Only this weekend and next to squeeze all the holiday fun Cincinnati has to offer.
Shannan will draw the next uber-lucky winner for Experience Cincinnati on Saturday – have you entered? No? What are you crazy???!!
Downtown is the place to be this time of year – so much to do! Our top family picks?
- Celebrate National Believe Day at Macy’s on Friday
- Holiday Follies wraps up another successful run at Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Shows run through out the weekend – don’t miss your last chance to see this fun show! If you go, be sure to bring an unwrapped toy to donate to St. Joseph Orphanage.
- The Nutcracker Luncheon at Music Hall – a tradition of Cincinnati – happens on Saturday and there are still tickets available!
- See Snow White at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati – performances all weekend long and the show runs through December. Hurry though – shows are selling out!
- See the Trains at Cincinnati Museum Center all weekend long
- Schedule a Holidate with your favorite kiddos at Cincinnati Museum Center on Sunday night!
- And don’t forget all the Downtown Dazzle fun they have to offer!
Or go uptown – Uptown Cincinnati that is. Their Holidays on Ludlow happens Friday night 6pm-9pm. Carriage rides, photos with Santa (for kids and pets – bonus!), music and more!
On Sunday night head to Park Hills for their Luminary Night and Christmas in the Park. The choirs from my parish – St. Agnes – will be there to sing you into the Christmas spirit and carriage rides will take you through the town to check out the lovely houses illuminated with the luminaries.
If the other side of the river is more your scene, Mt. Lookout’s Luminaria Festival of Lights is happening on Sunday as well (6:30-8:30). This 36-year tradition is a Cincinnati favorite.
You can check out FFC’s round-up posts for more Holiday Fun:
- Holiday Lights around the area
- Where to find the Big Red Guy all over town
- Holiday Events as far as the eye can see
Nativity: The Pop Opera is being performed at The Carnegie all weekend and next. Visit their site for more details and to purchase tickets.
Still have some special shopping to do? Nothing shows your love more than handmade items – especially when it’s your hand doing the making! This Saturday at Brazee Street Studios, bring the whole clan for December’s Family Open House: Ornaments! Each Saturday in December, everyone is invited from 10am to 3pm to make one of kind ornaments to add to your own collection or gift to that special someone. We’ve done many classes there and love love love Brazee Street Studios. Oh, and did you know? Brazee was just voted BEST KIDS’ CRAFT CLASS by Cincinnati Magazine! Find out for yourself!
Take a road trip to New Richmond on Friday night for some Holiday fun:
A River Village Christmas is a New Richmond tradition. This years event will start Dec. 9th 2011 at 6PM to 9PM at the Village Bandstand. The Town Crier delivers the Proclamation that opens the event with the Tree lighting, Holiday music by the Regionally acclaimed New Richmond High School Troubadours and Clermont Counties premier Soloist John Hale. The man of the hour will be there, Santa and Mrs Claus make their first appearance. In the businesses along the Front Street will be set up specialty crafters and vendors offering their unique gifts for those on your Christmas list. Our shops and eateries will be open to offer you the welcome you can expect when you shop in our Village. Antique carriage rides, Historic Village tours, and hayrides will be part of the fun activities.
Sat Dec 10th 11AM to 6PM The day opens with Mr and Mrs Claus arriving by boat to our river front. The unfolds with a pet parade at noon and the Community parade at 3PM. The tours, crafters, vendors and carriage rides continue through out the day. Food, music and family fun in our River Village.
Head to Newport on the Levee this weekend for Light Up The Levee Holiday Lights Show. Shows are free and take place daily beginning at 6:10 p.m., every 20 minutes with the last show at 11:50 p.m. Features more than one million lights synchronized to holiday music, a 30-foot tall Christmas tree with a six-foot tall topper of the Star of Bethlehem, ten- and 20-foot spiral trees, five-foot snowflakes, wreaths and more.
