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Weekday Fun: Merry Christmas, Winter Solstice, Make Music
A busy holiday week is upon us with NYC schools and many preschools and daycares headed for winter break on Thursday, December 24, and then Christmas on Friday. Luckily, we're sharing our annual list of 35 Things to Do Over Holiday Break for families, as well as a separate kid activity list for Christmas Eve.
If you haven't seen Santa, the stunning department store windows, incredible public art and the over-the-top holiday displays—you better hurry! The same goes for getting your Christmas tree; whether you cut it down yourself or have it delivered, time is running out.
Take a hot cocoa crawl with the kids in Brooklyn or Manhattan, see some top-notch holiday theater productions or one the many Nutcrackers around town. You can even head out of town for a one day or weekend winter getaway. Hershey Park looks particularly festive this time of year.
Other highlights for the week of December 21-25 include two winter solstice celebrations, the Make Music Winter parade and the collaborative math/art project with MoMath; a fun chocolate and cocoa lesson; an interactive kids concert with Oran Etkin; and Christmas Caroling on Christmas Eve.
As always, you can find more family activities in our Event Calendar and Holiday Fun Guide.
Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas from the moms and dads at Mommy Poppins!
OUR LATEST VIDEOS
Ring in the winter with Make Music's interactive musical parades, marking the shortest day of the year. Photo by Clara Schuhmacher/courtesy Make Music.
Monday, December 21
Make Music Winter — Citywide
Make some noise at a dozen interactive music-filled parades in honor of the coming winter solstice. Best bets for families include Tom Peyton's "Bell by Bell" in Dumbo and Nick Horner Family's "Flatfoot Flatbush" in Fort Greene. FREE
Tuesday, December 22
Solstice Stars — Flatiron
Help the Museum of Mathematics celebrate the solstice by joining in a collaborative math project. This year, the museum will create an enormous heptagram, or seven-pointed star, with colored lights to illustrate the sun's highest angle during the solstice. Afterward enjoy some seasonal snacks or donate non-perishables to the food drive. Advance registration required. FREE
Wednesday, December 23
Kids Hot Chocolate Happy Hour — Upper West Side
Voila Chocolat, one of our favorite chocolate making experiences, is giving kids a crash course in bean-to-bar chocolate making while they sample the shop's slate of delicious warm winter drinks. Advance registration required.
Thursday, December 24
Christmas Caroling — Gramercy, Greenwich Village
Join carolers under the Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village on Christmas Eve or at the Peter Stuyvesant Statue in Gramercy to usher in the holiday with song. FREE
Enjoy an interactive concert with Oran Etkin at the Jewish Museum on Christmas Day. Photo courtesy of the museum.
Friday, December 25
Oran Etkin Concert — Upper East Side
If you are celebrating the holiday today, Merry Christmas! If not, enjoy an interactive concert with clarinetist Oran Etkin at the Jewish Museum or try one of these dozen Christmas Day activities for kids in NYC.
Find even more FREE and low-cost kid activities in our Event Calendar.
Top image: Mugging it up with Santa! Photograph taken by Big Apple Portraits and courtesy of the author.
