December at CMOM is all about Frosty Festivities around the world, from Christmas to Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, and more.

Schedule:

Frosty Festivities Around the World
Travel the world and create artworks inspired by Asia, Europe, and North America- without leaving Manhattan! Musical performances include bands Mimi and the Podd Brothers and Elena Moon Park and Friends.
Sunday – Friday, December 1 – 20 | Museum-wide

Frosty Festivities in Canada
Sunday, December 1 and Tuesday – Sunday, December 3 – 8

Snowflake Salt Painting
Create your own snowflake 3D painting with salt, glue, and watercolor, and look at snowy landscapes across Canada!
Sunday, December 1 and Tuesday – Friday, December 3 – 6 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Yukon Ice Cube Painting
Did you know that the coldest recorded temperature in North America was in the Yukon, in Northern Canada? Celebrate the annual Yukon Rendezvous festival by making your own ice cube painting, inspired by the ice sculptures and art at this winter festival!
Sunday, December 1 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Tuesday – Friday, December 3 – 6 | 2:45pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Performance: Holiday Party with Mimi and the Podd Brothers
Jazz it up with Mimi and the Podd brothers and explore early jazz and on-your-feet standards. This band will take you on a journey from Harlem to New Orleans to Montreal with holiday classics such as Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, and more.
Saturday, December 7 | 11am & 12pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Twinkling Ice Skating Dioramas
Imagine yourself ice skating across the longest rink at Ottawa’s Winterlude Festival. Create a reflective mirror diorama starring you and complete your vision with twinkling lights!
Saturday, December 7 | 2pm – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Sunday, December 8 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Upcycled Ice Palaces
Build your own 3D ice palace sculpture, inspired by the Winter Carnival Festival in Quebec!
Saturday & Sunday, December 7 – 8 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Frosty Festivities in East Asia
Tuesday – Sunday, December 10 – 15

Snowy Glowy Lanterns
Lanterns represent good luck and happiness in Japanese culture. Create your own lantern jar in hues of red, representing the many lantern festivals that happen across Japan.
Tuesday – Friday, December 10 – 13| 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Sapporo Snow Festival Ice Festival
Inspired by the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan — where ice and snow sculptures incorporate color through lighting and projections — combine ice and color mixing to create vibrant 3D paintings.
Tuesday – Friday, December 10 – 13 | 2:45pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Performance: Elena Moon Park and Friends Holiday Celebration
A lively performance with Elena Moon Park features folk and children’s music from East Asia, reimagined to celebrate various musical traditions, languages, and stories.
Saturday, December 14 | 11am & 12pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Taebaeksan Mountain Landscape Painting
The Taebaeksan Snow Festival is a winter celebration that takes place near the Taebaeksan mountain range in South Korea. Create a mixed media artwork using watercolor, oil pastel, and paper in various colors and patterns.
Saturday, December 14 | 2pm – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Sunday, December 15 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Ice Fishing Collage
Many Winter festivals across South Korea include trout ice fishing. Create your own collage fish artwork using reflective and textured papers and add them to CMOM's PlayWorks lake!
Saturday & Sunday, December 14 – 15 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Frosty Festivities in France
Tuesday – Friday, December 17 – 20

Upcycled Carousel Spinners
Montmartre is a large hill and park in Paris, and is home to Christmas markets, incredible views, and a famous carousel. Design your own horse and build an upcycled spinning carousel using straws, paper cups, and other household materials and pretend you’re in the City of Light!
Tuesday – Friday, December 17 – 20 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Mini Parade Flower Floats Sensory Play
Celebrate Nice’s wintry parade by playing with flower floats and exploring the textures and fragrances in CMOM's sensory bin, inspired by the colorful and lively Carnaval de Nice in the South of France.
Tuesday – Friday, December 17 – 20 | 2:45pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Holiday Celebrations
Saturday – Tuesday, December 21 – 31 | Museum-wide

Hanukkah Celebration
Saturday & Sunday, December 21 – 22

Performance: Hanukah Alegre with Sara Aroeste
Get ready to sing and dance for Hanukkah with Sarah Aroeste, award-winning Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) singer/songwriter and children’s book author.
Sunday, December 22 | 11am & 12pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Merenda Plate
Jewish families with roots in Spain or Portugal might host a merenda—a traditional Sephardic Jewish celebration and potluck marking the end of Hanukkah. Create your own merenda plate and learn about all the foods you can enjoy!
Saturday, December 21 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Sunday, December 22 | 2pm – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Dreidel Spin Off
Who can spin the dreidel the longest? Find out in CMOM's family dreidel spin off!
Saturday, December 21 | 10am – 4:30pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Sunday, December 22 | 2pm – 4:30pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Sparkly Sensory Jar
Learn about the significance of oil to the story of Hanukkah and create your own sparkly sensory jar using water, oil, and glitter!
Saturday & Sunday, December 21 – 22 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Christmas Celebration
Tuesday, December 24 & Thursday, December 26

