Celebrate the Holidays A-Z

Cookies with Santa

From performances to Santa visits to dazzling displays and much more, metro Atlanta has something to offer every good boy and girl this holiday season!

A: Animals

Take photos with Santa and your favorite animals during Cookies with Santa at Zoo Atlanta. Along with time with Santa, enjoy cookies, hot chocolate and holiday crafts; after your photo session, visit all of your favorite habitats. Dec. 7-8.

B: Botanical

Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Alston Overlook includes the fantastically decorated and running Holiday Model Trains for a cute Christmas display with landscaped mountains, a lake, bridges, Santa and more. The trains run day and night! Through Jan. 12.

A Christmas Carol at Alliance Theatre

C: A Christmas Carol

For the holidays, several metro Atlanta theaters perform this classic story about miserly Ebenezer Scrooge learning about the spirit of the season.

A Christmas Carol at Aurora Theatre. Dec. 6-22.
A Christmas Carol at Woodstock Arts. Dec. 6-24.
Invasion: Christmas Carol at Dad’s Garage. Dec. 7, 14 and 21.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. Dec. 7-23.
Storybook Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol Reimagined at Center Stage. Dec. 16-20.
A Christmas Carol at Alliance Theatre. Through Dec. 24.

D: Dance

Talented performers give a special glimpse into the magic of Christmas through dance.

‘Twas The Night Before…By Cirque Du Soleil at Fox Theatre. Nov. 29-Dec. 15.
Roswell Dance Starz Presents The Holiday Express at Roswell Cultural Arts Center. Dec. 7.
A Christmas Tradition at Strand Theatre. Dec. 13-22.

E: Elves

Get the PJ party started with Santa’s elves at Lanier Islands. Stay overnight with the Everything But Coal package featuring an elf tuck-in with a holiday story, cookies and milk, and holiday keepsakes. The next morning, enjoy a breakfast buffet and visit with Santa. Dec. 6-7, 13-14 and 18-21.

Stone Mountain Christmas

F: Festive Fun

Visit Stone Mountain Park to surround yourself with holiday magic at Stone Mountain Christmas featuring a Christmas Drone & Light Show, Santa lighting the Enchanted Tree, a journey through the Musical Frosted Forest, spectacular shows, holiday characters and more. New this year, journey to Santa’s enchanting world with Magical Flight to the North Pole. Through Jan. 5.

G: Gifts

In Gift of the Magi 2.0 at Marietta’s Theatre in the Square, Jim, an Atlanta streetcar driver struggling in the Atlanta Transit Strike of 1950, goes to great lengths to buy a Christmas gift for his wife. Unbeknownst to him, she’s also making sacrifices to afford a gift for him. Nov. 30-Dec. 8.

H: Hanukkah

This year, the Jewish Festival of Light starts on the evening of Dec. 25 and goes through Jan. 2. Honor the holiday with these menorah lightings around town.

Channukah Menorah Lighting at Town Green. Dec. 25.
Menorah Lighting at The Plaza. Dec. 29.
Menorah Lighting at Avalon. Dec. 29.
Menorah Lighting Ceremony at Doyal Hill Park. Dec. 30.

I: International Trees

Fernbank Museum’s Winter Wonderland showcases celebrations from holidays and winter festivals around the world with trees and displays representing Christmas, Hanukkah and other cultures. Nov. 23-Jan. 12.

A Kids’ Christmas

J: Joy

Hear the incredible sounds of “Joy to the World,” Christmas carols and holiday favorites at these joyful concerts.

Holiday Pops! at Marietta Performing Arts Center. Dec. 7.
Spivey Hall Children’s Choir Holiday Concert at Clayton State University. Dec. 7-8.
Annual Holiday Gala at Rialto Center for the Arts. Dec. 8.
Christmas with the ASO at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Dec. 12 and 14-15.
A Kids’ Christmas at Mount Pisgah Church. Dec. 14.
Holidays with the JCSO at Mount Pisgah Church. Dec. 14.

K: Kris Kringle

Straight from the North Pole, enjoy a visit with Santa for beautiful keepsake photos. Check websites for schedules, special events and reservations.

Christmas on the Farm at Southern Belle Farm. Nov. 29-Dec. 15.
Historic Norcross Christmas Village in Downtown Norcross. Dec. 7.
Christmas in Acworth at Depot Park. Dec. 7.
The Jolly Jingle Ball at Douglasville Cultural Arts Center. Dec. 13.
Holiday Cheer at The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. Dec. 14.

