The Weekender: Dickens, X-Men and Kwanzaa

Check out some of the festive events around the city and nearby.  Click the EVENTS tab on the home page to see all the possibilities for the weekend.  Feel free to add your own in the comments section. 

WHAT:  
WHERE:  Westminster Arts Center, 449 Franklin St, Bloomfield
WHEN:  Friday  7:30
WHY GO:  A Christmas Carol: A musical adaptation of the tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who hated Christmas until ghosts take him on a journey into the past, the present and the future .... into the lives of his poor office clerk, Bob Cratchit and the crippled, cheerful Tiny Tim. The Yates Musical Theatre has brought these unforgettable characters from the page to the stage, added a melodious score and wrapped it all up in a beautiful holiday present of a production. A heart warming theatre experience to help put everyone in a holiday spirit.
COST:  General admission $10, seniors and students $8.

WHAT: 
WHERE:   NJPAC
WHEN:  Friday, Saturday and Sunday
WHAT:   Kwanzaa, Hannukah, Christmas—the holidays are coming! Take care of all of your gift-giving needs when NJPAC’s Prudential Hall Lobby transforms into a community marketplace featuring artisans and vendors of jewelry, art, books, bath and body products, clothing, home furnishings, pottery and much more. Free and open to the public!  Vendors include:  Be Fabulous, Dented Impressions, Global Linkages, Jewelry Clay Works, Just Us Books, Kendell Maliki, Must Have Accessories, Pillows and Thangz, Simply Greta, Suzette Art Couture, Top Shelf Tribal Truths, Yara International, Zuresh Bath and Body
HOURS:
   Friday, Dec 16 from 4:00–10:00pm
   Saturday, Dec 17 from 12:00–8:00pm
   Sunday, Dec 18 from 12:00–7:00pm

WHAT: 
WHERE: New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), 36 Park Pl, Newark, NJ
WHEN:  Saturday  
WHY GO: Bring the entire family for this afternoon of free Kwanzaa activities, from 12:00pm-5:00pm, including hands-on workshops (for adults and children) in African dance and music, storytelling, Capoeira, drumming and more. These workshops give families the opportunity to learn more about the Kwanzaa holiday and the African Diaspora. There will also be a Children's Book Fair, an Arts and Crafts Village featuring face painting, hands-on activities such as spirit masks, sekere crafting, Kwanzaa wish scrolls, and more.
Arts and Crafts Village     12:00–5:00pm Children’s Storyrooms   1:30 - 5:30.
Click on the heading for the full schedule   

WHAT:   
WHERE:   Belleville Library   
WHEN:    Saturday  2pm
WHY GO:  Enjoy a fun movie.  In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

WHAT:   
WHERE:   Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange
WHEN:     Friday, Saturday, Sunday
WHY GO:  Experience Turtle Back Zoo in the winter as 100,000 bulbs and 40 lit displays illuminate the zoo this holiday season!
COST:   Free.   Turtle Back Zoo will be collecting non-perishable food, winter coats and unwrapped new toys for the needy each evening of holiday lights.

WHAT:  
WHERE:   Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark
WHEN:     Friday, Saturday, Sunday    12:00pm–5:00pm
WHY GO:   This historically accurate installation offers the opportunity to step back in time to learn about nineteenth-century life and traditions. From the Christmas tree (a German tradition) to the wooden shoes by the hearth (a Dutch tradition) to the stockings on the chimney and plum pudding in the dining room (English traditions), visitors can get a sense of how Christmas evolved into a home-based secular holiday in the nineteenth century, linked to but distinct from the religious commemoration that was celebrated in church.
COST:  Museum Admission: Adult $10; Children, Seniors & Students with Valid I.D.: $6; Members free

WHAT: 
WHERE:   Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark
WHEN:     Friday, Saturday, Sunday    12:00pm–5:00pm
WHY GO:   Season of Light (Limited run)   Saturdays & Sundays, 2 pm - Recommended for adults and children ages 6 and up    40 minutes
Trace the development of many of the world's endearing holiday customs, all of which involve lighting up the winter season—from Yule logs and sparkling Christmas tree lights to the lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah. This show recounts the historical religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of winter solstice—not only Christian and Jewish, but also Celtic, Nordic, Roman, Irish, Mexican and Hopi.
Seven Wonders    Fridays, 2 pm  Saturdays & Sundays, 2 & 4 pm - Recommended for adults and children ages 9 and up    40 minutes
Turn back the pages of time and witness the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as they have not been seen for thousands of years. 
The Little Star that Could    Saturdays & Sundays, 1 & 3 pm - Recommended for adults and children ages 5 to 8   35 minutes
A little star is born all by himself.  Lonely for some friends, he embarks on a journey through the galaxy.  Along the way he meets different stars, learns about their lives, colors and temperatures.  At the end of his voyage he is introduced to a star cluster, the Milky Way and the planets in our Solar System.
COST:   Adults $15; children under 12, seniors, and college students $9 - includes Museum & Planetarium admission

WHAT:   
WHERE:  Kip's Castle, 22 Crestmont Road, Verona
WHEN:    Friday & Saturday    12:00pm–4:00pm
WHY GO:  Visit Kip’s Castle during the month of December for a self-guided tour of the first floor and experience the holidays circa 1928.

WHAT:  White Christmas
WHERE:  Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ
WHEN:    Nov 16 – Dec 24    (showtimes: http://www.papermill.org/whats-playing/season-at-a-glance/cat/cat_id/1.html)  
WHY GO:  Based on the beloved Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye film, this merry musical tells the tale of two famous song-and-dance men who stage a show in a scenic, snow-topped Vermont inn — and end up finding love with two singing sisters under the mistletoe.
COST:   $25 to $80