Children’s Museum of Atlanta to honor holidays around the world with Celebrations in Light

Families are invited to jingle all the way to Children’s Museum of Atlanta for festive fun during the merriest month of the year! Beginning December 2, the Museum will honor holidays and traditions from around the world with the debut of Celebrations in Light. Each week in December will feature a different holiday – Las Posadas, Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanza – and include themed story time, art projects, special workshops, guest artists and more for families to enjoy. Whether it’s participating in familiar traditions or discovering a different culture, elves of all ages are guaranteed to get into the spirit of the season with the Museum’s hands-on, interactive holiday programming!

Magic Tree House® exhibit-themed daily programming will continue in conjunction with Celebration in Lights. All programs are included with admission unless otherwise noted.

Celebrations in Light: Matsiko World Open Choir
Friday, December 2 at 2 p.m.
In this festive kick-off to the month-long Celebrations in Light activities, 18 children from Peru, Liberia and India will perform at the Museum as part of the Matsiko World Orphan Choir. Sharing a message of hope for the world’s 600 million orphaned and at-risk children, Matsiko will perform energetic and dynamic cultural dances in full, vibrant costumes while singing original songs. 

Celebrations in Light: Las Posadas
Saturday, December 3 –Friday, December 9
A 9-day Latin religious celebration, Las Posadas is commonly observed in Mexico and by Mexican-Americans in the Southwest United States. Families celebrate the holiday in the evenings by participating nightly in Christmas processions that re-create the Holy Pilgrimage of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus during their journey to Bethlehem.

• Special Story Time
  Weekdays at 1 p.m., Saturdays at 12 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
  • “Un, Dos, Tres, Posada!” by Virginia Kroll
    In this special story about Las Posadas, a young girl explains each step of the celebration process – from putting out Poinsettias to hanging the piñata – as she counts to 10 in English and Spanish. Sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary and filled with lively illustrations, this interactive reading event will allow kids to follow along by counting the different items mentioned.
  • “The Night Of Los Posadas” by Tomie de Paola
    In this luminous story from Tomie de Paola's, Sister Angie, who is always in charge of the celebration, has to stay home with the flu, while Lupe and Roberto, who are to play Mary and Joseph, get caught in a snowstorm. Just when they think the celebration is ruined, an unknown man and a woman arrive to take their place in the procession, and then mysteriously disappear at the end before they can be thanked. That night a Christian miracle is witnessed, for when Sister Angie goes to the cathedral and kneels before the statue of Mary and Joseph, wet footprints from the snow lead up to the statue.
• Special Music and Movement
  Weekdays at 2 p.m. and weekends at 3 p.m.
  Guests will join the Imaginators for a lively dance with their version of the children's musical bottle cap instrument the Corcholatas.
• Art Studio Projects
  Weekdays from 10 a.m. –3:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
  Children will create their own shining star – to represent the one that shined over the stable in Bethlehem when baby Jesus was born – or construct a homemade rosary to honor Mary, the Mother of God and learn how it relates to Las Posadas.
• Build It Lab
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
  Families will celebrate Las Posadas by building a manger for baby Jesus, which Mary and Joseph found in a stable at the end of their pilgrimage.
• Special Las Posadas Workshop
  Thursday, December 8 at 11 a.m.
  During this special workshop, guests will create a lantern to light the way in the dark by drilling holes in a coffee can and adding LED lights. Each child will also get to personalize their lantern by adding paint and decorations. Due to limited space available (max of 10 children and 10 adults), registration should be completed in advance. The price to attend the workshop is $3 and is not included in regular Museum admission. 

Celebrations in Light: Hanukkah
Saturday, December 10 –Friday, December 16
Known as the “Festival of Lights,” this eight-day Jewish holiday celebrates the fundamental rights of religious freedom. Hanukkah lasts for eight days in December, when the days are shortest and nights are darkest, and is observed by lighting one candle of the nine-branched Menorah each night.

• Special Guest Performer: Rabbi Brian Glusmn
  Sunday, December 11 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
  Guests can join Rabbi Glusman, a leader of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, for a fun Hanukkah performance featuring festive songs and stories.
• Special Story Time
  Weekdays at 1 p.m., Saturdays at 12 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
  • “Light the Candles: A Hanukkah Lift the Flap Book” by Joan Holub
    ​In this spirited story time, kids will enjoy all the fun happenings during Hanukkah – lighting the Menorah candles, opening presents, eating latkes and chocolates, playing the Dreidel game and more. With each turn of the page, another candle will be “lit,” as a new element of the holiday is depicted.
  • “Light the Menorah” by Jannie Ho
    Children will celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah with this interactive book that teaches the story of Macabees, how to making potato latkes and how to play Dreidal.
• Music and Movement
  Weekdays at 2 p.m. and weekends at 3 p.m.
  Kids will learn the Hanukkah Candle Dance and the Hora with the Museum’s fun Imaginators.
• Art Studio Projects
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
  Families will create candle holders using images of symbolic Hanukkah traditions or have the chance to design beautiful stained glass window decorations, which will include a picture of a Menorah.
• Build It Lab
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
  Children will break out their tools and build a mini-Menorah using recycled material.
• Special Hanukah Workshop
  Thursday, December 15 at 11 a.m.
  In this special workshop, kids will get the chance to build a Menorah with lights and decorations to last all eight nights of the holiday. Due to limited space available (max of 10 children and 10 adults), registration should be completed in advance. The price to attend the workshop is $3 and is not included in regular Museum admission. 

