It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!

Lots of Christmas and Holiday Happenings going on around Birmingham this week.. From storytimes to crafts there’s a little something for everyone on this weeks calendar. If you’re looking for Santa you can find out where he’ll be on our Santa Sightings List.

Zoolight Safari is still going strong and the Festival of Lights at Oak Mountain is now open every night! Make sure to check them out with the family before it’s too late!

Have a great week!

Sunday December 7th

Snaps with Santa and the Magical Elves – Wrapsody Hoover
Face Painting, Cookies, storytime and pictures with Santa. A great afternoon of Holiday Fun!
Free Event
1pm -4pm

Honeyky Hanukah – Barnes and Noble Summit
Join us for a Hanukah Storytime featuring Honeyky Hanukah by Woody Guthrie. It’s Honey Hanukah time! A fun-filled story celebrating Hanukah with accompanying CD. Wear your pajamas!
7pm

American Girl, Girls Just Like Me: Festival of Trees – Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Celebrate the beauty of the season in The Gardens with American Girl fun! Enjoy crafting with fragrant plant material such as evergreen and cinnamon, a short hike, holiday story, and delicious treats while learning how your favorite American Girl characters celebrate the holidays.
$12 members
$15 non-members
2pm – 4pm

Holiday Open House – Springville Road Library
Springville Road Library wants to show its trons how much they are appreciated. Join staff for refreshments on this festive day.
2pm – 5pm

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Monday December 8th:

Holiday Family Night – Springville Road Library
Join us for a holiday storytime complete with stories, songs, and crafts.
6pm

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Tuesday December 9th:

Wacky Tacky Christmas Light Tour – Avondale Brewry
Presented by Fresh Air Family
Thousands of lights! Gravity defying displays! Mooning Santas! Blow-ups with more hot air than a room full of politicians! Join Fresh Air Family as we seek out the best of the worst light displays in town! Join us for this anti-Norman Rockwell celebration of our most outrageous traditions. Tacky sweaters and lighted headgear encouraged. We will have some tacky Christmas hats for sale at Avondale Brewing Company!

This year’s Wacky Tacky has been expanded to a two-hour tour with a mid-tour break at La Paz Restaurant in Crestline Village. Drink tickets will be $7 for margaritas, $5 for beer, $3 for soft drinks. Buy yours in advance to get faster service.

Email Events@FreshAirFamily.org with your bus time – family-friendly buses until 6:30 pm.

5:30, 5:50, 6:10, 6:30, 6:50, 7:10, 7:30, 7:50, 8:10, 8:30 pm.Reserve your seats via Paypal or a check to Fresh Air Family, P.O. Box 321038, Birmingham AL 35232. Don’t tarry — we have limited seating! Proceeds go to provide scholarships to kids for our award-winning camp programs.
$20 adults/$10 kids non-members, $15 adults/$7.50 kids members
Drink tickets for mid-tour break at La Paz in Crestline Village will be $7 for margaritas, $5 for beer, $3 for soft drinks. Buy yours in advance to get faster service.

Evenings at Emmet O’Neal Library
It’s the program you know and love, now a part of our new Evenings @ EOL series. Enjoy dinner at 5:30 pm and a live performance at 6:00 pm. All ages. No registration required.
The Elves and the Shoemaker from Atlantic Coast Theatre

A Taste of Christmas – Avondale Library
Elves are busy making a gingerbread man for Santa when disaster strikes. Who put “fairy dust” in the sugar jar and what will happen to Santa’s cookie? Can anyone save the day? Join the Avondale Youth Department for a family night of cookie caper fun with this skit. A 24-hour advance registration is required.
6:30pm

Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell! Come find out why!
11am

Baby Tales – North Shelby Library
A story time designed especially for babies and their caregivers. Stories and music provide interaction for the babies and time for caregivers to talk and share with each other. Ages: Birth to 18 months. Registration Required. Registration will begin one week prior to program date.
9:30am

All Ages Storytime – Homewood Public Library
Join us for music, puppets, dancing, and so much more in Story Time!
Large groups, we appreciate your call to 205-332-6619 to ensure adequate space.
10:30a

Family Tours, What’s in a Face– Birmingham Museum of Art
FREE // Meet in the Main Lobby
Join the Museum educators to explore the galleries in a fun, interactive experience! Discover Bart the Art Bat’s favorite artworks during these FREE, drop-in tours. After your tour, visit Bart’s ArtVenture to make an art project inspired by what you saw. What will you discover?

