By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
This is the last weekend for Christmas shopping. Fortunately, holiday events in the area will not stop on December 25. Many will be open for the next week and some even into 2025.“Chester County Hospital Lights Up Holiday Weekends in West Chester” (greaterwestchester.com/events/featured-events/holiday-weekends-west-chester) will run through January 1.
On December 21, it will be time for “Santa on The Fire Truck.” Santa will be escorted through the streets of downtown West Chester by the First West Chester Fire Company.
Transformed into a winter wonderland, the streets of historic West Chester are bathed in the glow of thousands of holiday lights every evening in December. Each weekend features holiday festivities, shopping and dining.
On Saturdays from 2-3 p.m., the “Making Spirits Bright Holiday Music Series” will feature local choirs and performances singing favorite holidays songs every Saturday on the steps of the historic courthouse on High Street. The schedule features St. Agnes Choirs on December 21.
Dressed in Victorian attire, The West Chester Borough Balladeer Carolers will roam around downtown West Chester and perform throughout the holiday season.
Performance dates are December 20 and 21.
West Chester Griswolds
The fabulous holiday light display “West Chester Griswolds” (304 Dutton Mill Rd, West Chester, www.westchestergriswolds.com) opened on Thanksgiving night and will run through January 2.
The 2024 display has over 140,000 lights and 800 smart pixels. Of which 99% are LED. The display is completely computer controlled.
The singing light bulbs will sing all throughout the night.
Spending a day enjoying an annual Christmas event in the Brandywine Valley has become a family tradition for many. Visits to sites such as Brandywine Museum, Longwood Gardens and Hagley Museum are highlights of the family holiday calendar.
The Brandywine Museum of Art Route 1, Chadds Ford 610-388-2700, www.brandywinemuseum.org) is celebrating the 52nd anniversary of the Brandywine Railroad holiday train display now through January 8.
The Brandywine Museum of Art
A holiday favorite since 1972, the Brandywine Railroad features trains running on 2,000 feet of track and contains more than 1,000 pieces, including locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys that pass through a small village, a farm, factories, a drive-in movie theater and even a carnival.
A dazzling array of both toy and scale model trains can be seen chugging through the varied scenery, including those made by Lionel, Williams, Atlas, Mike’s Train House, K-line and others. Interactive components are also incorporated into the display to allow for further engagement.
The Brandywine Railroad holiday train display is included in the cost of general admission.
Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) has shifted into holiday mode with the arrival of “A Longwood Gardens Christmas.”
The festive holiday display at Longwood Gardens, which is running now through January 12, features more than 500,000 spectacular lights, lavish decorations, holiday music and colorful displays featuring thousands of brilliant poinsettias, brightly decorated trees and fragrant flowers — all inside the heated Conservatory.
A new attraction this year is the “Taste of Christmas” at The Fountain Room in the Gardens. The Fountain Room recently opened as part of “Longwood Reimagined.” In addition to tasty food, it also offers a premier view of the Main Fountain Garden.
The restaurant has 240 seats and features new dining options, new seasonal menus, and a private dining room, plus a bar and lounge.
There will be stations featuring gourmet entrees, a wide array of sweet treats, non-alcoholic beverages and hot chocolate. Special tickets are required.
Tickets for “Taste of Christmas” at The Fountain Room, which include gardens admission, are $178.74 for adults (ages 21+), $117.34 (ages 13-20); and $74.94 (ages 5-12); members $136.74 (21+), $94.34 (ages 13-20), $51.94 (ages 5-12). Kids aged 4 or younger are free.
The highlight of “Longwood Reimagined” is the new West Conservatory. The 32,000-square-foot glasshouse was designed by Weiss/Manfredi while the gardens and water features were put together by Reed Hilderbrand.
The colorful annual event, which appeals to the entire family, also has a lot of outdoor attractions such as fountain shows and nighttime light displays.
Longwood’s Christmas celebration also includes a wide array of seasonal music — holiday concerts, organ sing-alongs and carillon performances.
When darkness arrives at Longwood, a night-blooming garden of more than a half-million lights strung on close to 100 trees with approximately 40 miles of wire comes to life. A carillon with 62 cast bells plays holiday music every half hour during daylight hours. Longwood’s Open Air Theatre fountains dance to holiday music each half hour — temperature permitting.