Performance: New York Holiday Singers Christmas Carols
Join the New York Holiday Singers Quartet for jazzy and upbeat versions of Christmas classics!
Thursday, December 26 | 10:30am – 12pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Lobby

Christmas Tree Ornaments
Draw inspiration from Christmas traditions from around the world to create your own ornament! Display your ornament on CMOM's community Christmas tree in the lobby.
Tuesday, December 24 & Thursday, December 26 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Sámi Sleighs & Reindeer
Design your own wooden reindeer and sled as you learn about the Sámi people, who are indigenous to parts of Norway, Finland, and Sweden, in areas where it can snow for up to 200 days per year!
Tuesday, December 24 & Thursday, December 26 | 10:30am – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Painted Christmas Card
Explore the colors and shapes of Christmas. Mix your own shade of green and red paints and stamp on metallic cardstock to create something special for a loved one.
Tuesday, December 24 & Thursday, December 26 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Family Celebration
Friday, December 27

Performance and Workshop: Bomba: Make That Drum Talk!®
Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba and Afro-Caribbean traditional folkloric elements come to life in a movement workshop with Milteri Tucker Concepción and the intergenerational Bombazo Dance Company! Families gather to celebrate life through traditional rhythms, as they sing and dance to live drumming.
Friday, December 27 | 12pm – 12:30pm (performance) & 12:30pm – 1pm (workshop) | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Celebration Frame
Create and decorate your own frame and add a photo to remember this holiday season!
Friday, December 27 | 2pm – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Snowflake Tissue Paper Prints
Cut snowflake designs in vibrant holiday colors and create a print using your designs, water, and thick paper!
Friday, December 27 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Kwanzaa Celebration
Saturday & Sunday, December 28 – 29

Performance: Griots in Concert presents Kwanzaa – A Time to Celebrate
Storyteller Linda H. Humes and friends celebrate Kwanzaa with interactive stories, music, and song, and a special Kwanzaa ceremony.
Saturday, December 28 | 11am & 12pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Performance: Asase Yaa’s Illuminate the Principles
Illuminate the Principles is an interactive concert and dance that explores the Nguzo Saba (seven principles of Kwanzaa). Families learn about different African and African diasporic instruments, dances, folktales, and songs in this interactive and lively show!
Sunday, December 29 | 11am & 12pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art

Adrinka Symbol Screenprinting
Adinkra symbols originated in present-day Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Beyond their beautiful designs, they can also convey ancient traditional wisdom. Learn about the importance of these symbols and make your own print!
Saturday & Sunday, December 28 – 29 | 2pm – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Kwanzaa Felt Play
Learn about the traditions and harvest fruits of Kwanzaa on CMOM's special Kwanzaa felt board!
Saturday & Sunday, December 28 – 29 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

Countdown to New Year’s Celebration!
Monday & Tuesday, December 30 – 31

Workshop with ray ferreira: New Year’s Wearable Artwork
Artist ray ferreira hosts an interactive artmaking workshop informed by her creative practice spanning performance, costume, and video art. Design your own iridescent wearable artwork inspired by your own cultural heritage, create your own mini performance routine, and celebrate the New Year!
Monday, December 30 | 11am – 11:45am & 12pm – 12:45pm | Sign-up | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Celebration Frame
Create and decorate your own sparkly frame and make sure to add in a photo from this New Year’s Eve!
Monday & Tuesday, December 30 – 31 | 2pm – 4:15pm | Drop-in | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace

Snowflake Tissue Paper Prints
Cut snowflake designs in vibrant holiday colors and create a print using your designs, water, and thick paper!
Monday & Tuesday, December 30 – 31 | 11:15am – 12:30pm & 2pm – 3:45pm | Drop-in | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks

New Year’s Eve Countdown and Ball Drop with Dance Vibes by DJ Ino!
Come dance along to festive beats by DJ Ino at a special CMOM New Year’s countdown and ball drop.
Sunday, December 31 | 12pm & 1pm | Drop-in | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art