmer Square is centerstage for a Christmas Eve Sing-A-Long. Photo courtesy of Palmer Square

Looking for the best things to do in New Jersey over Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for the holiday weekend.

It's a holly jolly Christmas weekend, and we've found plenty of fun things to do in New Jersey to celebrate! Kick off the festivities on Christmas Eve with music and a visit from Santa at Christmas Eve Sing-A-Long in Palmer Square. Then, step back into prehistoric times this weekend at Jurassic Quest at the NJ Convention and Exposition Center, boasting more than 100 life-sized dinosaurs. 

Plus, the holiday weekend is the perfect time to experience seasonal spectaculars you may have missed, including PNC Bank Arts Center Magic of Lights and Historic Smithville Holiday Light Show, both of which are open Christmas Day.

Read on for all our top picks for the weekend ahead!

Christmas Weekend 2025 in NYC Top Things To Do: Caroling, Kwanzaa, and More

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The eye-popping displays of the Dyker Lights are a holiday must-see in NYC. Photo by Jody Mercier

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend.

You may still have gifts to wrap (or—gulp—shop for) and stockings to hang, but there's festive fun to be had all weekend and beyond. Some of my annual Christmas favorites include singing carols under the Washington Square Arch, catching a holiday show, and checking out the Dyker Lights.

Plus, families can celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, have an intergalactic Space Glide at NYSCI, or catch the Nefesh Mountain Family Concert at the Jewish Museum.

No matter how you celebrate, Happy Holidays from the Mommy Poppins team!

Christmas Weekend 2025 in DC Top Things To Do: Christmas Lights, Holiday Theater, and More

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Wave to waterskiing Santa on Christmas Eve! Photo by Toni Genburg

Looking for the best things to do in DC this Christmas weekend? Here are some awesome events and activities to add to your list for Christmas 2025.

Santa Claus is coming to town, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate all weekend long! Start by seeing Waterskiing Santa at the Alexandria waterfront on Christmas Eve, and keep the spirit alive Friday - Sunday with Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical at Capital One Hall. If you're looking for things to do on Christmas itself, check out our list of what is open on Christmas Day in DC.

The Winter Skate Spectacular kicks off in the National Building Museum this Saturday. If you prefer skating in the fresh air, our list of the best outdoor ice skating rinks near DC has plenty of fun options.

And if you want to get a jump on New Year's celebrations, there's a New Year's Tea at the B&O Railroad Museum on Sunday. Whatever you do, happy holidays from your friends at Mommy Poppins!

Christmas Weekend 2025 in Dallas-Fort Worth Top Things To Do: Cirque Musica, Beauty and the Beast, and More

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Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland returns to Frisco, Photo courtesy of TCG Entertainment

Looking for the best things to do in Dallas-Fort Worth this Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend!

The gifts are unwrapped, the holiday dinner is over, and the kids are starting to get a little antsy; it's time to find things to do for Christmas weekend in the metroplex. If you want to catch one last holiday light display, head to the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano or Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie. If you want to see a show, Beauty and the Beast is playing at Fair Park, or the Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland is in Frisco for just this weekend. Plus, there are Kwanzaa celebrations in Fort Worth at The Dock and the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas! 

Have an amazing Christmas holiday, ya'll! 

Christmas Weekend 2025 in Orlando Top Things To Do: Theme Park Festivals, Holiday Lights, and More

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Winter Wonderland at Wekiva Island is back with a supersized Christmas tree, snow flurries, Christmas lights, Santa, and more! Photo courtesy Wekiva Island

Looking for the best things to do in Orlando this Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list!

Christmas weekend is here— hopefully the tree is decorated, presents are wrapped, and holiday plans are finalized. Assuming you're looking to get out of the house on Christmas weekend, Orlando is brimming with things to do. Celebrate Christmas in Orlando at SeaWorld, Epcot, Universal, or any of the other Central Florida theme parks open during the holiday weekend. Looking for Christmas lights? Check out amazing displays at Daytona International Speedway and Leu Gardens.

We've also rounded up the best Orlando Restaurants Open on Christmas Day as well as What's Open on Christmas Day in Orlando. Whatever your plans this weekend, have a very happy holiday from your friends at Mommy Poppins!

Christmas Weekend 2025 in Los Angeles Top Things To Do: Theme Parks, Holiday Concerts, and More

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Enjoy Holiday in the Park before it's gone! Photo courtesy of Six Flags

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles over the Christmas weekend? Here are some events and activities to add to your list for this holiday weekend.

Merry Christmas weekend, folks! The gift to us all in 2025 has been the abundance of activities to enjoy in Los Angeles, including holiday festivities, light shows, Nutcrackers, and theme park celebrations everywhere you turn.  A few suggestions that'll make spirits bright over the Christmas weekend: many theme parks are open on Christmas Day, like Holidays at Disneyland Resort, so there's still time to catch these holiday favorites before they're gone for the season.

This weekend is also your last chance to ride The Southern California Polar Express Train Ride, or walk through the twinkling lights of Holiday Road Walk-Thru at King Gillette Ranch and Santa Anita's Enchant Los Angeles. However you choose to celebrate, happy holidays from all of us at Mommy Poppins! 

Christmas Weekend 2025 in Westchester and the Hudson Valley: Best Things To Do with Kids

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The drive-thru light experience on the site of the Woodstock Festival runs through this weekend. Photo courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Looking for the best things to do in Westchester and the Hudson Valley this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for Christmas weekend.

Christmas is officially over, but the fun doesn't have to stop! Many local holiday activities continue well after Christmas, including the Polar Express Train Ride in Kingston, Westchester's Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights Drive-Thru Extravaganza, and Legoland New York's Holiday Bricktacular.

Alternatively, if you've had all the Christmas fun you can stand, check out a Planetarium Laser Show at the Hudson River Museum or a Reptile Show with the NJ Snake Man at the Kartrite.

Christmas Weekend 2025 on Long Island: Holiday Lights, Shows, and More Things To Do

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Clark Botanical Garden's Winter Wonderland is open for another week. Photo courtesy of the garden

Looking for the best things to do on Long Island this Christmas weekend? Here are some awesome events and activities for kids to add to your list for Christmas 2025.

From stunning light displays to family-friendly experiences that feel like stepping into a snow globe, there’s something for every holiday mood on Long Island.

Bundle up and wander through LuminoCity Fantasy Winter Fairyland at Eisenhower Park and take in the twinkling sculptures against the winter sky. Or, check out Candlelight Evenings at Old Bethpage Village Restoration for a storybook Christmas stroll featuring lantern lights and carolers.

And, if you need a break from Christmas events, dino-obsessed kids will love the Center for Science Teaching & Learning's Dinosaur Carnival.