L: LEGO

Visit the LEGO Discovery Center for Holiday Bricktacular with heart creations, building a penguin, meeting the LEGO Gingerbread Man, tasting festive treats, wandering the holiday landscape of MINILAND and more. Nov. 29-Dec. 31.

Madeline’s Christmas

M: Madeline

Travel to Paris with Madeline at Horizon Theatre’s Madeline’s Christmas. When Madeline and her friends come down with the flu, they all wonder how Christmas will be celebrated. But with the arrival of a mysterious stranger, they get a holiday adventure beyond their wildest dreams! Dec. 7-31.

N: The Nutcracker

No holiday is complete without this classic ballet following young Clara’s adventures in a magical world.

Roswell Dance Theatre Presents The Nutcracker at Byers Theatre. Nov. 29-Dec. 8.
The Georgia Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Jennie T. Anderson Theatre. Dec. 5-9.
Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Cobb Energy Centre. Dec. 7-26.
Ballethnic’s Urban Nutcracker at Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. Dec. 14-15.
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet at Fox Theatre. Dec. 19-20.

O: Ornaments

Shop for ornaments, nutcrackers, household décor, arts and crafts and more at Christmas at Piedmont Church. Featuring more than 40 booths for holiday shopping, kids will love the children’s play area and free photos with Santa. Dec. 13-14.

P: PJ Party

Come dressed in your favorite holiday pajamas for the Holiday PJ Party + Festival of Trains at Tellus Science Museum. Taste cookies and milk, view the model train layouts with a scavenger hunt, explore holiday-themed science activities, and meet Santa, The Grinch and Frosty the Snowman. Dec. 14-15.

Q: Queen

Based on Disney’s film, watch the queen of Arendelle, Elsa, and her sister, Anna, take to the stage in Frozen: The Musical at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. Featuring a dozen new songs, you’ll also hear the memorable “Let It Go,” “Love Is An Open Door,” “In Summer” and more. Dec. 13-29.

R: Reindeer

Based on the beloved 1964 stop-motion special, visit the Center for Puppetry Arts to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Build a Santa String Puppet at the Create-A-Puppet Workshop and drop by the Festive Features exhibit to see the original Rankin/Bass Santa and Rudolph puppets. Through Dec. 29.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

S: Snoopy and Friends

The classic animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas comes to life with this national tour. Enjoy Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they uncover the true meaning of Christmas and perform songs from the unforgettable musical score and classic carols. Dec. 18.

T: Tea

Treat yourself to tea and holiday sweets with these special events featuring the holly, jolly man himself. Make reservations before you go.

Afternoon Tea with Santa at St. Regis Atlanta. Nov. 29-Dec. 1, Dec. 5-8 and 11-24.
Toys and Tea at The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta. Dec. 8, 14-15 and 21-23.

U: Unity

Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture that was created in 1966. The seven principles honored during Kwanzaa are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Celebrate Kwanzaa at these events.

V: Visit

Visit these venues for festive puppet performances.

Roswell Winter Puppet Series at Roswell Cultural Arts Center. Dec. 4-6 and 19-21.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas at Aurora Theatre. Dec. 7.
North Pole Fa La La La Follies at Aurora Theatre. Dec. 14.

W: Wonderful

Watch the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, following the story of George Bailey at Strand Theatre. Before watching the movie on the big screen, enjoy an organ pre-show. Dec. 17.

X: X Marks the Spot

Travel throughout Powder Springs for the Reindeer Scavenger Hunt. Santa’s reindeer have gotten loose, and you can follow the clues to find each reindeer. Once you’ve completed your card, stop by the Book Worm Bookstore for a prize bag. Dec. 2-Jan. 5.

Y: Yuletide

Explore the fun of past holidays at these historic events.

Holidays on the Farm at Atlanta History Center. Nov. 29-Dec. 1 and Dec. 20-22, 26-29.
Christmas Traditions Tour at Jarrell Plantation Historic Site. Dec. 5-8 and 13-15.
Christmas Comes to Liberty Hall at A.H. Stephens State Park. Dec. 7.
Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm Historic Site. Dec. 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21.
Holidays on the Home Front at Pickett’s Mill Battlefield Historic Site. Dec. 14.

License to Chill Snow Island

Z: Zip Down the Mountain

Relax in the great outdoors by making snow angels or snow people at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands’ License to Chill Snow Island. This dazzling winter wonderland features snow tubing, an ice skating rink, delicious food and more. Through Feb. 23.