Mostly Free & Fun Things to Do With NJ Kids This Weekend Dec 20- Dec 21: Adventure to Santa, Menorah Parade, A Christmas Carol & More!

12/17/14 - By Laurie Rein

Here it comes- the first weekend of Hanukkah and the last one before Christmas. While you finish your shopping list, checking it twice, make sure spend time doing something nice! If you haven’t visited Santa yet, there’s plenty of opportunity at Imagine That’s Breakfast with Santa, Red Lobster’s Breakfast with Santa and Cherry Hill Mall’s Adventure to Santa. Take part in great museum programs for the family at New Jersey State Museum’s Story Time and Montclair Art Museum’s Family Art Adventure. And get in the spirit of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa at The South Jersey Annual Car Menorah Parade and Sweet Honey in the Rock: Celebrating the Holydays. For even more weekend fun, check out the full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

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Story Time at New Jersey State Museum (Trenton, NJ)
Get creative at the museum’s monthly story and craft. This weekend’s theme focuses on paint, watercolor and line drawings.

Breakfast with Santa at Imagine That!!! (Florham Park, NJ)
Enjoy a breakfast snack and photos with Santa, and receive a special gift. Then stay and play all day.

Adventure to Santa at the Cherry Hill Mall (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Embark on a journey with Shrek and friends to the North Pole at this interactive mall holiday experience. The adventure is free but requires reservations.

A Christmas Carol (Princeton, NJ)
Bring the family to this critically-acclaimed production of Dicken’s timeless masterpiece at the McCarter Theatre Center. Follow Scrooge on his journey through the past, present and future as he discovers the true meaning of Christmas.

Saturday, December 20th

Sweet Honey in the Rock: Celebrating the Holydays (Newark, NJ)
Celebrate Kwanzaa with the revered African-American a capella women’s ensemble as they perform blues, jazz, gospel and R&B.

Sugar Plum Fairy Tea with the Ice Queen & Sister Princess (Short Hills, NJ)
Spend an enjoyable afternoon with the Ice Queen and Sister Princess for tea at the Short Hills Hilton. The fun includes crafts, singing, dancing and delightful treats. Reservations are required.

Afternoon Out for Special Learners (Fair Haven, NJ)
This fun-filled drop-off event for children with autism, developmental disabilities and communication impairments features movies, games, Minecraft, crafts and gluten-free snacks.

Family Art Adventure at MAM (Montclair, NJ)
Drop by the Montclair Art Museum for an hour-long program of artwork discussions and activities in the galleries and sculpture garden.

Sunday, December 21st

Breakfast with Santa at Red Lobster (Paramus, NJ)
Feast on breakfast fare and take photos with Santa at this event to benefit Healing the Children NJ.

South Jersey Annual Car Menorah Parade (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Place a menorah on top of your car, and join the parade which leads to Sahara Sam’s Oasis. Then stick around for the grand menorah lighting and fun activities for all.

Check out our GO NJ List, with our top picks of awesome things to do for kids in the upcoming month; GO DECEMBER is full of family fun!

And don't forget: We have additional activity listings in our Event Calendar. And if you are heading into NYC for the weekend make sure you visit the New York City Mommy Poppins events calendar to get the latest on all the fun to be had NYC-style.