North Kensico Christmas Light Show
The homes along Pelham Parkway in the Bronx and in Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights neighborhood are famous for their over-the-top lights. In Westchester, we have this stretch of homes along North Kensico Avenue in White Plains decked out in glitzy, colored lights that flash and twinkle to holiday tunes.
The Nutcracker
Lincoln Center isn’t the only place to see Tchaikovsky’s iconic Christmas ballet. Catch the Westchester Ballet Company’s annual production at the County Center in White Plains on Dec 13–15; Central Park Dance’s staging at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on Dec 15; and a trio of hour-long, kid-friendly performances by the New York Theatre Ballet at Tarrytown Music Hall (also on Dec 22). They’re all a fraction of the cost of heading to NYC.
Music Hall Market
Just like the holiday fair at Grand Central, Tarrytown Music Hall transforms into a holiday market — albeit for just one day on Dec 15 — with giftable products from more than 30 local artisans. Expect art, jewelry, pottery, clothing, food, and more, plus visits with Santa, songs from the Music Hall Academy Show Choir, and chair massages to relieve holiday stress.
Holiday Train Show at Lasdon Park & Arboretum
The New York Botanical Gardens’ miniatures of the skyline and Brooklyn Bridge are can’t-miss holiday attractions. At Lasdon Park, you won’t have to bear the crowds to get up close to trains. Held on the first three weekends of December, the event deconstructs the experience with holiday plants in the tropical arboretum and trains snaking through replicas of NYC, Westchester, and the North Pole in the main house.
Holiday Décor at Mulino’s in White Plains
It’s not quite as extensive as Rolf’s in Manhattan (you can actually see the ceiling), but it’s still plenty festive. Started in the 1990s with a few decorations, Mulino’s has been adding to its collection of wreaths, trees, lights, and fake snow every year, upping the ante with menu specials, carolers, and chestnuts roasting over … you know the rest.
Christmas Trees at Bartow-Pell Mansion
Just as New Yorkers have the artistic trees at The Met and the Museum of Natural History, we have the ones at Bartow-Pell. Every year, the 19th-century mansion commissions custom designs on a theme for a series of trees.
Tree Lighting at Winter Wonderland
Admittedly, it’s not Rockefeller Center. (The biggest “celebrity” you’re likely to see is George Latimer.) But the lighting of the 40’ tree, with the floodlit Kensico Dam as the backdrop, includes the Valhalla event’s other attractions, from ice skating and kid-friendly rides to light shows and food trucks.