As always, admission by “Timed Ticket” — tickets issued for specific dates and times. Timed ticketing limits the number of people in the Gardens at any given time and allows guests to enjoy minimal lines and a better viewing experience.
Visitors to “A Longwood Gardens Christmas” can also check out Longwood’s Garden Railway — a whimsical display set into motion with G-scale model trains. This is the 18th year that the railway has delighted visitors with special water features and custom trains traveling in and out of bridges and tunnels.
Tickets are $42 for adults and $23 for youth.
The annual staging of “Holidays at Hagley” is an event that is always one of the most eagerly anticipated holiday attractions in this area every year.
The popular Brandywine Valley exhibit, which is included with regular admission, is running now through January 1 at Hagley Museum and Library (Route 141, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org).
“Holidays at Hagley” returns with the theme, “White Christmas Treasures and Traditions,” and will feature Holiday Home and Garden Tours, the sixth-annual Gingerbread House Contest, Santa Day, Holiday Nights Tours, and more.
This year’s edition of “Holidays at Hagley” features tours of Eleutherian Mills, which is the first du Pont family home built in America. The tours, which will be presented each day from 10a.m.-4:30 p.m., feature decorations in a combination of styles from both the 19th and 20th centuries.
During the Victorian years when candle-lit tabletop Christmas trees were the norm, hand-made gifts were attached to tree branches, and winter scenes were displayed underneath the tree. The upstairs Victorian Library shows how magical that looked with its mid- to late-nineteenth-century toys, games and dolls. The upstairs Parlor features a case filled with small ceramic animals well-loved by some of the du Pont family children.
Early du Pont family French holiday traditions are remembered with a display of gifts that were given to E. I. du Pont’s children on New Year’s Day as well as the Twelfth Night party illustrated by the ornate French dessert service in the Dining Room.
Well-loved displays returning include the elaborate Twelfth Night celebration in the dining room and the Victorian library’s Christmas for children with its table-top tree surrounded by toys and games. Of course, there will be warm glowing lights and poinsettias.
Admission is $20 for adults, $16 for seniors and students and $10 for children (ages 6-14).
One of the best holiday events in the area is the annual “Yuletide at Winterthur.” This year’s 41st annual staging of the event, which runs through January 7 at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, www.winterthur.org).
Visitors can revel in the beauty and warmth of the holidays and explore treasures of Christmases past with displays of holiday traditions from the 1800s to the early 20th century, including displays of: the earliest types of colorful lights decorating house exteriors; the du Pont family holiday celebrations; and the evolution of Christmas trees over the decades from the 1880s to 1960s.
A new feature is a Christmas tree covered in lime green, electric orange, and shocking pink silk-screens — images depicting items found in the room.
“Pop! Goes the Collection” by Mack Truax and Bob Trent is one of seven holiday trees inspired by the current exhibit, “Transformations: Contemporary Artists at Winterthur,” highlighting the museum’s Maker-Creator Fellows.
The current exhibit features the work of more than 30 nationally recognized contemporary artists inspired by Winterthur’s collections, grounds, and history.
One of visitors’ favorites every year is the 18-room dollhouse mansion created by designer and philanthropist Nancy McDaniel over a period of 30 years. It features amazing intricate details in each room and is even decorated for the holidays.
As always, the rooms will be enhanced with the floral displays so essential to du Pont’s decorating, and with special Christmas trees inspired by the beauty of Winterthur’s gardens — including the popular Dried Flower Tree in the Conservatory.
Returning this year is a toy train display, featuring Standard Gauge toy trains. The display is presented by the Standard Gauge Module Association, whose members will construct the display at Winterthur. The display is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in December.
Timed Yuletide Tour reservations are required.
Admission to Winterthur is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and students and $8 for children.
Nemours Estate (850 Alapocas Drive, Wilmington, Delaware, www.nemoursestate.org), which is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., has reopened for “Noël at Nemours.” It will run through December 29.
Ever since 1910, when Mr. and Mrs. duPont began living in their newly built mansion, the holiday season has been a festive time at Nemours. The Christmas decorations at the Nemours Mansion are often inspired by the architecture of the home, the customs of the duPonts or the French influence.
The Mansion is also decorated by some of the duPonts’ original decorations, including a German crèche, which dates from the late 19th century. The figures are soft ceramic, unglazed and hand colored.