Shalom Family’s Potato Arty Party at the School of Creative and Performing Arts happens on Sunday at 3pm. Visit the site for more details.
The Cincinnati Library – Main Branch welcomes families on Saturdays and Sundays until December 18th for Dazzle Days from 1pm-4pm. Holiday crafts, activities and performers and more! Free thanks to the Library and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.
HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY ALERT!
And looking ahead to next weekend, we wanted to let you know about something you don’t want to miss. You need reservations for this Holiday fun, so we’re getting the info to you early!
Our friends at the Cincinnati Museum Center are hosting a holiday treat you’re sure to love! On Sunday, December 18th you’re invited to don your favorite pj’s for the North Pole Pajama Party. In addition to seeing the Holiday Trains, your family will see a special performance of The Gift of the Magi from the folks at the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Cocoa, crafts, cookies and more. We took Parker a couple years ago and had a blast! I’m thinking we’ll go back this year thanks to CMC’s timely reminder! You can make reservations by calling 513.287.7021 and get more details on CMC’s site.
CMC has given us FAMILY FOUR PACK of PASSES to this special event for one lucky reader!
To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here telling me what your favorite Christmas cookie is. (You looking for more cookie recipes? Check out our post from earlier this week with FFC’s favorite bakes!)
Extra entries for the doing each of the following (be sure to leave a comment here for each one you do!):
- Share this post with your friends and family on Facebook so they can find all the fun in Cincinnati this weekend too! Be sure to @familyfriendlycincinnati in your status update!
- Tweet this post to your Twitter friends! @famfriendlycin must be included in your tweet!
You have until NOON on Wednesday (12/14) to enter – we’ll draw the lucky winner at that time and email you if it is you!
Good luck and have an awesome weekend Cincinnati!
My favorite cookie is snickerdoodle.
Butter spritz cookies with sprinkles – You can never eat just one!
Favorite are almond crescents, yum!
Our favorite cookie is a mini muffin chocolate chip cookie with a reese’s peanut butter cup in the middle and add a few green and red sprinkles for the holiday. You have very nice giveaways.
Sugar cookies decorated like Rudolph
Cocoa Crinkles are our favorite cookies!
Candy cane cookies. Worth every bit of hassle.
Shared on fb
My favorite Christmas cookie are the candy cane cookies where you dye half the dough red and then twist a little red with a little of the regular dough to make a small candy cane and then sprinkle on some crushed real candy cane.
Favorite cookie is snickerdoodles.
I love all the contests you are doing! I hope to win something! I follow on Facebook!
Tweet too!
FB Share
Santa’s Cookies (A CampbellKids secret recipe!)
Mexican wedding cakes, aka Russian tea cakes or Snowball cookies!
Snickerdoodles!!!!!!!
Gingerbread!
My favorite cookies are, of course, Gingerbread men!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Italian wedding cookies! YUM!
Gingerbread and sugar(decorated with love and more sugar )
Snickerdoodle. Hands down.
Our favorite cookies are Oatmeal toffee cookies. A new one that we tried last year and has become a family favorite.
My fav is no bake cookies
My favorite Christmas cookie is a sugar cookie with lots of icing!
My favorite cookie is Snickerdoodle! Yum!
Any cookie made by my boys, usually Choc Chip!
My favorite Christmas cookies are gingerbread men (but only the ones from the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights!) I buy a bunch every year!
My favortite Chrsitmas cookies are sugar cookies decorated by my daughter!!
Can’t go wrong with snickerdoodles
Thumbprint cookies!
Gingerbread cookies!
Sugar Cookies!
My favorite cookies are the better cookies (with flavored extracts) that my fiancé and I make with his aunt. It’s a new family tradition for us, and I look forward to it each year! We share them with his niece and nephew
Moravian Ginger cookies are the best.
I love plain old sugar cookies. Just the basics for me.
Favorite Christmas cookie is the homemade sugar cookies we make as a family each year. Some for us and some for santa.
My favorite cookie is SnickerDoodle