december holidays guide 2012
DESCRIPTION
A complete guide to family-friendly holiday events in the Gainesville, FL area. Listings include: Christmas events, places to see Santa, places to see holiday lights, holiday shows, holiday concerts, winter break camps, childrens programs and more!TRANSCRIPT
Over 1000 listings of kids activities around Gainesville
Inside This Edition
Winter Break Camp Giveaway 4
Family Events 6
Holiday Shows 8
Holiday Concerts 10
Places to See Santa 12
Holiday Lights 14
Christmas Tree Farms 14
Winter Break Camps 16
Library Programs 18
Story Times 19
Ongoing Programs and Classes 20
Restaurant Fun 22
Kids Eat Cheap/ Free Nights 23
At the Movies 24
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December 2012 Family Events
M Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
30
4H Holiday Gift Workshop
Agbedidi Dance
Alachua Tree Lighting
Gainesville Community Nativity Festival
Riders in the Sky
Starry Night
Stellar Madrigals
Tioga Town Center Holidays
1
A.C.E.S. Winter Carnival
Agbedidi Dance
Chiefland Christmas Festival
Christmas on the Square
Dudley Farm Cane Day
Gainesville Community Nativity Festival
Gainesville EcoTour Hike
Gainesville Holiday Tree Lighting
Literacy Carnival
Paynes Prairie Family Birding Program
Synchro Gainesville Breakfast
Williston Christmas Parade
2
Special Olympics Culmi-nating Event
Gainesville Community Nativity Festival
Gainesville EcoTour Hike
Haile Homestead Holidays
Gainesville Plaza Ice Palace 12/3—1/13
Winter Wonderland 11/23—1/6
3 4 5
UF
Robotics
Demos
6
Harn Homeschool Program
Kids Night at the Attic
Just Between Friends Sale
7
Christmas on Main Street in Trenton
Haile Homestead
Candlelight Tours
Just Between Friends Sale
Light the Village Night
NFRMC Pond Lighting
8
Alachua Christmas Parade
Christmas in the Park
Christmas Party at the Learning Path
Dudley Kids
Hawthorne Christmas Festival
High Springs Christmas Parade
Holiday Cruz-In
Just Between Friends Sale
Lake City Winter Family Fun Day
Merry Melrose Parade /Craft Fest
UF Gator Baseball Camp
9
Just Between Friends Sale
Magnolia Farms Family Day
10 11 12
Mommy and Me on stage
Winter in the Wild
Anna Moo
Program
13
Harn Museum Night
Winter in the Wild
14
Coon Hollo Christmas
Lake City Holiday Crafts Bazaar
Sun Country Family Fun Night
15
Coon Hollo Christmas
Lake City Holiday Crafts Bazaar
Christmas for Kids
Gainesville EcoTour Hike
LifeSouth’s Operation Santa Delivery
Newberry Festival of Lights
Reindeer Run
Santa Dash
Shakerag Family Christmas
Sugar Plum Tea
UF Gator Softball Winter Camps
Yoga Workshop for ADHD kids
16
Coon Hollo Christmas
Gainesville EcoTour Hike
Lake City Holiday Crafts
Bazaar
Faith Presbyterian Living
Nativity
17 18 19 20 21 22
EARS Animal Sanctuary Tour
Gainesville EcoTour Hike
23
Gainesville EcoTour Hike
Trinity UMC Living Nativity
24
25
26
27 28 29
EARS Animal Sanctuary Tour
30
31 Holiday Shows— page 8 | Holiday Concerts— page 10 | Places to see Santa—page 12 | Holiday Lights— page 14
Holiday Shows
A Tuna Christmas playing at the Hippodrome: 11/23—12/23
A Christmas Carol playing at the Hippodrome: 11/24 – 12/22
White Christmas playing at the Gainesville Community Playhouse: 11/23 - 12/23
Peter Pan and Wendy playing at P.K. Yonge Performing Arts Center: 11/29 - 12/2
Black Nativity: A Gospel Play playing at the Actor’s Warehouse 11/30—12/9
Christmas Belles playing at High Springs Community Theater: 11/30 – 12/16
Gainesville Christmas Festival playing at Westside Baptist Church: 11/30 – 12/9
How to Eat Like a Child presented by Musical Me Theater playing at GHS 11/30 – 12/2
A Children’s Holiday playing at Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall: 12/1
Boar’s Head Festival playing at First Lutheran of Gainesville: 12/7 and 12/9
Christmas Circus Spectacular playing at the Equestrian Complex in Ocala 12/8 and 12/9
Cinderella performed by Danscompany playing at the Phillips Center: 12/8
Sleeping Beauty and the Saving Prince performed by Doxa Dance Company 12/8
The Nutcracker performed by Dance Alive playing at the Phillips Center: 12/14—12/31
The Little Match Girl performed by the Gainesville Ballet Theatre 12/19—12/22
Holiday Concerts