Visitors can enjoy Christmas trees, wreaths, and hundreds of feet of garland on grand display in the Visitor Center, Chauffer’s Garage, Mansion and grounds.
All three floors of the Mansion will be decorated as well as the Chauffeur’s Garage and select areas of the gardens. Decorations will coincide with the story of the Estate along with a festive Versailles-inspired motif.
Live music performances will be held in the Mansion throughout the season.
Nemours Estate features an exquisite, 77-room Mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns.
Nemours was the estate of Alfred I. duPont.
Alfred named the estate Nemours, after the French town that his great-great-grandfather represented in the French Estates General. While looking to the past and his ancestors for inspiration, Alfred also ensured that his new home was thoroughly modern by incorporating the latest technology and many of his own inventions.
Admission to Nemours is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for children.
The Historic Odessa Foundation (Main Street, Odessa, Delaware, 302-378-4119, http://www.historicodessa.org) is presenting its holiday attraction now through December 29.
Odessa’s 2024 Christmas Holiday Tour invites visitors to experience the transformation of the National Historic Landmark Corbit-Sharp House, celebrating its 250th anniversary, into festive scenes and interpretive vignettes inspired by classic children’s novel “Peter and Wendy” by J.M. Barrie.
This year’s holiday exhibit will transport visitors into the imaginative world of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter and Wendy,” also known as “Peter Pan and Wendy,” published in 1911, and adapted from Barrie’s 1904 play “Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.”
Visitors can walk through the work by exploring iconic scenes created within the rooms of the Corbit-Sharp House by HOF’s Associate Curator Brian Miller.
The tour begins in the Darlings’ parlor and nursery, then into Neverland to meet the Lost Boys, and ends aboard Captain Hook’s pirate ship.
All of Historic Odessa’s museum properties are on full festive display throughout the 2024 holiday season, including the Wilson-Warner House, Delaware’s first house museum, that is the setting for this year’s community Storybook Trees exhibit.
Special school and public tours and events will celebrate J.M. Barrie’s “Peter and Wendy.” In addition, a Colonial Dance with the Dover English Country Dancers will be held, as well as regularly scheduled Candlelight Tours and Festive Food demonstrations.
Historic Odessa is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM), and is open to the public March through December, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday by reservation. General Admission: Adults, $10; Groups, Seniors, Students, $8; and Children under six are free.
One of the most elaborate model train layouts in the Delaware Valley can be found at the Morris Arboretum (100 Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill, 215-247-5777, http://www.morrisarboretum.org). The popular Garden Railway Display that has become a summer fixture at The Gardens at Morris Arboretum returns again for a special holiday display.
The display, which is open to the public now through December 30 in the winter garden of the Morris Arboretum, has a quarter mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with 15 different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under) and bustling model trains.
The buildings and the display are all made of natural materials — bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones — to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with miniature rivers. Philadelphia-area landmarks are all meticulously decorated for the holidays with lights that twinkle.
Admission to the Morris Arboretum is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (65 and older) and $10 for students and military.
Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Festive Faves” on select Saturdays and Sundays in December.
Guests will join the CFW Crew for an intimate and educational 60-minute experience in the Barrel Room. The trained staff will guide them through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse and award-winning wines from across our portfolio. The selections will be paired alongside seasonal local cheeses and other accoutrements to enhance your tasting experience.
The staff will also discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at our partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.
The following is the 2024 Pairing Line Up – Greeting Wine – Sparkling White; 2022 Chardonnay with Birchrun Hills Farm’s Little Chardy Cheese; 2023 Presage: Epilogue with Farm at Doe Run’s Seven Sisters Cheese and Small Batch Kitchen’s Peach Ginger Spread; 2021 Cabernet Franc with Birchrun Hills Farm’s Red Cat Cheese; and 2021 Only In Dreams with Éclat’s Porcini and Thyme Parallel Bar.
The holiday season at Herr’s Snack Food Factory (20 Herr Drive, Nottingham, 610-932-9330, www.herrs.com) has arrived. The area around the factory site will be illuminated with thousands of lights and holiday displays.
Herr’s “Holiday Light Display,” which is free and open to the public, will be open nightly now through January 5.
Visitors to the site will be able to drive along a trail that is illuminated with more than 620,000 lights.
The special light exhibit will be open daily from dusk to dawn.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia (500 W Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Https://philadelphia.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/) is presenting “Holiday Bricktacular!” now through January 1.
