Saturday:

Gingerbread House Decorating Workshop
Children's Museum of the East End
9:30am
Members $25, nonmembers $37 (includes price of admission) 
Children and their families will have the opportunity to decorate their own gingerbread houses by frosting roofs, adding gumdrop walkways, and installing candy cane chimneys.

Decorate a Holiday Tree for the Birds
South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center
10am 
$2 plus museum admission (members: adults are free, children $2; nonmembers: adults $7, children $5) 
631-537-9735, sofo@hamptons.com
Visit this fascinating natural history museum and help make bird-friendly holiday decorations for its outdoor tree using seeds, suet, and dried fruits. Bring a shoebox to take some of your creations home to deck your own trees. Reservations are required.

Community Celebration of the Winter Solstice
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork
 4-9pm 
Suggested donation adults $10, children $2
Children and families are warmly welcome! Bring a generous dinner dish for six people and possibly a drum or an instrument.
 4pm: A Labyrinth Walk (free) led by Linda Mikell
 6pm: Potluck supper by candlelight
 7pm: Winter solstice ritual accompanied by drummer Dave Chorowski
7:30pm: Winter solstice celebration and community dancing continues with the Brazilian Drummers Escola de Samba Boom.
Donations benefit the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork and the local food pantries.

Hanukkah Celebration
Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center
 6pm
$8 per family
Celebrate Hanukkah with latkes and dreidle games and a community menorah lighting. A concert from rock singer Sheldon Low follows at 7pm.

Saturday and Sunday:

Winter Wonderland
Clark Botanic Garden
 11am–4pm
Free
The Clark Botanic Garden's Winter Wonderland exhibit is open daily December 10–19 from dusk to 8pm; this weekend the event will be open at special hours for train displays, crafts, holiday readings, and special activities for children.

Cirque Le Masque's Noel
 Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
Saturday: 12, 8pm;  Sunday: 2, 7pm
$54, students and children $25                                                                                                                                                      

This is the debut of international troupe Cirque Le Masque’s newest extravaganza, Noel, featuring aerialists, contortionists, gymnasts, and jugglers performing a holiday show.

Madeline's Christmas
The Showplace at the Bellmore Movies
Saturday: 11am, Sunday: 1pm
$10 
This is a musical adaptation of the classic children's books from Ludwig Bemelman.

Sunday:

Breakfast with Santa
Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center
First seating:10am–11:30am; second seating: 11:45am–1:15pm
Children 3-12, seniors 62+: $29.95 ($19.95 for Aquarium members); adults: $34.95 ($24.95 for Aquarium members); children 2 and under free
Bring your family to the Aquarium for a hot buffet breakfast and a photo with Santa (bring your camera). Afterwards, there's an educational program and the kids can make a holiday craft.
Add the Santa Sleepover (which includes an overnight stay at the Hyatt Place East End) for an additional $125.

Family Sundays at the Museum
Nassau County Museum of Art
 1pm
Free with museum admission, $10, $8, $4 - members free
Now there's even more reason for families to plan the weekend around a visit to the Nassau County Museum of Art. Each Sunday the museum offers a 1pm docent-led family walk-through of the exhibition, and supervised art activities for the whole family begin at 1:30 pm. Special family guides of the main exhibition are available in the galleries.

Breakfast with Santa
Anthony Matthew Caterers at the Mill Pond Country Club
10:30, 11am
Adults $22.95 pp, children 5-10 $12.95, kids 4 and under free
Santa Claus is coming to town with his little elves. Bring the family for a full-buffet breakfast with Santa, with live music and gifts for the kids. Bring your camera to take pictures with Santa himself.

Princess Christmas Party
Darlings & Divas
 12–2pm
$29.99 per child, siblings $24.99
Dress your princess in her favorite gown for a Christmas celebration with Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella. She'll get a glittering makeup makeover, mini manicure, and her hair done complete with fairy dust and a tiara, followed by a photo with her favorite princess. Afterward, tea sandwiches and mini cupcakes will be served. Reservations are required as space is limited.