Tioga Town Center Holidays: 11/30, 12/1, 12/7, 12/8, 12/14, 12/15
Gainesville Youth Chorus Holiday Concert playing at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church 12/1
Jingle Bell Choir at the Oaks Mall 12/1 and 12/15
Sounds of the Season playing at The Phillips Center 12/2
UF Carillon Recital playing downtown Gainesville 12/2
Christmas with the Annie Moses Band playing at Trinity UMC 12/5
Christmas Concert playing at First Baptist Church of Alachua 12/8 and 12/9
Handel’s Messiah Concert playing at UF University Auditorium 12/8
Winter Solstice Concert playing at UU Fellowship 12/8
Alachua County Youth Orchestra Holiday Concert playing at the Phillips Center 12/9
Holiday Traditions: A Musical Celebration playing at the Phillips Center 12/9
Lessons and Carols playing at United Church of Gainesville 12/9
Christmas Cantata playing at Trinity UMC 12/12
Gainesville Pops Holiday Concert playing at First United Methodist Church 12/15
Holiday Harmonies playing at Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall 12/15
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols playing at First Presbyterian Church 12/16
Gainesville Community Band Bright Christmas Concert playing at SFC Fine Arts Hall 12/16
Places to See Santa
Operation Letters to Santa through 12/13
Santa at the Oaks Mall through—12/24
Festival of Lights at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center 11/30—12/30
Winter Wonderland in St. Augustine through 1/6
City of Alachua Tree Lighting 11/30
Tioga Town Center Holidays: 11/30
Gainesville Christmas Festival playing at Westside Baptist Church: 11/30 – 12/9
Christmas on the Square in Live Oak 12/1
Holiday Tree Lighting at the Thomas Center 12/1
Suwannee Lights at Suwannee Music Park 12/1—12/24
Light Up the Village Night at Haile Plantation Village Center 12/7
Pond Lighting at North Florida Regional Medical Center 12/7
Alachua Christmas Parade 12/8
Bouncin’ Big Cookies and Cocoa with Santa 12/8
Chick-fil-A Breakfast with Santa 12/8
Christmas Circus Spectacular 12/8 and 12/9
Christmas in the Park 12/8
Christmas Party at the Learning Path 12/8
Hawthorne Christmas Festival 12/8
Holiday Cruz-In and Food Drive 12/8
Lake City Winter Family Fun Day 12/8
Merry Melrose Parade and Craft Festival 12/8
Photos with Santa at Saint Leo University 12/8
High Springs Branch Library Santa Extravanganza 12/11
Millhopper Branch Library Meet Santa Event 12/12
Coon Hollo Christmas 12/13—12/16
Lake City Holiday Crafts and Bazaar 12/14—12/16
Silver Springs Festival of Lights 12/14—12/31
LifeSouth’s Operation Santa Delivery 12/15
Newberry Festival of Lights 12/15
Santa Dash 12/15
Shakerag Family Christmas 12/15
Holiday Lights
Festival of Lights at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center 11/30—12/30
Cedar Key Christmas 11/23—12/24
Winter Wonderland in St. Augustine through 1/6
City of Alachua Tree Lighting 11/30
Tioga Town Center Holidays: 11/30
Chiefland Christmas Festival 12/1
Holiday Tree Lighting at the Thomas Center 12/1
Suwannee Lights at Suwannee Music Park 12/1—12/24
Christmas on Main Street in Trenton 12/7
Light Up the Village Night at Haile Plantation Village Center 12/7
Pond Lighting at North Florida Regional Medical Center 12/7
Alachua Christmas Parade 12/8
Christmas at Coon Hollo 12/13—12/16
Silver Springs Festival of Lights 12/14—12/31
Newberry Festival of Lights 12/15
Christmas Tree
Farms
BK Cedars in Alachua
Gibbs Christmas Tree Farm in Citra
Kandy Kane Christmas Treeland in Anthony
Neilson’s Christmas Tree Farm in Trenton
Unicorn Hill Christmas Tree Farm in Gainesville
Winter Break Camps
December
20th & 21st
December
26th—28th
December
31st &
January 2nd
Half Day Full Day
Camp Good
News X X x
City of
Gainesville X X X x
Dreamstone
Farm X X X x
Elite Pro Ball X + 29th x
Florida
Museum of
Natural
History
X X X
French, Fun
Food and
Foreign
Languages
X X X X
Girl’s Place X X x
Harn
Museum X x
Madonna’s
Equestrian
Academy
X X X (+3rd and 4th) x
O2BKids X X X (2nd only) x Skate Station
Funworks X X X X x
Star Martial
Arts X X X X
Sun Country
Sports Center X X X (2nd only X X
YMCA X X X x
December 2012
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Color Code Guide: Alachua Archer Cone Park
