It’s here! The holiday season is here! Some may think Christmas comes to early. For me, I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life. It’s never too early for Christmas lights, festive holiday cocktails, glass blowing your own Christmas tree ornaments, creating holiday wreaths, Santa photos, and holiday shopping!
My Holiday activities list is a killer one this year! I’m so excited for every one of the events on this list. And, I’m so excited for you to check them out. I love the holiday season and all it has to offer. It’s such a magical time of year and I don’t want to miss out on any of it. That is why I create this list for you. So you can take part in fun, unique, festive activities throughout the region.
If you choose to try one of the incredible holiday activities on my list, please share your experience with me by tagging me on social media. You can also follow along with my winter adventures at @kathyromano11 on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 2023!
Kathy Romano’s Holiday Activities List 2023:
Ornament Making Workshop
Neshaminy Brewing Co. is hosting a Kathy’s Holiday Activities exclusive glass blown ornament workshop on Saturday December 9th. Using prefabricated glass tubes and a torch, Leanne, from Magic Arts Studio, will guide us through the process of shaping the glass, adding color, and transforming it into an ornament. Each participant will create 3 ornaments and each ticket includes your first beer. There is wait time necessary for the ornaments to cool so we’ll be able to enjoy the brewery during the wait. The workshop will last about 1.5 hours from start to finish. Most participants are not professional glass blowers, so plan on leaving with some funky shaped ornaments. Hair must be tied back in order to work at the torch. No experience is needed.
Saturday, December 9th
Brand New Christmas Market
Yuletide at Devon is making its grand holiday debut this year at the historic Devon Horse Show and Country Fairgrounds in Devon, PA. This holiday festival will blend a traditional European Christmas market with live music and farm-to-table food. Slated to run until December 31, the majestic festival will feature 37 boutique small business pop-ups.
My favorites were the Studio Flora shop and Home for Hungry hut. If you want an instagramable picture stop by either location and you won’t be disappointed. They are focusing heavily on the food experience during your visit, so come hungry!
Enjoy gourmet farm-to-table culinary delights, craft seasonal cocktails and delicious desserts. Plus, Santa photos, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a fun maze and a Himalaya ride. This is a brand-new holiday event to our area! The magical world will be adorned with over 4 million LED lights, over 900 real and artificial Christmas trees and a Santa’s Ski Chalet creating the perfect winter ambiance. While inside the chalet, don’t forget to get your free photo with Santa!
Now through December 31st.
Sparkling Pink Pop-Up
Known for their luxury and elegance, Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia is creating a blushing opulence. A dazzling all-pink holiday experience is nestled within the original bank vault at the Ritz-Carlton, located right on Broad Street, at 10 Avenue of the Arts. Grab your girlfriends and head to this unforgettable, Instagram-worthy pop-up with a speakeasy ambiance. The unique holiday wonderland features floor-to-ceiling pink tinsel, glittering garland and dazzling ornaments! During your 75-minute reservation, you can enjoy over-the-top pink cocktails and delectable little bites. This is an over-21 event and tickets must be purchased ahead of time. Your ticket includes your first drink and little bites to snack on while in the pink wonderland.
Wednesday – Sunday, through December 30th
Train Ride With Santa
The Santa Clause Special in Jim Thorpe is this year’s holiday train ride recommendation. This is the most scenic of the holiday train rides. You’ll enjoy views of the gorgeous Lehigh Gorge while enjoying a festive atmosphere inside the cars. The train conductor will be by with some treats for the kids and Santa will visit each car during the 70-minute train ride. During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, celebrate the last days of the year by enjoying a train ride with your favorite winter characters and maybe you’ll even catch a glimpse of the frozen Lehigh Gorge. If you’re going to take that ride up to the Poconos, be sure to check out the town of Jim Thorpe before or after your train ride. Downtown Jim Thorpe is decked in Victorian style for their annual Olde Time Christmas celebration. The festivities for the holiday season begin on Friday December 1st with a tree lighting ceremony in Josiah White Park. The festival continues on December 2-3, 9-10, and 16-17. The town will have strolling carolers and musicians, horse and carriage rides, plenty of family-friendly activities and don’t forget about their holiday shopping and a gingerbread house contest!
December Weekends
Wreath Making Workshop
Craft with Bespoke Wreath Making Workshop has two dates and two locations!
In the roasting room of Wake Coffee Roasters in Ambler, you can submerge your senses in wonderful coffee aromas and make a beautiful winter wreath featuring cinnamon sticks, dried fruits, cotton and berries. In this hour-long class on Saturday December 9th at 11:30am, Nikki and Kelly will walk you through creating a beautiful and eye catching wreath, step-by-step.
On Sunday December 10th at 3:30pm in the tasting room of Well Crafted Brewery, you could also enjoy delicious beer and create a showstopper wreath for your holiday celebration. No craft skills required; all materials will be provided! Just bring yourself and be ready to have a blast at this Kathy’s Holiday Activity exclusive event! If you tell them how much you love this activity on my list, you’ll receive a free drink at both locations.