Participants can create their own LEGO ornament and display it in on the LEGO tree and check out all the holiday scenes in the Winter Wonderland in Miniland Philadelphia.
As an added attraction, LEGO Santa will be visiting from the LEGO North Pole.
Ticket prices start at $26.99.
Two historic sites in Montgomery County have their own holiday celebrations.
Pennypacker Mills (3 Haldeman Road, Perkiomenville, 610- 287-9349, www.historicsites.montcopa.org) is hosting “Victorian Holiday Tours” now through January 5 while “Twelfth Night Tours” at Pottsgrove Manor” (100 West King Street, Pottstown, 610-326-4014, www.historicsites.montcopa.org) will be held now through January 5.
For the next five weeks, Pennypacker Mills will offer free tours of the 18-century mansion used by General George Washington as temporary headquarters during the Revolutionary War. The home will be decorated for an old-fashioned Victorian Christmas and will feature the warm glow of oil lamps, festive decorations, and a candy-making demonstration.
The event at Pottsgrove Manor features an event based on history.
Visitors can witness the transformation of Pottsgrove Manor for the yuletide season and the traditions of an 18th-century Twelfth Night party. Twelfth Night marked the end of the Christmastide season, celebrated on Epiphany.
Guided tours of the manor explore all aspects of the festivities, from the intense preparations to the differences between the way elite families like the Potts and their household staff experienced the season.
One of Philly’s premier annual events, Macy’s Christmas Light Show (1300 Market Street, Philadelphia, www.macys.com) is running now through December 31
Set in The Grand Court, the show features a 100,000-light show of twinkling snowflakes, dancing snowmen and more, narrated by Julie Andrews and accompanied by the famed Wanamaker Organ.
Images of snowmen, reindeer, snowflakes and more dance across the atrium inside of the historic Wanamaker building (now Macy’s Center City) during the ever-popular Macy’s Christmas Light Show. The show, which has been on view since 1956, runs every two hours during store hours.
Visitors can also tour the second floor’s vintage Dickens Village, where more than 100 intricate animated dolls and sets retell “A Christmas Carol.” Each free walkthrough ends in a chance to meet and take photos with Santa.
The 2024 Winter in Franklin Square holiday festival (200 North Sixth Street, Philadelphia, http://www.historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/holidays-in-franklin-square/) opens its season this weekend and it will run until February 25.
It will be open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
The Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show will be open from 4-8 p.m. daily and 4-9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Visitors are invited to experience the magic of the holidays and celebrate traditions new and old at the Franklin Square Holiday Festival.
Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s electrifying genius, the free Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show presented by PECO is the key to holiday fun in Franklin Square.
Attendees can marvel at more than 50,000 lights as they shimmer, dance, and illuminate the Square to a soundtrack of holiday classics, some of which are performed by The Philly POPS in two alternating shows every 30 minutes. Every evening, one lucky audience member will be selected to “ignite’ the 4:30 p.m. show.
A popular annual Philly holiday tradition can be found at the Rothman Orthopaedics Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park (1 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, http://ccdparks.org/dilworth-park),
Beginning this November, some of Philadelphia’s favorite winter traditions return to Dilworth Park. Visitors of all ages can enjoy a dramatic seasonal transformation as fountains are replaced by the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Ice Rink and reindeer topiaries take up winter residence on the Greenfield Lawn.
In addition, a full lineup of free entertainment is planned, including the Deck the Hall Light Show, the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Cabin.
Dilworth Park’s winter season began on November 3 with the opening of the Wintergarden on the Greenfield Lawn presented by TD Bank. On November 4, the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink and Cabin made its annual return.
The Rothman Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park is an unparalleled entertainment experience on Philadelphia’s center stage in a wonderfully urban and unique setting. Open seven days a week, the rink offers wintery fun for all ages, with a full slate of programs.
The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market runs through January 1 with more than 40 local vendors.
Peddler’s Village (Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska, 215-794-4000, www.peddlersvillage.com) will have plenty of Christmas activities over the next few weeks.
Visitors to the Village can join special guest Mrs. Claus for festive fun and mini-lightings in a different Village neighborhood each night leading up to the Village-wide Grand Illumination Celebration. Village shops will be open until 9 p.m. with a distinctive assortment of merchandise, special promotions and refreshments.
