Now it’s REALLY time to do my Christmas shopping! It’s going to be difficult; there are so many fun events this weekend. Below are a few; find more on our calendar.
THURSDAY:
Catch some holiday cheer with the Christmas Singers at the Morristown United Methodist Church, 12:15 p.m., admission is free. A light lunch may be purchased afterward.
FRIDAY:
Is this really the fourth weekend of the Christmas Festival on the Morristown Green? Where does the time go? Santa returns to his apartment on the Green from 4 pm to 8 pm.
What is a wassail, anyway? Find out at Acorn Hall from 4 to 7 pm. Sample this holiday drink, enjoy live music by the Melante Trio, receive a free gift, and do some holiday shopping in the gift shop. Admission: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors.
And while we’re at it, what’s the winter solstice all about? From 7 to 8:30 pm, find out on the beach at Sunrise Lake, Lewis Morris Park, in Morris Township. History, hot cider and s’mores, around a campfire. Ages 6 and up. Cost: $8.
The New Jersey Ballet brings The Nutcracker to Morristown’s Community Theatre at 7:30 pm for the first of 10 shows through Dec. 26. Tickets: $19-$59.
SATURDAY:
Santa is back on the Morristown Green from noon to 7 pm. From 12:30 to 2 pm, the Morris Museum showcases holiday crafts; free electric train rides will circle the Green from 1 pm until 7 pm, and WDHA will sponsor childrens games from 3 to 5 pm as part of the Christmas Festival on the Morristown Green.
The New Jersey Ballet brings The Nutcracker to Morristown’s Community Theatre at 1 pm and 6 pm. Tickets: $19-$59.
The Santa Claus Special Train departs on the hour between 1 pm and 5 pm from the Whippany Railway Museum for 45-minute holiday rides. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for children under 12. Seats will be hard to come by; because of heavy advance sales, you’ll be riding standby.
At 4 pm, kids in grades 1-4 can create their own holiday centerpieces, at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township. Cost is $30; all materials are provided, except for a flat box and small hand pruners.
The New Philharmonic Orchestra teams with the St. Peter’s Choir of Men & Women at 7 pm for a concert of seasonal favorites, including Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Ralph Vaughan Williams and excerpts from Oratorio de Noel by Camille Saint-Saens. Tickets: $25 for general admission; $10 for children & students, available in advance or at the door.
The fabulous Blaire Reinhard Band performs at Morristown’s Famished Frog at 9:30 pm.
SUNDAY:
The Christmas Festival on the Morristown Green winds down with Santa at his post from noon to 7 pm. (Santa will be back on Monday and Tuesday from 4 to 8 pm, and then it’s back to the North Pole, pronto!) From 1 to 3 pm, there is puppet storytelling, courtesy of the Schuyler-Hamilton House and the Daughters of the American Revolution. And electric trains rides run from 1 to 7 pm, weather permitting.
The New Jersey Ballet brings The Nutcracker to Morristown’s Community Theatre at 1 pm and 6 pm. Tickets: $19-$59.
The Santa Claus Special Train departs on the hour between 1 pm and 5 pm from the Whippany Railway Museum for 45-minute holiday rides. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for children under 12. Seats will be hard to come by; because of heavy advance sales, you’ll be riding standby.
The Chamber Singers and guest instrumentalists present the story of the Virgin Mary in a Vespers service at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown. Works will range from medieval to contemporary times.