December 9th & 10th
Tinseltown New Location
Tinseltown Holiday Spectacular is a dazzling outdoor holiday light experience with breathtaking light sculptures and displays, powered by more than 2.5 million lights. With the magic of FDR Park’s 348 acres as its new backdrop, the now 9-acre Tinseltown footprint allows for a brand-new layout of this illuminated wonderland.
You’ll find larger-than-life sculptures, including a 60-ft light tunnel, glowing baubles, Santa’s sleigh, some of Philadelphia’s most beloved landmarks and personalities in lights, and Philly sports teams.Plus, all-new amazing additions have been added to elevate this already wonderful holiday experience. I’m most excited about the brand-new ice trail that will allow visitors to glide through the displays and experience the lights in a unique way. Visitors of all ages can take a thrilling ride down one of the four 160-foot-long slides. Enjoy your favorite holiday treats at the Tinsel Lodge or grab a cocktail at the bar. This heated lodge offers ample seating for guests to warm up and enjoy some of Tinseltown’s delectable eats! While you’re visiting, be sure to get your pictures with Santa. Tinseltown has one of the best Santa Workshop setups for great Christmas photos. Stop by Claus’ reading room, where she’ll share the magic of the season with live readings of her favorite holiday stories.
Tinseltown is now conveniently located in FDR Park, which has easy access from I-95 and is only steps away from SEPTA’s Broad Street Line. Designated parking will be available in the NovaCare Complex across the street for $12. You didn’t think parking would be free, did you? But let me help you save some money! Use code “Kathy20” for a 20% off discount on tickets.
Now through January 1st
Christmas Beer Garden
The Brandywine Christmas Village, an outdoor oasis located at the riverside Seasonal Beer Garden, Brothers on the Brandywine.
The beer garden is completely transformed into a Hallmark Christmas DREAM: Christmas lights and firepits galore, food trucks, activities for kids including crafts, s’more’s, hot cocoa, bounce houses, take-your-own photos with Santa, and more! For adults, there is delicious craft beer, hard seltzer, wine and cider, live music and a one-stop Christmas shopping experience, featuring a variety of local retail vendors! $10 per person to enter.
December Weekends
Holiday Season at Suburban Square
Ardmore’s Suburban Square is one of the oldest shopping centers in the country. Suburban Square has recently undergone significant renovations, with updated shops, restaurants, a courtyard, parking and more. This holiday season, they’re celebrating “Saturdays with Santa” and “Snow at the Square”.
Every Saturday in December, you can visit Santa in the Winter Wonderland, where there will be sweet treats and a letter-writing station so you can drop your wish list off at the Santa Express Post Office. You can also browse handmade holiday gifts from local vendors. Plus, families can experience the magic of a snowy winter wonderland with artificial snow shows on the lawn at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and holiday music. In exchange for your photo with Santa, please bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to the Ardmore Ave Community Center. In addition to the festivities on Saturdays, on Wednesday 12/6 from 6-9pm, enjoy an evening of live music and great food inside the trellis at Lola’s Garden. The night will feature wine, cocktails and food tastings from Rosa Mexicano, Lola’s Garden and Depaul’s Table. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. On 12/7 at dusk, Suburban Square will celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah with a Menorah Lighting. While you’re at any of the events at the square this holiday season, drop off new or gently used coats to Custom Ink between from now until the 15th from 10:30am-5:30pm for Suburban Square’s coat drive. Help spread the warmth this winter through One Warm Coat.
Now through December 24th
Peddler’s Village Fire & Frost
As the Christmas lights turn off and the holiday season winds down, things can be a bit depressing. As a remedy, this event keeps the fun going into January and gives us something to do after the holidays. The lights stay on for the Peddler’s Village 2024 Fire & Frost Fun. The event will be held from 4 to 6pm on two successive Friday and Saturday evenings: January 5 and 6, and January 12 and 13. Against the backdrop of the historical “winter wonderland” setting of Peddler’s Village, the outdoor festival will feature dozens of ice sculptures, a DJ spinning party music, fire pits, and a family-friendly scavenger hunt. The festive evenings will also include fire artistry performers and ice carving demonstrations. Additionally, Peddler’s Village shops and boutiques will be presenting special January sales that will continue through the month. Admission and parking are free.
Friday & Saturday, January 6 & 7, 13 & 14
Kathy Co-Hosts The West Chester Christmas Parade
I will be co-hosting the West Chester Parade with 6ABC’s Adam Joseph. On Friday, December 1st at 6:30pm, the ceremonial Christmas tree lighting will take place outside of the historic courthouse building at the corner of Market and High Streets in downtown West Chester. The parade starts at 7pm and will feature West Chester University’s Marching Band and just under 1600 people marching in bands, dance teams and cheer squads. It’s all part of six weekends of holiday festivities amidst thousands of lights, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, during Chester County Hospital Lights Up Holiday Weekends in West Chester. Sip, shop and dine in downtown West Chester every weekend throughout the holiday season! There’s something different all month, including free outdoor holiday concerts, free photos with Santa, a professional gingerbread house competition, specials at shops and businesses and more.
Friday, December 1st
