HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Pre-Christmas Family Fun alert: Bounce with Santa at Fun-E Farm on December 23rd!

 On Friday, December 23rd from 5-8pm Fun-E-Farm in the Hudson Valley Mall will be having a holiday pajama party. There will be tons of bouncing, snacks, treats, and Santa Claus! Wear your favorite holiday PJ's and get reduced admission.  Every child who attends will get a special holiday goodie bag.

Where to see holiday light displays in the Hudson Valley? 4 Cool Places for you

The Hudson Valley is getting into the holiday spirit with the dazzling holiday light displays. I got an email from Hudson Valley Tourism reminding me of this:  

"Albany's Holiday Lights in the Park is an annual event that has new themes each year. Drive through Washington Park with your radio specifically programmed to over 125 displays and scenes of Toyland, Santa on Vacation, and Victorian Holiday all lit up. The spectacular continues through January 2nd. In the mid-Hudson, the Festival of Holiday Lights in Ulster Park brightens up the winter skies to amaze children of all ages. Snuggle up on Frosty's Hayride, or drive through the amazing displays in the comfort of your car. Computer animatronics, live actors, and holiday music fill all of your senses with the magic of the holidays on December weekends and the 23rd."

I like Seamon Park for their holiday light display. The park is quiet and it a nice place to take the kids for a walk. I went there the other night. 

Adam's Fairacre Farms locations in Kingston, Wappingers, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie:  Kids love the Christmas decorations at Adams. They usually have the snowy train set out, and Free Photos with Santa on weekends. Call the store for details.

Frost Fest, Ulster Park. 845-339-2666, www.afrostyfest.com

Holiday Lights in the Park, Albany. 518-435-0392

www.albanycapitalholidaylights.com  

Where is your favorite place to see holiday lights in the Hudson Valley? Please post in the comments.

 

Battenfeld's Christmas Tree Farm: Choose & Cut Your Own Hudson Valley Christmas Tree!

 


 

As we hope for a winter snow storm, I thought I'd re-post this blog post about Battendeld's Christmas Tree Farm  I wrote last December. I like to see snow on the ground before I chop down my Christmas tree though so I will have to wait until next week.

I decided it would be fun to choose and cut our Christmas tree this year, and a friend recommended Battenfeld's Christmas Tree Farm in Red Hook.  It was easy to get to as it is right on Route 199. We parked the car, borrowed a saw at the office for $10 deposit, and were given brief instructions, and drove up the hill to pick out our Christmas tree. It was a bone-chilling 20F and my husband was very eager to use the saw, so it only took us 5 minutes to choose our tree, and took about 60 seconds to chop it. Timber! We hoisted it on top of the car, and went back to the main office area to get it prepped for its new home. All trees cost $55 including tax. I think it is definitely the best Christmas tree we have purchased since moving to the Hudson Valley 7 years ago. The guys at Battenfeld's were very cool, and did a great job securing the tree to the top of the car. It didn't even budge on the ride of the Kingston Bridge! Merry Christmas tree! Check out their website to check out there other events/offerings. Be sure to get there before 4pm too!

Christmas Season begins in the Hudson Valley! Save the dates!

 

This Friday, December 2nd Woodstock will be hosting its 30th Annual Holiday Open House from 5pm-9pm. On Saturday, December 3rd Rhinebeck will be hosting its annual Sinterklaas, an Old Dutch Tradition in Rhinebeck. On Sunday, Saugerties has its Holiday in the Village. If you are in the Hudson Valley this weekend, you will definitely get a good dose of holiday spirit on any of these holiday celebrations.

Here is a video I made last year, which is a compilation of all 3 of the above mentioned celebrations to Paul Simon's "Getting Ready for Christmas Day" song. Maybe you will spot yourself in one of them!

Christmas Eve 2010 in Woodstock, NY: Chaos, Reindeers, Santa Claus, and Robbie Dupree!

Christmas Eve in Woodstock was a success for me at last! Every year since 2004 I have celebrated Christmas here, I end up missing him because I get to town too late, or it is too cold to leave the house. This time, I got there at 4:30pm to get a parking spot, and then had to walk around with the kiddos until he arrived around 5:30 ish. The town was really packed, and the kids were getting impatient.

We were trying to warm up inside Tinker Toys gift shop, when a good samaratin gave came in and screamed, "Santa's here! I see a lot of lights flashing!" Unfortunately, it was dark, and my camera doesn't take good night time photos I'm finding out. I wasn't able to capture Santa on film, but I did get a photo of Rudolph the Reindeer and singer Robbie Dupree. (Click here to read my interview with him). I got to tell him in person how much I enjoyed his performance in Bearsville last October where Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance and sang "Steal Away" with him. All in all, it was another fun and chaotic Christmas Eve in Woodstock. All we need now is snow! Merry Christmas!

Scenes from a Grumpus Good Time at Sinterklaas in Rhinebeck

 

 



We had a great time at the Sinterklaas Celebration in Rhinebeck today. It runs until midnight, but I was exhausted by 3:00pm, so I only have daytime photos. My favorite part was seeing Grumpus perform in the parking lot. It was perfect as the kids could join in and be as loud as they wanted. Also loved the free hot chocolate at Leonardo's. I think we probably consumed a pint's worth on this chilly day. Thanks Leonardo! 

Rhinebeck Sinterklaas Holiday Celebration on Saturday, Dec 4th!

Rhinebeck Sinterklaas Holiday Celebration is an amazing annual holiday event that kids of all ages love! It is really not to be missed. There is a Bear Beauty Contest, Children's Parade, and a Spaghetti Dinner.  It is being held this Saturday, December 4th from 10 am midnight.  To see all the great Sinterklaas events, visit the Rhinebeck Sinterklaas website. Merry Chirstmas! To see what fun I had last year, read my blog post about the Rhinebeck Sinterklaas celebration I wrote last December.