Celebrations in Light: Christmas
Saturday, December 17 –Saturday, December 24
**The Museum will close early at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 24 and will be closed all day on Sunday, December 25
The annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25 each year by billions of people across the world. Celebratory customs include completing an Advent calendar or wreath, gift giving, Christmas trees, wreaths and the story of Santa Claus.

• Special Guest Performer: The Piccadilly Puppets
  Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18; 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
  • Foxxy Christmas
    Saturday, December 17 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
    This special tale of Christmas spirit and friendship follows a hungry fox and a lonely bunny, as they try to find the true meaning of Christmas. Although there’s no mention of any reindeer in the forest, children will delight in Santa Claus’ appearance.
  • ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
    Sunday, December 18 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
    A merry tale with silly twists and turns, this classic holiday poem takes on a fresh twist, as the Piccadilly Puppets share the time-honored tale through the perspective of a mouse. 
• Special Story Time
  Weekdays at 1 p.m., Saturday at 12 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
  • “How Santa Got His Job” by Stephen Krensky
    This interactive story tells how Santa got his job of delivering presents around the world. From a chimney sweep to a postman and a circus performer, Santa tried it all with no luck. It wasn't until he met a group of festive elves, who helped him use all his special talents, that Santa was able to find his dream job!
  • “The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia” by Susan Rosson Spain
    Merry Christmas from the Peach State! Guests are invited to join the adventures of cousins Jacob and Ava, as they enjoy a Southern-style holiday hiking the Appalachian Trail, wandering through the Gold Museum and touring the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta. 
• Music and Movement
  Weekdays and Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.
  Who’s ready for some reindeer games? The Museum’s Imaginators will get kids moving and grooving as they dance and play to Christmas classics. 
• Art Studio Projects
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
  Kids can get in the festive spirit by constructing a Christmas wreath that is sure to become a staple for years to come or creating a colorful star ornament while listening to the Nativity story and learning about the Star of Bethlehem.
• Build It Lab
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
  Families will get the chance to become a Museum Maker and build stocking hangers out of wood. This seasonal take-home will be the perfect way to hang stockings for Santa to fill on Christmas Eve. 
• Special Christmas Workshop
  Thursday, December 22 at 11 a.m.
  ‘Tis the season! Guests and guardians will work together to build their own lit Christmas tree to cherish for years to come. Due to limited space available (max of 10 children and 10 adults), registration should be completed in advance. The price to attend the workshop is $3 and is not included in regular Museum admission. 

Celebrations in Light: Kwanzaa
Monday, December 26 –Friday, December 30
Kwanza is a week-long celebration held in the United States and others nations of Western African descent honoring African heritage. With seven core principles, each featured during one night of the seven-day celebration, Kwanza culminates with a feast and gift-giving.

• Special Story Time
  Weekdays at 1 p.m.
  • “My First Kwanzaa” by Karen Katz
    Author and illustrator Karen Katz's wonderful series of picture books for the very young offer a simple and fun way to get familiar with the traditions of holiday celebrations from different cultures. This special story time will help even the youngest children understand the seven days of Kwanza and the holiday’s importance.  
  • “K is for Kwanzaa : A Kwanzaa Alphabet Book” by Juwanda & Wilson-Max, Ken Ford  
    A great educational tool for teaching young children all about the Kwanzaa holiday, this fun story time will also help kids learn the alphabet in a memorable way.
• Music and Movement
  Weekdays at 2 p.m.
  Families will join the Imaginators for a special presentation of placing the seven Kwanzaa candles in the Kinara candle holder, while listening (and dancing) to the sounds of drums.
• Art Studio Projects
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m.
  During the Art Studio Project, kids will craft their own exotic Kwanza mask with candle stick hair, or they can make a miniature drum, while learning how music and dance plays an integral role in this holiday.
• Build It Lab
  Weekdays from 10:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m.
  To celebrate Kwanza, kids and adults will create and paint miniature Unity Cups.
• Special Kwanzaa Workshop
  Thursday, December 29 at 11 a.m.
  During this special workshop, guests will create wax candles with green, red and black colors, symbolizing the lighting of candles on the candelabra. Due to limited space available (max of 10 children and 10 adults), registration should be completed in advance. The price to attend the workshop is $3 and is not included in regular Museum admission. 

For more information on the Celebration of Lights or to support Children's Museum of Atlanta, visit childrensmuseumatlanta.org or call 404.659.KIDS [5437].