Compiled by Kevin Coughlin
Hey, wasn’t it just Halloween?
No, that was Thanksgiving.
Which must mean… Ho Ho Ho and Mistletoe are just around the corner. Catch the holiday spirit in Greater Morristown this weekend with Santa Claus, Christmas concerts, holly walks, train rides, gingerbread castles … there’s even a Civil War Christmas.
And don’t forget A Christmas Carol onstage at Morristown High School.
Scroll down for details. And see our handy calendar for even more activities.
THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 2015:
The City Winds Trio kicks off this month’s Music at Noon series with a free holiday show at the Morristown United Methodist Church. The half-hour show starts at 12:15 pm; a light luncheon is available for purchase between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. At 50 Park Place (on the Green). Call 973-538-2132 for more.
Sarah McLachlan, who has sold more than 40 million records, captivating audiences with such hits as Angel, Sweet Surrender, I Will Remember You and Possession,
comes to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Ticket were $85 to $150, but they are sold out. Call the box office and maybe you’ll get lucky: 973-539-8008. At 100 South St.
FRIDAY, DEC. 4:
A Gingerbread Wonderland kicks off its 10-day run at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township from 10 am to 7:30 pm. See more than 200 incredible edible gingerbread creations. A holiday craft show will run for the next two weekends, Saturdays and Sundays only. Admission: $2; children under 2 are free. Groups of eight or more need reservations: Call 973-326-7601. At 353 East Hanover Ave.
DerpyCon, a convention for fans of sci-fi, fantasy, anime, gaming, LARPS and more, comes to the Hyatt Morristown at 1 pm and continues all weekend. Admission: $20-$55.
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ enduring classic, comes to the Morristown High School stage at 7:30 pm. Bravura performances, lavish sets and period costumes promise a memorable evening. Tickets: $6-$12 at MHS.Booktix.com. Encore shows on Saturday and Sunday. At 50 Early St.
The Minstrel in Morris Township presents Chorus Song Night. Sing along with Carolann Solebello (Red Molly, No Fuss & Feathers Roadshow), Ken Galipeau, Mitch Radler and Mike Agranoff. Admission: $9, children 12 and under, free. At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road.
The Three Irish Tenors bring A Christmas from Dublin to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets: $29-$59. At 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008.
SATURDAY, DEC. 5:
A Gingerbread Wonderland and Holiday Craft Show continues at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township from 10 am to 4:30 pm. See Friday entry for details.
The Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green roars into its first weekend with free activities from noon to 7 pm. Miniature train rides, ice sculpting, arts and crafts, Anna and Elsa from Frozen and of course, visits with Santa. (Those cost $10.) Presented by the Morristown Partnership. Here is video of Santa’s arrival:
Celebrate A Civil War Christmas, at Historic Speedwell in Morristown from noon to 5 pm. See how soldiers kept up morale for the holidays. Visit encampments, re-enactments, a soldiers ball and craft workshops. Admission: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors (65+), $5 for children (4 – 16), free for children age 3 and under. Call 973-285-6550.
All aboard the Santa Claus Special at the Whippany Rail Museum! Enjoy 45-minute train excursions with The Kringle himself, on the hour between 1 pm and 4 pm. Tickets: $9 to $17; children age 1 and under who sit on lap, free. At One Railroad Plaza. Call (973) 887-8177 for more.
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ enduring classic, comes to the Morristown High School stage at 7:30 pm. See Friday entry for details.
A Manheim Steamroller Christmas rolls into Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center for two shows, at 3 pm and 8 pm. Tickets: $59-$89. At 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008.
Three choirs will present a holiday concert at Drew University in Madison at 8 pm. The centerpiece: Benjamin Britten’s St. Nicolas, a cantata about the real St. Nick (270-343 A.D.) Admission: $5, students free. In the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts, 36 Madison Ave. A fundraising gala precedes the show; see link above for details.
SUNDAY, DEC. 6:
A Gingerbread Wonderland and Holiday Craft Show continues at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township from 10 am to 4:30 pm. See Friday entry for details.
The Morris County Winter Farmers Market debuts at its new home, Morristown’s Alexander Hamilton School, from 10 am to 2 pm. Organized by the Foodshed Alliance and Sustainable Morristown, the market aims to present up to 25 vendors of locally grown produce, every Sunday through April. On Mills Street.
The Holly Walk is back! Pay one fee, and visit five Greater Morristown historical sites, all decked out for the holidays. Acorn Hall, the Ford Mansion, Macculloch Hall, the Schuyler-Hamilton House and the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms are participating. Tickets: $25 until Dec. 5, 2015, online at morristourism.org; and $30 today, at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum only. Children 12 and under are free. Call the Morris County Tourism Bureau at 973-631-5151.
The Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green continues with free activities from noon to 7 pm: Mini-train rides, gingerbread house-building, a carol sing-along… and Santa. It’s all free, except for visits with Mr. Claus ($10). Presented by the Morristown Partnership.
A Civil War Christmas concludes at Historic Speedwell in Morristown from noon to 4 pm. See Saturday entry for details.
Ride the Santa Claus Special at the Whippany Rail Museum, on the hour from 1 pm to 4 pm. See Saturday entry for details.
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ enduring classic, concludes its holiday run at Morristown High School at 2 pm. See Friday entry for details.
The New Jersey Festival Orchestra, conducted by David Wroe, comes Home for the Holidays at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center, at 3 pm. This holiday pops concert features carols, popular movie themes, Broadway favorites, holiday brass — and MPAC’s Performing Arts Company. Tickets: $19-$59. At 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008.
