Holiday Events this Weekend

I’m actually pretty tuckered out.  We’ve been entertaining and running errands  like crazy, and what I’d like to do most is hunker down and complete my annual screening of It’s a Wonderful Life while emptying my tins of goodies.  But maybe you have guests to entertain, children who are bored, or more energy than me.  Just in case, here’s a list of holiday events:

Hey, anybody like free stuff?  Here are a few free things happening this weekend:

• This year’s Albany Winterfest will be this Saturday from 12-5 pm.
• This Saturday, from 5:30-9:30 pm, is the last day of Quick Response Restoration’s  Santa’s Playland Open House in Clifton Park for free.   There are even snacks!
• On Saturday and Sunday afternoon, New York State Museum’s Family Fun Weekend will have an “International Holidays”  theme.  It’s nice to donate on the way into the museum, of course.
• Last I heard, there was still room in the Pictures with Santa event on Saturday from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at Joyful Jumpers, but it might be full by now.  Call 396-7885 to find out.

Here are some Capital District classics:

• Want to get the kids sleepy?  Any evening (from 6 to 9 or 10 pm, depending on the day), you can drive through downtown Albany’s Washington Park for Capital Holiday Lights.  It costs $15/car.  Feed them, put them in your jammies, and hope that you can successfully transfer into bed in spite of the cold!
• The Egg’s got the Albany Berkshire Ballet’s The Nutcracker on Sunday and they’ve also got The Zucchini Brothers Holiday Show on Saturday.
• The Schenectady Museum is open Saturday and Sunday (when they’re usually closed), and they have their oh-so-popular model train exhibit as well as a special holiday-themed planetarium show.

If you’re up for a longer drive, there are some other events that seem pretty enticing:

• This Sunday from 3 to 7 pm, the Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown is hosting its traditional Candlelight Evening.
• There’s a play called Santa’s List at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls.  It’s designed for children—45 minutes long for those short attention spans.

That’s what I’ve found, but I’d love to hear about any more you might know about.  Or if you’ve been to one of these, let people know if they’re worth the time/money/drive.