The Philharmonic gets ready to begin the 2014 Gingerbread Concert.
Photo provided by Lynn University
By Janis Fontaine
The 13th annual Gingerbread Holiday Concert by the Lynn University Philharmonic returns from campus to the Great Hall in the Boca Raton Resort & Club at 3 p.m. Dec. 13.
The 80-member Lynn University Philharmonic’s program features the concert suite from the animated film The Polar Express, based on the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.
Composers Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard wrote the suite, which includes a medley of the songs Believe, The Polar Express, When Christmas Comes to Town and Spirit of the Season. A Hanukkah medley and a six-song sing-along, under the direction of Guillermo Figueroa, balance the program.
A pre-show reception features champagne (for parents) and gingerbread cookies. New this year, Santa will pose for photos with kids and adults. Another perfect place for the photo is in front of the 30-foot decorated tree surrounded by gaily wrapped oversized gifts.
This annual concert is an important fundraiser for the Lynn Conservatory of Music. It supports the scholarship that many of the conservatory’s 103 students depend on for their tuition and expenses.
Tickets, $35, are available in advance only.
If you go: Gingerbread Holiday Concert, 3 p.m. Dec. 13, Boca Raton Resort & Club Great Hall, 501 E. Camino Real. Admission: $35 (includes valet) through the box office at 237-9000 or online at events.lynn.edu/upcoming-events/
Cruising with Santa
Delray Yacht Cruises will host a Cookie Cruise with Santa on select days in December.
Get in the spirit, Florida-style, on a yacht cruise of the Intracoastal Waterway. A light ocean breeze will likely ruffle some whiskers, and festive music will blend with the sound of waves lapping the hull of the Lady Atlantic.
The adventure will begin and end at Veterans Park in Delray Beach.
Boarding begins at 9:30 a.m. and the boat will leave the dock at 10:30 a.m. and return at noon. Visitors will cruise south through Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Highland Beach.
Parents can sip coffee or tea and admire the architecture of the homes lining the Intracoastal while kids can visit with Santa, enjoy a craft activity, and nosh on cookies and other treats.
If you go: Cruising with Santa, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 12, 19 and 20, Veterans Park, 802 NE First St., Delray Beach. Admission: $20, which includes a visit with Santa, cookies and milk or hot chocolate or coffee and tea, and a craft activity. Reservations are required.
Info: Call 243-0686.
Dancers performing at last year’s Festival of Trees at Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.
Photo provided by Krystal Zaskey Photography
Children’s Gala
and Festival of Trees
The lovely Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach opened its doors for its annual Festival of Trees on Dec. 4. The exhibit, which features professionally decorated trees, will be open through Dec. 16. Last year nearly 5,000 people visited the festooned Fraser and Douglas firs scattered throughout the 1.7-acre garden.
One popular highlight of this annual celebration is the Children’s Gala, which takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 13.
This year, Hansa Creation Inc. brings a jungle-full of lifelike, life-sized stuffed animals to decorate the gardens.
Visitors will find flamingos balancing on one leg and a family of tigers resting after a long day. Have a family scavenger hunt to find all the animals artfully hidden among the garden’s rare palms and sculptures.
The theme of this year’s show is “The Joy of Holiday Traditions: Celebrating Family Heritage,” and it features more than 25 trees. Trees are sponsored by area patrons and businesses and are designed by local interior designers, artists, architects and florists, who leave no branch untrimmed and no light unlit.
Holiday music and special performances, including a performance by the Florida Dance Conservatory, are planned. Child-friendly treats, sips and nibbles round out this dreamlike experience.
If you go: The Children’s Gala, 5-7 p.m. Dec. 13, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, 2051 Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach. Admission: $40. The Festival of Trees also is open for “Community Days” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. through Dec. 12 and Dec. 14-16. Tickets for Community Days are $20 for adults, $7 for children. Info: Email Festivaloftrees@ansg.org, call 832-5328 or visit www.ansg.org.
Family dinner theater
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Make your reservations by Dec. 10 if you want to bring the family to dinner and a show at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach to celebrate the holidays.
At 5 p.m. Dec. 13, the children, youth and adults of the parish will be singing, dancing and starring in this production of the timeless Seuss tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A special surprise solo is also planned.
Dinner begins at 5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall with special menus for children (tomato bisque, grilled cheese, mini-hot dogs and dessert) and adults (Christmas salad, roast beef, fingerling potatoes, vegetables, rolls and dessert).
If you go: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 5 p.m. Dec. 13, First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, 33 Gleason St., Delray Beach. Admission: $7 adults, $5 children, or $20 for family. Reservations are required by Dec. 10 at 276-6338. Info: firstdelray.com.
A group of girls built a snow lady during last year’s Snow Day at Sugar Sand Park. This year’s Snow Day is Dec. 19.
Photo provided
Piles of Smiles ‘Snow Day’
Sugar Sand Park Community Center is at it again!
For the fifth year, visitors can experience a South Florida novelty. Snow!
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 19, chidren ages 4 to 12 can play until their hands freeze in 25 tons of real snow.
And there’s so much more! A giant inflatable polar bear slide, bounce house and ride, a sock-skating rink, obstacle course games, a sweet treat decoration station, a holiday theme craft, music and appearance by special characters are planned.
Adult admission is included with paid child admission, but rides and activities are for children only.
They’ll also have food vendors on site, and the Florida Panthers hockey team’s Panther Patrol will return in the team’s tricked-out interactive party-mobile. An 88-foot street hockey rink will thrill hockey fans.
If you go: Snow Day at Sugar Sand Park, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 19, 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton. Admission: $12 in advance, $15 at the gate. Info: 347-3948 or www.SugarSandPark.org.
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