“Enchanted Evenings” will showcase thousands of tiny white lights outlining the Village’s buildings, colorful lights with less-than-common colors (teal, peach, and fuscia) adorning the trees and shrubs and a landscaped backdrop featuring a group of reindeer glowing in white light. Santa will arrive to turn on the lights and officially mark the beginning of the event. After the lights go on, visitors will be treated to free cider and toasted marshmallows.
“Gingerbread House Competition and Display,” which is slated to run through January 5, the “Gingerbread House Competition” features over $2,000 in cash prizes in such categories as Traditional and Authentic Reproduction of a Significant Building.
Bethlehem, which is known as the “Christmas City,” presents “Christkindlmarkt 2024” (PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 East First Street, Bethlehem, 610-332-1300, http://www.christmascity.org) every Friday, Saturday and Sunday now through December 22.
“Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem” showcases aisles of exquisite handmade works by the nation’s finest artisans. The market also features live performances of Christmas music and vendors with an amazing variety of tasty food items.
Other special attractions include ice carving, glassblowing demonstrations, “Breakfast with St. Nicholas,” outdoor artisan huts, fire pits and igloos in the Outdoor Village, and Käthe Wohlfarht with handmade ornaments, nutcrackers and collectibles from Germany.
A guaranteed way to get into a Christmas mood is by visiting Koziar’s Christmas Village (782 Christmas Village Road, Bernville, 610-488-1110, www.koziarschristmasvillage.com) began its 77th season in November
Koziar’s Christmas Village is truly a holiday wonderland — a wintertime spectacle that delights young and old alike with a huge amount of holiday displays and special attractions. It will remain open every night through January 1 — including Christmas Eve, Christmas Night, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Night.
The tours of “Christmas Village” feature visits to a variety of displays and exhibits, including “Santa’s Post Office,” “Christmas in the Jungle,” “Manger Scene,” “Christmas Beneath the Sea,” “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “Olde Fashioned Bakery Shop,” “Toy Maker and his Toy Shop,” “Christmas in Other Lands” and “The Olde Church”.
Other attractions at Koziar’s Christmas Village include a huge model train display, a toy shop, a country kitchen, indoor and outdoor Christmas displays and a place to visit with Santa and even get pictures taken with the old guy in the red suit. Admission to Christmas Village is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors (65 and older) and $10 for children (ages 4-10).
In addition to Koziar’s Christmas Village, several other Christmas events are drawing crowds.
A popular Bucks County attraction is the “Holiday Light Show” at Shady Brook Farm (931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, www.shadybrookfarm.com)
The farm features a three–million-light Holiday Light Show with “Dashin’ Through the … Lights,” a family-friendly two-mile drive-through on Thursday and Friday nights.
The main display allows visitors to drive or (if weather permits) ride in wagons past post-sundown displays including illuminated tunnels.
The “Holiday Light Show” is open now through January 5.
Timed tickets, which start at $40, are required.
“Christmas Spirit Light Show” is running now through December 31 (except December 25) at Clipper Magazine Stadium (650 North Prince Street, Lancaster, christmasspiritlightshows.com).
“Christmas Spirit Light Show” is an exciting, one-of-a-kind Christmas light display that families can enjoy from the comfort of their vehicles.
As participants make the journey through the mile-long track, they get immersed and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of color-changing lights that are animated and dancing in harmony with favorite Christmas classics.
The drive-through event is billed as a “breathtaking holiday experience that you and your loved ones will never forget.”
Ticket prices start at $25 per car.
“Christmas Around The Farm” converts a summertime destination for home-grown produce into a sparkling winter wonderland. The popular annual event at Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com) is running now through December 32.
Visitors will be able to cut their own Christmas trees, or, if not so inspired, purchase them at the shop — which also features other decorations, including holiday wreaths. Christmasland features freshly cut trees, greens and holly, poinsettias, hand-made wreaths and a large variety of children’s toys and collectables.
Santa and his elves will be stopping by every Saturday and Sunday to visit his friends in Christmasland from 1-3 p.m. And there will be Caroling Hayrides on Saturday evenings in December that include the ancient tradition of Wassailing, singing Christmas Carols around a campfire and roasting marshmallows.
“Holiday Magic” is in full swing at Riverfront Wilmington (Christina Riverwalk, Wilmington, Delaware, riverfrontwilm.com).
Riverfront Wilmington has always been one of the centerpieces of the greater Wilmington area during the holiday season with festive events and activities throughout the area.
The Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware (RDC) has dramatically increased that presence with the introduction of “Riverbright Wilmington,” a full lighting of the Riverwalk and surrounding amenities.
At the end of November, the Christina Riverwalk was transformed into a walk-through holiday light display, with trees and archways wrapped in holiday lights, holiday décor throughout the area, and holiday-themed events throughout the season. The almost two-mile Riverwalk from Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park to the DuPont Environmental Education Center will be lit, offering guests a chance to stroll along the river and enjoy the festive display.
The illumination of the Riverwalk will create a magical winter wonderland for all ages to enjoy.
Another popular family activity is attending a live performance of the classic ballet, “The Nutcracker.”
The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org) is hosting five performances of “The Nutcracker” by the First State Ballet Theatre on December 22 and 22 in its Copeland Hall.
“The Nutcracker” is a ballet in two acts that had its premiere on December 18, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
The First State Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” features music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreography by Pasha Kambalov and Kristina Kambalov after Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa.
In the ballet, the Stahlbaums and their children Marie and Fritz are hosting their annual Christmas party. The mysterious Herr Drosselmeyer enters and entertains the children.
Drosselmeyer later appears disguised as a magician and presents a puppet show, followed by three life-size dancing dolls, to the delight of the guests.
The children begin to open gifts and Drosselmeyer presents his gift of a beautiful nutcracker to Marie. Marie admires it more than all the other toys. Fritz wants to play with the new doll; he pulls it away from Marie and throws it on the floor. Marie is heartbroken, but Drosselmeyer quickly repairs the nutcracker.
As the evening grows late, the guests depart and the Stahlbaum family retires for the evening. Marie comes downstairs to steal one last glance at her nutcracker under the Christmas tree. She falls asleep.
In a dream she sees the drawing room. A mouse scurries out of a hole, and then mice scamper out from everywhere. The mice try to take the nutcracker from Marie until the Mouse King enters. Marie is terribly frightened and hides behind a chair.
Suddenly her nutcracker appears life-size. Overcoming her fear, she runs up to him. The Nutcracker leads a regiment of soldiers to defend Marie. The Mouse King is defeated and disappears with his army.
Drosselmeyer transforms Marie into a lovely maiden and the Nutcracker into a handsome prince. Together, they set off on a journey to the Land of Snow where they are welcomed by dancing snowflakes.
In Act II, Marie and the prince arrive in the Land of Sweets and the festivities begin. First comes Chocolate, then Coffee and Tea, followed by Honey Cake, Marzipan and Gingerbread, Gumdrops and the Waltz of the Flowers. Marie and the prince dance merrily with the rest.
At last the wonderful dream is over and Marie awakens.
Video link for First State Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” — https://youtu.be/FuZ4u4NdXI4.
Performances are scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m. on December 21, and 2 p.m. on December 22.
Ticket prices for the shows at Copeland Hall range from $24.99-$67.
The Philadelphia Ballet’s annual production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” is one of the most cherished—and longest running—family holiday traditions for families in the region.
For many, a visit to Philadelphia to enjoy the lavish presentation by the world-famous Philadelphia Ballet is an integral part of the holiday season.
This year’s production, which is running now through December 29 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-893-1999, www.philadelphiaballet.org), is in the fifth decade of staging of the classic ballet.
The ballet is based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s tale “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King” and set to a score by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky.
Featuring lively dances, colorful costumes and elaborate sets, “The Nutcracker” is a production that appeals to audiences of all ages. The original version of the timeless classic was first presented in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1892.
The ballet is performed under the guidance of artistic director Angel Corella. The ballet is based on the choreography of George Balanchine.
Born in Madrid, Spain, Corella joined American Ballet Theatre in 1995 and was quickly promoted to principal dancer. In his 17-year career with ABT, he established himself as one of the greatest male dancers of his time.
Corella has also appeared as a guest artist with the Royal Ballet in London, the Kirov Ballet in Russia, and New York City Ballet. From 2008-2014, he served as director for his own company, the Barcelona Ballet.
“I was born in Spain and there is not a tradition of ‘The Nutcracker’ in that country,” said Corella.
“The first time I danced in the ballet was with the American Ballet Theater when I was 19. I thought it was the most beautiful ballet I had ever seen.
“I still feel that way. Mr. Balanchine said dancers are showing the music. The dancers make the music visible.
