Originally posted by: Bucks Happening Magazine
The holiday season has arrived and there is no shortage of holiday events in Bucks for you to enjoy! Explore what life was like by candlelight at Peter Wentz Farmstead or attend Souderton’s tree lighting to kick off the season. The holiday spirit, of course, does not stop in Bucks County. There are several spirited events to travel to for a full day of fun in New Jersey and Philly as well. Scroll through our list below to start planning your weekend and the month to come!
Mom’s Cookie Bar Holiday Treats
When: Tuesday, November 29; Thursday, December 1; Sunday, December 11
Where: Mom’s Cookie Bar
21 N Main St, Doylestown, PA 18901
Mom’s Cookie Bar is hosting several milk & cookies with Santa events, including professional photography for you and your family! Digital images will be provided and are included with your ticket. The ticket price is inclusive of a party of 3-4 guests and includes this 30-minute experience with Santa and your digital pictures. Book your time and tickets here!
Virtual Tour of Christmas at Glencairn
When: Friday, December 2; Thursday, December 8; Wednesday, December 14
Where: Virtual
Despite the Glencairn Museum being closed to the public until late 2023 for major infrastructure upgrades, several virtual programs will be offered while public tours are unavailable! The museum has several works of art depicting the Nativity and infancy of Jesus Christ and 2022 marks the first year since 2009 that Glencairn has not displayed Nativities at the museum. These live, Zoom programs will include archival photographs and video, learning about the history of these Nativity scenes as well as about the home of the Pitcairn family. Visit the link above for more details and tickets!
Souderton Tree Lighting & Parade Weekend
When: Friday, December 2 & Saturday, December 3
Where: 121 North Main Street, Souderton, Pa 18964
Starting on Friday, Souderton is coming alive for the classic holiday Tree Lighting ceremony with Santa on hand to greet families and take holiday photos! Guests can enjoy holiday tunes sung by Jackie Washam Cekovsky’s youth singers and are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys for the North Penn Goodwill Service’s Toys for Tots.
On Saturday, community members and beyond can line up on North Main Street and East Broad Street to watch the town’s holiday parade! “Be Creative” is this year’s theme, featuring a great lineup of floats, parade vehicles, performances, and appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claurs atop a festive red firetruck.
Candlelight Event
When: Saturday, December 3 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Peter Wentz Farmstead
2030 Shearer Road, Lansdale, Pa 19446
Come spend a lovely winter’s eve as the Peter Wentz property is illuminated in candlelight to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season! Register for timed tickets in order to tour the first floor of the historic home and learn about its history. In addition, guests can meet members of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment or stop by the summer kitchen to watch a cooking demonstration. Those brave enough are welcome to go to their Belsnickel to find out if they’ve been naughty or nice this year. Come attend this free event this weekend to kick off the holiday month!
Holiday Craft Shoppe
When: Saturday, December 3
Where: 1229 River Road, Upper Black Eddy, Pa
Take a drive to beautiful Upper Black Eddy to shop for unique paper-crafted items including holiday decorations, gifts, wrapping necessities, and more! Passion and paper are the primary ingredients used to create unique and beautiful one-of-a-kind products.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
When: Friday, December 2 – Sunday, December 18
Where: Heritage Center
635 N Delmorr Avenue, Morrisville, PA 19067
See a performance this weekend by ActorsNET of Bucks County! A sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set two years after the novel ends, Miss Bennet continues the story — only this time with bookish middle-sister Mary as its unlikely heroine. Mary is getting tired of the dutiful middle-sister role in the face of her siblings’ romantic escapades. When the family gathers for Christmas at Pemberley, an unexpected guest makes an appearance and sparks Mary’s hopes for independence and more. Get your tickets here!
Snowflake Festival
When: Saturday, December 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Buckingham Friends School
5684 York Rd., Lahaska, PA 18931
Join in on this family-friendly event where the campus of Buckingham Friends School will be transformed into a winter woodland! There is no entry fee, but families can purchase “snowflake tickets” for activities. The day will include crafts, a visit with the Snow Queen, cookies and hot cocoa, a wreath sale, and more!
12K o’ Christmas
When: Saturday, December 3 at 10 a.m.
Where: Tyler State Park
101 Swamp Rd, Newtown, PA 18940
Kick off the month by running a 12k (7.45 miles) in Buck’s beloved Tyler State Park! Conquer the hills and more while enjoying the park’s scenery. The course will be marked by kilometer marks and the pace limit is 14:53 per mile. For more race information and to sign up, click here!
PHestivaL of Trees Fundraising Event
When: Saturday, December 3 & Sunday, December 4
Where: The Pavilion Section at the King of Prussia Mall
Support five local animal rescues on this two-day “PHestivaL” – its third annual event in history! The holiday-themed family experience will feature trees decorated for the holidays, adoptable rescue pets, and Santa will be making an appearance. Last year, 150 trees were decorated and sold to distribute $48,000 between eight shelters. Learn more about this event here!
Who Was Here in 1776?
When: Sunday, December 4 at 7 p.m.
