Weekend Picks

Experience the Mall Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, to celebrate the season with Smithsonian. We’ve got special events galore to help you get in the holiday spirit, including musical performances, book signings, trunk shows, activities for kids, and more!  Participating museums include: National Museum of American History, National Museum of Air and Space, National Museum of Natural History, Freer Gallery of Art and Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Museum of African American Art, National Postal Museum, and The Smithsonian Castle. Hours are 10:30am-5:30pm and the Holiday Festival is free.

This weekend Baltimore will be having Dollar or Less Days. Many of your favorite spots will only be $1 for admission. Get there early as lines will be long but they’ll move fast. Check the above link for participating places. See our post on Baltimore for ideas of other places to go.

Ice! Featuring Santa Claus is Coming to Town is still going on at The Gaylord National Harbor. Guests can walk-through holiday attraction, kept at a chilly 9 degrees, marvel at two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculpture, have fun on five ice slides, walk and see the 7 individual rooms depicting the story of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town and see The Frostbite Factory – a live carving zone.

Home Sweet Home Gingerbread  Workshop at National Building Museum is Saturday and Sunday. Get in the holiday spirit and construct a gingerbread house at the National Building Museum. Participants will learn how to use gingerbread walls and royal icing to build a house. We’ll provide the supplies and treats to make your gingerbread home as sweet as can be. Register online!

‘Tis the Circus! A Holiday Party on High presented by Sweet Spot Aerial Productions at Atlas Performing Arts Friday-Sunday. The holidays can be a circus – quite literally, at this holiday party! As the guests arrive, one couple’s living room is transformed as acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and other performers dazzle with spectacular routines celebrating the magic of the holiday season. Fun for the whole family – prepare to be delighted, amazed and inspired. A unique and new holiday tradition. All ages.

Saturday- 

9:30am and 11:00am: Virginia Ballet Company & School, The Nutcracker Selections at National Theatre
(1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, DC. 20004)
A “Saturday at the National” holiday tradition, the Virginia Ballet Company and School will once again present selections from Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet, “The Nutcracker.” As visions of sugar plums and snowflakes dance through the air and gingerbread soldiers triumph over the evil Rat King, we follow Clara into the land of sweets and holiday cheer. Ticket reservations open the Friday a week before the performance date.

10:30am-11:15am: Saturday Song Circle at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
You and your child are invited to a fun, interactive musical experience! An Early Childhood Teaching Artist explores a popular children’s book with your family through song and musical instruments, and you will receive a list of all the songs to practice at home. Activities in Saturday Song Circle are best for 1-3 year-olds but 4-5 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome to join in the fun. Toot Toot, Beep Beep is the story this weekend. $8 per person.

11:30am-3:00pm: Italian Holiday Winter
(Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard)
Celebrate the wonders of the holiday season and Italian culture at SAAM. Enjoy  performances by The Italian Fairy, The Flusso Dance Project, seasonal music by The Capital Hearings, and traditional Italian bagpipers, as well as festive craft activities, face painting, café specials, and more. As our Italian friends say, “Buone Feste!”

1:00pm-4:00pm: Winter Wonderland in Bethesda
(Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda)
Celebrate the holidays with a variety of performances, live ice sculpting, a visit from Santa Claus and more!

4:00pm: Wolf Trap Holiday Sing-Along
(1645 Trap Rd. Vinenna, VA)
Kick off the holiday season with family and friends at Wolf Trap’s 2015 Holiday Sing-A-Long! Wolf Trap will be participating in Toys for Tots by collecting new, unwrapped toys at the entrance to the Filene Center before the Sing-A-Long. Donations are strictly voluntary and not a requirement. Admission is free, and no tickets are required. Bring a candle and join the tradition of exiting the Filene Center with a candlelight processional during the last verse of “Silent Night.” There will also be a “Jing-A-Long” during the singing of “Jingle Bells,” so remember to bring a candle, a bell, and a new, unwrapped toy! Wolf Trap concessions will be selling warm holiday drinks, hot dogs, cookies and doughnuts. The gift shop will have traditional and battery operated candles, holiday ornaments, and festive holiday hats available for purchase.

4:00pm (Market Opens) & Lighting is at 6:30pm: 5th Annual Columbia Heights Tree Lighting Extravaganza
(Columbia Heights Civic Center)
This December on Saturday the 5th we will be decking the halls, and by halls we mean the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza for 5th Annual Columbia Heights Tree Lighting Extravaganza. Come to the plaza to enjoy complimentary cocoa, yummy Christmas treats, and carols. And perhaps even a visit from Santa! After the tree lighting, local restaurants and businesses will host additional festivities full of food, drinks and lots of holiday cheer

Sunday-

8:00am-11:00am: Pajamarama in Takoma Park
(7007 Carroll Ave)
Visit Old Takoma retailers in your pajamas and receive awesome discounts on all their wares for the annual local holiday shopping event. Mr. Gabe will be at Little Loft all morning, rocking in pjs, playing songs, and selling CDs.

9:00am-10:30am: Holiday Zoo Crafts at National Zoo
(3001 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 )
You and your child will have zoo-dles of fun making original animal-themed crafts for the holidays while learning about some of our favorite winter animals. Recommended ages 2-3. Register online; Member Fee: $28 / Non-Member Fee: $35

10:00am-10:45am: Sunday Fun-Day at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
We invite you and your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, movement, music, and visual art. Each session you leave with a completed craft, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home. These popular workshops are themed around beloved children’s books. Activities in Sunday Fun-Day are most appropriate to 3-5 year-olds but 1-2 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome! Goodnight Moon is the story this weekend. $8 per person.

10:30am-12:30pm: Make room for latkes at Washington DCJCC
(1529 16th Street NW, Washington)
Chanukah is coming and with it, eight nights of family fun! Join PJ Library and our partners for hands-on Chanukah activities including crafts, cooking, singing, candle lighting, latkes, a mitzvah (good deed) project and take-home goodies. $10/ family in advance; $15/family at the door.

4:00pm: National Menorah Lighting on the Ellipse
(1600 Constitution Ave NW)
Featuring a performance by the United States Marine Band, hot latkes and doughnuts and more. Free but tickets are required.