“The challenge is to keep it fresh. But, no-one would dare to change the choreography.”
Balanchine’s choreography plays a major role in the Philadelphia Ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker.” The company has been doing both acts by Balanchine for the last 30 years.
George Balanchine, who was named Giorgi Balanchivadze when he was born in Russia in 1904, was one of the last century’s most celebrated choreographers.
He was a primary developer of ballet in the United States in his position as co-founder and ballet master of New York City Ballet. Balanchine created his version of “The Nutcracker” for the New York City Ballet in 1955.
The Philadelphia Ballet’s production of the ballet features more than 100 performers and has an annual audience attendance of more than 50,000. And it is staged in one of the most beautiful performance halls in the country.
The version of “The Nutcracker” performed by the Philadelphia Ballet features everything audiences associate with the timeless ballet—a cast of 19th-century families celebrating Christmas Eve, a little girl’s dream of her Nutcracker Prince, the Prince’s toy soldiers battling a fleet of mice led by the Mouse King and the crowd-pleasing second act of dances in the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“Right now, we’re still doing Balanchine’s ‘Nutcracker’ because it works,” said Corella. “Balanchine’s ‘The Nutcracker’ is one of the best in the world.
“The whole process makes it feel like it’s Christmas. There is hot chocolate. It’s snowing outside. The whole family is there and time seems to stop. It goes back to a certain place and time that everyone seems to recognize—being able to re-connect and share.”
Video link for Philadelphia Ballet’s “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” – https://youtu.be/ypfQQ2duYS0.
Ticket prices start at $27.
The Crossing (www.crossingchoir.org) is an American professional chamber choir based in Philadelphia. The Crossing is conducted by Donald Nally and dedicated to new music.
It is committed to working with creative teams to make and record new, substantial works for choir that explore and expand ways of writing for choir, singing in choir, and listening to music for choir.
Many of its nearly 90 commissioned premieres address social, environmental, and political issues. With a commitment to recording its commissions, The Crossing has issued 19 releases and received two Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance (2018, 2019), and three Grammy nominations in as many years.
This year’s “Crossing @ Christmas” presents a reprise of last year’s world premiere of a major new work from David Lang, “poor hymnal.”
Shows will be performed on December 20 at Saint Mark’s Church in Philadelphia, December 21 at Alice Tully Hall in New York and December 22 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia.
The concert-length work considers the words of hymnals, which are woven into many varying religions as a catalog of ideals that worshipers agree upon; ideals such as how we treat and care for others, particularly those who are less fortunate.
In “poor hymnal,” Lang poses the question: are the hymns we’re singing today truly reflective of a society that feels a responsibility to care for and support one another?
“poor hymnal” is co-commissioned for The Crossing and Donald Nally by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, Jill and Loren Bough, and Peggy and Mark Curchack.
The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is presenting Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” now through December 22.
A Connecticut farmhouse is transformed into an inn featuring shows to celebrate each holiday from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. Inspired by the Academy Award winning film of the same name, “Holiday Inn” is a story of romance with a mix of small-town living, bright lights, and the lure of stardom.
This joyous musical features thrilling dance numbers, laugh out loud comedy, and nearly two dozen Irving Berlin classics with a book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge.
Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings (8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (3 p.m.).
Tickets, which include dinner and show, are $70.50 for adults and $35 for children (ages 4-12).
All through December, Rose Tree Park (1671 North Providence Road, Media, delconew.azurewebsites.net) sparkles at night with its annual “Festival of Lights” display.
Dozens of illuminated trees and lit displays draw visitors back every year to walk in the winter wonderland and linger in the festive atmosphere.
The annual “Festival of Lights” is running now until January 4 from 5-10 p.m. each night.
Delaware County’s annual “Festival of Lights” began more than four decades ago as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration and became a popular local tradition for residents of all ages.
Over time, the outdoor displays have grown from 50 decorated trees (one for each municipality and one large one to represent the county) to more than 75 lighted trees and dozens of festive figures, including toy soldiers, a gingerbread family and Santa’s reindeer.
This is a free event.
It’s Christmas week – and the penultimate weekend for holiday attractions.
There are also many non-holiday attractions on tap for the next 10 days.
Christmas-influenced music, advertising, TV shows and events are everywhere. It is virtually impossible not to be affected by the Christmas holiday season — but not everyone celebrates Christmas.
