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B e twe en C h ristmas and t he t ime t hat the Suga rHo us e N ew Ye a r ’s Eve Fi rewo r k s o n th e Water f ro n t l i g h t u p Pe n n ’s L an d in g and t he Mum m ers t a ke ove r Bro a d Stre e t fo r the i r annua l sp a rk l y ex t rava g a n z a , P h i l l y New Yea r ’s We e k is packed wit h act ivit ie s. So take ad va ntag e o f a ty p i cal l y sl ow wo rk we e k a n d s c h o o l va c at i o n s a nd grab th e family, out -of-town g ue sts o r a g ro up o f f r i e nd s to ki ck o f f 2 01 3 w i t h a we e k fu l l o f fu n . Light it Up:
2 8 P H I L A D E L P H I A W E E K L Y I D E C E M B E R 2 6 - J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 2 I P H I L A D E L P H I A W E E K L Y. C O M
1. For some folks, it isn’t the holidays until they find a spot at the eagle for the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s in Center City. Almost 100,000 LED lights illuminate this year’s show, a tradition since 1956. Through December 31. (215) 241-9000, wanamakerorgan.com
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f 2. It’s year four for The Comcast Holiday Spectacular
in the Comcast Center lobby. The show is set to the music of a 64-piece orchestra and spans the 2,000-square-foot, 10 million-pixel LED wall. The 15-minute show occurs hourly, 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (not 5:00 p.m. on weekdays). Through January 1.
visitphilly.com
6. For its Christmas Celebration, Adventure Aquarium
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transforms into an underwater winter wonderland, with decorations, twinkling lights, glowing trees, holiday characters and even snow—plus 8,500 animals. Through January 1. (856) 365-3300, adventureaquarium.com
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7. A Brandywine Christmas takes over the Brandywine
River Museum, home to a large collection of Wyeth family paintings. On view: a display of trees featuring a model railroad with more than 2,000 feet of track. Through January 6. (610) 388-2700, brandywinemuseum.org
On stage: 3. The holidays go red, white and green at Longwood
Gardens during A Longwood Gardens Christmas. Hundreds of thousands of lights, strolling carolers, daily concerts and sing-alongs brighten the gardens’ vast grounds and conservatory. Through January 6. (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org
Festive FUn: 4.The African American Museum in Philadelphia hosts
a Kwanzaa Celebration for the whole family with jam-packed afternoons of celebratory activities. Bring a donation of canned goods for Philabundance and get free admission. December 29-30. (215) 574-0380, aampmuseum.org
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5. Morris Arboretum’s Holiday Garden Railway
resembles a miniature winter wonderland where 15 different rail lines and trains cruise past scaled replicas of Philadelphia-area landmarks set along a quarter-mile train track with twinkling lights, loops and tunnels. Through December 31. (215) 247-5777, morrisarboretum.org
8. The Pennsylvania Ballet’s Sugarplum Fairy and
dancing snowflakes dazzle at the Academy of Music during george Balanchine’s the nutcracker™. Through December 30. (215) 790-5800, kimmelcenter.org