Hawthorne Headquarters High Springs Library Partnership
Micanopy Millhopper Newberry Tower Road Waldo
1
Musikgarten 11AM
2
Kidding Around Yoga 2PM
3
Decorate the Tree 3:30PM
Yu-Gi-Oh 4PM
Wii Gaming 4:30PM
4
Homework Help 3:30PM
Beading w/Avalon 3:30PM
Penguin Craft 3:30PM
Wii Fun 3:30PM
Lego Club 4PM
5
Jack and the Beanstalk Puppet Show 11AM
Tonewood Family Music 1:30PM
PreTeen Book / Craft Club 2PM
Internet Safety 3PM
Wii Gaming 3:30PM
6
7
8
ContARTE 10:30AM
The Hobbit Movie
Marathon All Day
9
Holiday Craft 2PM
10
Yu-Gi-Oh 4PM
Winter Won-derland Crafts 4PM
11
Santa Extravanganza 2:30PM
Homework Help 3:30PM
Lego Club 4PM
12
Literacy Tutoring 1PM
PreTeen Book / Craft Club 2PM
Wii Gaming 3:30PM
Girls Tea Party 3:30PM
Meet Santa 6:30PM
13
Arts & Crafts 4PM
14
Mon-key Day 3:30PM
15
Baby & Toddler Yoga 11AM
Game Day 2PM
16
17
Yu-Gi-Oh 4PM
18
Homework Help 3:30PM
Beading w/Avalon 3:30PM
Lego Club 4PM
Holiday Origami 4PM
19
Gingerbread House Contest 1PM
Literacy Tutoring 1PM
Tonewood Family Music 1:30PM
PreTeen Book / Craft Club 2PM
Wii Game Day 3:15
Wii Gaming 3:30PM
20
21
BINGO 3:30PM
22
Puppet Man and
Storybook Lady 11AM
23
24
CLOSED
25
CLOSED
26
Harry Potter Movie Marathon 12PM - 5PM
Literacy Tutoring 1PM
PreTeen Book and Craft Club 2PM
Wii Gaming 3:30PM
27
Harry Potter Movie Mara-thon 12PM - 5PM
28
Harry Potter Movie Mara-thon 12PM - 5PM
29
Harry Potter Movie Marathon 12PM - 5PM
30
31
Miss Mallory’s Favorite Books of 2012 10:30AM
Click HERE to go straight to the Events Calendar on the Alachua County Library website.
Movies at the Library: page 24
Library Programs
Tuesdays
Library Partnership 9:30AM
High Springs 11AM
Tower Road 10:30AM & 7:00PM
12/11
Chick-Fil A Archer Rd. 5:30PM
2nd Tuesdays
Story Times Thursdays
Hawthorne 10AM
Milhopper 10:30AM
Headquarters 10:30AM
Alachua 11AM
Wednesdays
Cone Park 10AM
Learning Path 10:30 (RSVP PLEASE)
Headquarters 10:30 9/19 (Bilingual)
Millhopper 11AM— 12/5 & 12/19
Newberry 11AM
Micanopy 11:30AM
Fridays
PJ Tot Shabbat 9:30AM
Sundays
Contadores de Estorias 3:30PM—once a mnonth
On-Going Programs & Classes
Mondays Every Monday
Homeschoolers Park Day
Yopp Creative Kids Mornings
Every other Monday
Art Classes with Jane Gravois
Tuesdays Every Tuesday
O2BKids Morning Magic
Sun Country Stay and Play
Bilingual Enrichment for Preschoolers
Chick-fil-A Family Night
Yopp Creative Kids Mornings
Last Tuesday
Tot Time at the Harn
Wednesdays Every Wednesday
Barnyard Buddies (Sept—May only)
Eco Tour Environmental Hike
O2BKids Morning Magic
Yopp Creative Kids Mornings
Dudley Farm Craft Workshop (Oct-July)
Third Wednesday
Loga Springs Play Therapy Seminar
Thursdays Every Thursday
O2BKids Morning Magic
Bilingual Enrichment for Preschoolers
Yopp Creative Kids Mornings
Second Thursday
Harn Museum Night
First and Third Thursday
Skate Station Roller Skating Playdate
Fridays Every Friday
O2BKids Parents Night Out
PJ Library Tot Shabbat
Sun Country Stay and Play
Yopp Creative Kids Mornings
First Friday
Feed-a-Frog Friday (Sept—May only)
Sun Country Little Lunchers
Tot Time at the Harn
Second Friday
Sun Country Family Night
Movies on the Square
Third Friday
Trinity UMC Parents Night Out
Fourth Friday
YMCA FridayFun Night
Saturdays Every Saturday
O2BKids Morning Magic
Corks N Colors Family Art Class
French Club
Living History Days
Planetarium Kids Matinee
Michael’s Kids Craft Events
Mill Creek Farm Retirement Home for Horses
Skate Station Skating Lessons
First Saturday
Home Depot Kids Workshop
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens Guided Tour
Second Saturday
Hogtown Reptile Shop Children’s Program
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic
Dudley Kids
Third Saturday
Family Fishing Day
Old Time Dance at O’Leno Park
Fourth Saturday
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic
Sundays Every Sunday
Family Fun Shoot
Second Sunday
Gainesville Hoola Hoop Jam
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic
Fourth Sunday
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic
Library Turn to page 20 for library programs
Cade Museum Click HERE to see this month’s programs
Click HERE to go to the
Ongoing Programs page
on the website.