Where: Visitor Center of Washington Crossing Park
1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, Pa 18977
The park’s curator Kimberly McCarty will present a free lecture that looks beyond those who crossed the Delaware River to attack the Hessians in Trenton on December 25. This lecture will explore the lives and contributions of individuals who were a part of the event and the subsequent victories that followed. Registration is required for the free event here, for both virtual and in-person attendance.
New Jersey Weekend Happenings
Photos with Santa on a Harley
When: Saturday, December 3 & Sunday, December 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: 1100 US HWY 22 West Lebanon, New Jersey, 08833
Skip the mall and get your photo taken with Santa on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle! The event takes a $12 donation for the photo and proceeds will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. All are welcome!
Winter Farmers Market
When: Sunday, December 4; Sunday, December 11; Sunday, December 18
Where: Dvoor Farm
111 Mine Street, Flemington, Nj 08822
For three consecutive Sundays, Hunterdon Land Trust’s Winter Farmers Market will be open! Open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the market will feature various new vendors along with many returning favorites! Most farmers accept credit cards and parking is free. For more information, click here.
Vintner Wonderland
When: November 18, 2022 – February 26, 2023
Where: 72 North Bremen Avenue, Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215
Vintner Wonderland is a celebration of a successful harvest at Renault Winery. From ice skating with Flight on Ice to culinary and wine, there’s something for everyone this season at Renault. Experience the enlarged and improved outdoor Vintner Rink, open through February and designed for skaters of all ages and skill levels. On Friday, December 2, 2022, help light Renault’s famous barrel tree made from real wine barrels – located at the very center of all the holiday action. Santa Claus himself will be there to flip the switch!
Philly Weekend Happenings
Old City Holiday Shopping Pass
When: November 26, 2022 – December 30, 2022
Where: Old City District
Festivities kick off on Small Business Saturday, November 26, 2022, with the debut of the free Old City Holiday Pass! Sign up at www.oldcitydistrict.org and enjoy special offers and deals at dozens of shops, restaurants, museums, and attractions all holiday season long, through December 30th. Plus, have the chance to win weekly Old City holiday prize packs!
The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market
When: November 19, 2022 – January 1, 2023
Where: Dilworth Park
1 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market will once again return to Dilworth Park, featuring festively lit tents, a wide range of local merchants, craftsmen, designers, and small businesses from the greater region will offer their handmade holiday-inspired decorations, gifts, and fashions. After exploring the large selection of local vendors, Philly Phamous Foods is a quick and easy spot to enjoy Philadelphian-inspired favorites like roast pork sandwiches, or locally crafted sodas and snacks. The Market will be back in conjunction with other attractions like the Rothman Ice Rink, the Rothman Cabin, the “Deck the Hall” light show, and the Winter Garden at Dilworth Park. Along with the Christmas Village vendors in the City Hall Courtyard and North Broad section, both Holiday markets will complement each other and turn Center City Philadelphia into an extravagant winter wonderland!
U-Ville
When: Thanksgiving Week to New Year’s Eve
Where: Uptown Beer Garden
1500 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Inspired by the Dr. Suess classic, Uptown Beer Garden will be converted from top to bottom into a giant outdoor-indoor pop-up bar just in time for the holidays. The two million visitors coming for Christmas Village and Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market will be able to warm up under the giant tent, take in the thousands of sparkling lights, enjoy the festive tree decorations, warm up by the fire-pits and enjoy a trip down U-Ville lane!
Evil Genius Beer Company Festive Brewing
When: Kicks off Thursday, December 1
Where: Evil Genius Beer Company
The Lab in Fishtown, at 1727 N Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Celebrate the start of the official season on Thursday, December 1, 2022, with an Evil Genius Beer Company Tree Lighting Party titled Twas an Evil Christmas, which is open to the public, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with the tree lighting at 7:30 p.m. Evil Genius will light up the nearly 20-foot tree inside, and feature decorations across The Lab for the holidays. Outside, the Evil Genius Beer Garden will be transformed into a little winter wonderland, where you’ll be able to have a delicious beer or hot cider and hot wine while picking out your Christmas Tree from Front Street Trees. Other festivities include the Santa 0.5k charity race around the block on December 4th. Sleigh My Name Sleigh My Name Christmas Drag Brunch returns with two dates this year on Sundays, December 4th and December 11th, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and more to be announced.
Theatre Season
When: November 30 to December 23
Where: Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center
226 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380
Knauer Performing Arts Center is thrilled to announce the line-up for its first-ever self-produced theatre season, and the company’s first under the leadership of new Artistic Director Carmen Khan. This historic first season of professional theatre in downtown West Chester begins with William Gibson’s joyful play, The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph, Herod The Nut, & The Slaughter Of 12 Hit Carols In A Pear Tree, opening just in time for the holidays! The action follows a free-spirited Mary who had decided that men and marriage were not for her, a suddenly cautious Joseph who contends that he is too old for his intended, and a flustered boy-angel who directs each scene from a prompt book and can only manage to get the most strangled, bleating sounds from his trumpet. For more information and tickets, click here!
