Family Fun for Thanksgiving Weekend: Parades, Tree Lightings, and Holiday TV Specials

LongIsland.com

Wrap up your Thanksgiving break with great family fun wherever you are!

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This weekend, don't get burnt out over the Thanksgiving festivities - keep it fresh with new fun things to do in the area or at home.  This weekend, towns across Long Island will be ringing in the start of the Christmas season with parades and tree lightings, but if you would rather stay in for a quiet weekend, you can always start up the season in your own home by putting up decorations and putting holiday music on.  Keep the fun going and enjoy all of the family time you can share with your kids by relishing in activities together!

Out and About

Holiday Parades:  Saturday will be a busy day for winter and Christmas parades.  In Sayville, see actors in Dickens-era costumes, model train displays, and ice carvings for the Holiday Parade and Miracle on Main.  If you are looking to take pictures with Santa, the Port Jefferson Santa Claus Parade will be held Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., and you will be able to snag a photo with the big guy at Drown-Meadow Cottage at the end of the route.  Huntington’s Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held later that night, and will also have an opportunity for taking pictures with Santa.  For more on holiday parades in your area, click here.

Holiday Lightings: Saturday is quite the busy day for not just parades, but tree lightings and menorah lightings as well.  Here is the roundup for the lightings this weekend:

Skating on the Harbor: The Rinx at Port Jefferson is officially open for the season on Friday, November 28 at 10 a.m.!  Take the whole family down, or take a special someone to skate around and take in the beauty of Port Jefferson Harbor.  Click here for session times.  Skate rental is $5.50 per person, or bring your own skates (but no double skates please). 
 

A Weekend Inside

Holiday Specials:  This weekend, kick back and relax from all of the entertainment by letting yourself be entertained for once.  The internet sensation, Grumpy Cat, will make her television debut in her hotly anticipated movie. "Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever," where her inner thoughts will be voiced by Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Recreation.  The program will air on Lifetime on Saturday at 8 p.m.  Watch the trailer below!

If miffed cats isn’t your thing, you can tune into "Punkin Chunkin: Superchunk!" on the Discovery Channel, where teams go head to head in building trebuchets, catapults, cannons, and more to launch old Halloween pumpkins across fields to see who could get theirs to go the furthest.  See these pumpkins fly at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.

Game Night: Grab some friends for a good old fashioned game night!  Whether you prefer classics like Scrabble or Monopoly, or you are more daring and want to try Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples, there is a game out there for everyone that can easily make for a night of fun and conversation.  Top it off with snacks, drinks, and game-related motifs to make the night extra special.

Holiday Decorating:  Get proactive and put up your tree and decorations while the kids are home this weekend, and get everything done efficiently by assigning jobs.  It will sure to move much faster than decorating the house on your own, and you can go through old memories while sharing the history of your keepsake ornaments and decorations.

 

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