There are many people who get into holiday celebrations but do not celebrate Christmas itself for a variety of valid reasons — most commonly because they are of a different religion. For Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Shintos, Sikhs, and Muslims, Christmas is not a religious holiday.
Fortunately for them, there is a special event in Philadelphia at Christmastime created for people who do not celebrate Christmas.
The long-running annual event is held each year on December 25 at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (101 South Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, 215- 923-3811, www.nmajh.org).
For years, the event was known as “Being Jewish at Christmas.” Now, the name of the one-day celebration, which will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on December 25, is called “Being _ _ _ _ _ _ at Christmas.”
The museum’s website offers the following invitation — “Snowy…Jewish…Happy…Caring…Buddhist…Generous…Family…Creative…Friendly…Sparkly…Fill in your own blank and join us for our annual day of family fun!”
From top to bottom, the Museum will be filled with performances and activities for visitors of all ages.
The visit can start on the fifth floor with exciting live performances, including a family-friendly drumming workshop led by Joseph Tayoun.
There will also be make-and-take craft activities, including winter-themed foam sticker picture frames, Hanukkah paper lanterns, paper crowns, and coloring sheets.
Families can head to the second floor for storytime and the third floor for a sensory-friendly play zone with a foam floor, Legos, blocks, and puzzles.
As an added attraction, classic winter movies will be screened throughout the day in the museum’s Dell Theater.
Visitors should also explore the Museum’s core exhibition and check out what other fun activities are happening throughout the building.
Regular December 25 pricing is $20 adults and $15 children. All tickets are $25 at the door.
On Christmas Day, there is often a lull between the early morning hours when presents are exchanged and the late afternoon when a multi-course holiday meal is served.
If you’re looking for something different to do during this time gap, consider taking a trip to Washington Crossing Historic Park (1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, www.washingtoncrossingpark.org).
In a tradition that has existed for more than a half-century, the park’s rangers and associates present a program which features a re-enactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware River with his troops.
This year’s 72nd annual staging of the free event, which will be held weather permitting, will take place at 1 p.m. on December 25 at Washington Crossing Historic Park. Activities will get underway at noon with George Washington delivering an address to his troops.
There will also be presentations of other famous speeches as well as a display by re-enactment groups of what military camp life was like during the era. The focal point of the free event will be when Washington and his men recreate the crossing of the Delaware River in a small group of wooden Durham boats.
River crossings are contingent upon safe conditions for participants. However, even if conditions do not allow for crossing, ceremonies, speeches and commemorative activities still occur.
An interesting and educational special event will be presented at the Ephrata Cloister (632 West Main Street, Ephrata, 717-733-6600, www.ephratacloister.org) December 27-30 – the 2024 edition of the Cloister’s annual “Lantern Tours.”
The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata. The grounds of the community are now administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
The tours take guests back in time to visit the Cloister as it may have appeared in the 1700s. Each year’s story offers a cast of junior and senior high school students playing the roles that bring history to life. A different story is presented each year.
This year’s tours will lead visitors through four of the historic buildings on site as the story unfolds to offer differing views of Conrad Beissel. Refreshments and a chance for conversation will end the evening. Each of the one-hour tours is limited in attendance, and begins each half-hour starting at 6 p.m.
Reservations are required and can be made by calling (717) 733-6600. Tours will depart from the visitor center every 30 minutes from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door.
The cost is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students (ages 6-17) and free for children (ages 3-5).
Another Lancaster County attraction is “Magic Lantern Show: A Victorian Christmas,” which is running through December 31 at the Amish Experience Theater at Plain & Fancy Farm (3121 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand, 717-768-8400,http://amishexperience.com/magic-lantern-shows/christmas-show).
Visitors are taken back in time and become part of a Victorian family’s traditional Christmas Eve celebration. The family is very excited as Grandpa tells fabulous Christmas stories with the help of the amazing Magic Lantern.
The surprises and joys of the season are brought to visual delight with this collaboration between the Amish Experience and the American Magic Lantern Theater featuring classic Christmas stories and poems.
The presentation includes sing-alongs and a narrator delivering iconic stories and poems like “The Night Before Christmas” and “A Christmas Carol” with stunning visual images, heartfelt music and legendary storytelling.
Tickets are $19.95 for adults and $13.95 for children (ages 4-12).
