Celebrate All Month Long - Part 1

In our house, the children have been looking forward to Christmas since Halloween was over. I think they were truly Thankful on Thursday...because they knew once Turkey Day came and went, they would be that much closer to Christmas!! When I asked my 6-year-old what his favorite things about Christmas are, his responses were; #1 - seeing all the lights and blowups, #2 - decorating our Christmas tree, and #3 - putting out our decorations. Only when prompted from me, did presents come in at #4. I know how much he loves decorations, crafts and Christmas music but it was such a nice feeling to know that presents were not #1 on the list. So, to make it really special this year, I'm trying to be organized and come up with a loose schedule of holiday fun (one thing a day) for the entire month. Often we get caught up in the stress of holiday shopping, cooking, planning, and budgets, sometimes forgetting to enjoy the simple things. So I'm beginning a frugal list of Holiday Entertainment (places to go, people to see, things to do) from the Capital Region to the North Country.

Today I'm featuring some Places to Go. Now is a good time to mark your calendar with the events that look doable for you and your family. It's always fun to get some friends together and make it a group outing. After that, we can begin filling in the rest of the calendar for the month with simple crafts and other Holiday Fun that we can enjoy. Stay tuned for more fun ideas to keep you in the holiday spirit!

Places to Go

Quick Response Restoration ~ Saturday, December 6th and Saturday, December 13th. Live reindeer, photos with Santa and his sleigh, an assortment of favorite winter characters, and free refreshments. Not to mention, the huge light displays! There is a snow day cancellation date of Sunday, December 14th. All dates are from 5:30pm - 9pm. For more info: http://www.quick-response-restoration.com/community.html. Clifton Park, off exit 10 of the Northway. FREE. This is an awesome light display that you can drive by any night from Now through the New Year!

Holiday Lights in the Park ~ November 28 – January 3. 12th Annual Capital Holiday Lights in the Park – This year’s theme: An Olde-Fashioned Holiday. Sun-Thurs 6pm-9pm; Fri & Sat 6pm-10pm. $15 per car, $25 per limousine or passenger van, and $75 per bus. Proceeds benefit Albany PAL. Washington Park, Albany. For more info: 435.0392. We did this last year and the whole family really enjoyed it!

Albany Winter Festival 2008 – December 27th. Free family event includes a myriad of outdoor and indoor activities focusing on a family audience. Fabulous Fireworks will light up the skies! 11:30am-6pm. Downtown Albany. For more info: 434.2032. I did this a couple of years ago with a friend and our kids. We bundled up and it was well worth it - we saw a cirque du soleil type show at the Palace theater, wandering magicians & jugglers, and there were indoor crafts for the children. (FREE)

SEFCU Holiday Tree Lighting and Fireworks Festival ~Arts and crafts, storytelling, holiday marketplace, visit from Santa, Toys for Tots, holiday music, dramatic fireworks display. 1pm-6pm. Free. Empire State Plaza, Albany. December 7th. For more info: 877.659.4ESP; http://www.espirestateplaza.org/. (FREE)

26th Annual Troy Victorian Stroll – December 7th. Live music, dancing, storytelling, theatre, costumed performers. The stroll ends at 5pm with “A Celebration of Lights” at Monument Square. 11am-5pm. Free. For more info: 274.7020; http://www.troyvictorianstroll.com/. (Free)

December 14 Moments in Time Ice Show – Figure skating. Celebrate Glens Falls Centennial. Bring canned good/non-perishable food items to be donated to local charity. Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls. For more info: 747.6571.

This is just a sampling of things to do but you get the idea - there are lots of free (or very inexpensive) events close to home. We usually try to go to events after lunch or we pack a "picnic" to eat in the car. We always bring our own beverages and snacks, too!


For more events, visit http://www.crlmag.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 and click on holiday cheer.
Now, do you have any can't miss light displays or holiday shows to share with us? Please leave a comment!

posted by Heather