Restaurant Fun
Magic Mike Beef O’Brady’s on 43rd St: Tuesdays 5:30-8:30
Sonny’s BBQ on Archer Road: Mondays 5:30-8:30
Moe’s on Newberry Rd: Sundays 12-3
Space Walk of Gainesville
Beef O’Brady’s on Archer Road: Tuesdays 5-8PM
Cody’s Roadhouse
Monday Nights
Magician performs tableside
Chick Fil-A Fun Nights
Tuesday Nights:
Arts & Crafts, Games and Entertainment
Gator’s Dockside Tuesday Nights
Clown / Balloon Artist
Texas Roadhouse Tuesday Nights
Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Games, and Prizes
and Andy the Armadillo
Mexico Lindo
Tuesday Nights : Mariachi Band
Kids Eat Cheap
Every Day
Crispers - Kids 12 and under eat for .99 when wearing Kids Club t-shirt
IHOP - Kids 12 and under eat FREE with purchase of adult meal / 4 -10pm
Sundays
Mamma Mia Kids 9 and under eat
FREE at buffet w/ adult purchase
Steak and Shake - Kids 12 and under
eat FREE with purchase of adult meal
Stevi B’s Kids eat for .99 at the buffet
after 4 pm
Tuesdays
Beef O'Brady's - Kids 12 and under
eat FREE with adult purchase /Dine In
Only from 4 - 8pm
Cody’s Original Steakhouse
Kids 10 and under eat FREE with adult
purchase
Gainesville Ale House - Kids 12 and
under eat FREE with purchase of
adult meal
Gator’s Dockside - Kids under 12
years of age, l child per adult eat
FREE / 6:00-8:30 PM
I Love NY Pizza in Haile—Kids 10 and
under eat free with adult purchase
Kazbor's Grille - Kids 10 and under
eat FREE with adult purchase
Texas Roadhouse - Kids 12 and under
eat for $.99 with adult purchase / 4 -
8pm
Mondays
Bubbaque’s—Kids 8 and under eat
FREE with paying adult
Cody’s Original Steakhouse -Kids 10
and under eat FREE with adult pur-
chase
David's Real Pit BBQ - One FREE kid's
meal with one adult meal purchased
Newberry’s Backyard BBQ—$1.50 Kids
meals with adult purchase
Pazza Bistro—.99 Kids meals for kids
10 and under with adult purchase
Saturdays
Piccadilly Restaurants - .99 Kid's
Meals and $1.99 Big Kids meals / All
day Thursdays /11-4 on Saturdays
Steak and Shake - Kids 12 and under
eat FREE with purchase of adult meal
Wednesdays
Applebee’s – Kids eat for .99 price w/
adult purchase
Blue Highway Pizzeria—Kids eat for $1
with adult purchase of pizza or pasta
4-7PM
Haile Village Bistro - Kids eat FREE
Mamma Mia Kids 9 and under eat
FREE at buffet w/ adult purchase
O!O Tapas and Tinis—Kids eat free off
the kids menu with adult purchase
Sisters—Kids eat free off the kids
menu with adult purchase.
Zaxby’s - 2 kids meals for $.99 with
adult purchase
Thursdays
Piccadilly Restaurants - .99 Kid's
Meals and $1.99 Big Kids meals / All
day Thursdays /11-4 on Saturdays
Fridays
Burger King—Kids eat for .99 with
adult purchase
At the Movies
Free Movies at the Library
Every Monday 4PM / Headquarters
Every Wednesday 3PM / Newberry
Every Thursday 3:30PM / High Springs
December 1st 1PM / Tower Road
December 1st 2PM / Millhopper
December 4th 3:30PM / High Springs
December 16th 2PM / Micanopy
Click HERE for current show times