Explore the Museum for portraits with a Museum educator. How are the portraits in the galleries different from each other? Come back to Bart’s ArtVenture to create your own unique portrait!
10:30am

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Wednesday December 10th:

Afterschool Special – Emmet O’Neal Library
That Puppet Guy Lee Bryan presents a holiday puppet performance called “Trouble in Toyland.”
3:30pm

Santa Claus Storytime – Springville Road Library
There will be stories, songs, crafts, and Christmas festivities. Don’t forget the photo op with Santa.
10am

PJ Storytime – Hoover Public Library
Wear your pajamas to the library for stories, songs, and a bedtime snack
6:30pm

10:45am

All Ages Storytime – Homewood Public Library
10:30am

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Thursday December 11th:

Mommy and Me Storytime – Homewood Public Library
Storytime for the youngest patrons and friends.
9:30am and 10:30am

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Friday December 12th:

Storytime The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition – Barnes and Noble Summit
A special holiday Storytime featuring The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. Children will enjoy a Storytime, scavenger hunt and crafts.
7pm

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Saturday December 13th:

Polar Express – Alabama Theatre
This movie will begin with a sing-along with the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Each child will receive a conductor’s hat, goodies from the Candy Bar and a chance to get their photo with Santa! 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. “Touch a Transport” Event Kids can get “hands on” with various types of transportation, including a Rutan VariEze courtesy of the Southern Museum of Flight. 19th Street North (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue North)
10am and 2pm showings
Polar Express: $12 Benefiting Kid One Transport
Touch a Transport: Free

Make a Gingerbread Birdhouse – Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Bring a little holiday cheer to any room this season by making your own gingerbread birdhouse decoration. Come up to the Tree House anytime between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
$4.00

Alabama Wildlife Center Holiday Craft and Bake Sale – Veterens Park, Hoover
Holiday-themed crafts and ornaments, handmade jewelry, quilts & throws, unique gifts with a natural theme, bird houses & feeders, homemade jams, jellies, preserves, candies, baked goods, on-site vacuum sealed smoked hams and turkey breasts, and frozen casseroles: Broccoli & Rice, Mac ‘n Cheese, Sweet Potato, & Breakfast Grits, just in time for the holidays. Also, Santa 9:00 am – 1:30 pm, free refreshments, and meet glove-trained AWC Education Birds up-close! All proceeds benefit the Alabama Wildlife Center. All proceeds benefit the Alabama Wildlife Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. See website for changes or additional information.
9am – 3pm

Family Tours, What’s in a Face– Birmingham Museum of Art
FREE // Meet in the Main Lobby
Join the Museum educators to explore the galleries in a fun, interactive experience! Discover Bart the Art Bat’s favorite artworks during these FREE, drop-in tours. After your tour, visit Bart’s ArtVenture to make an art project inspired by what you saw. What will you discover?

Explore the Museum for portraits with a Museum educator. How are the portraits in the galleries different from each other? Come back to Bart’s ArtVenture to create your own unique portrait!
10:30

Bart’s Art Cart – Birmingham Museum of Art
This drop-in art program for kids and families features a different theme from our galleries and art activity each month. Stop by to make art with Bart!

Collage a Costume with Bart the Art Bat
11am – 1pm

Family Storytime – Emmet O’Neal Library
Bring the entire family and join Mr. Mac for stories and music each Saturday morning.
10:30 a.m.

Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell! Join us to find out why.
11am

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Sunday December 14th:

All About Insects – Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Let’s learn about insects! We’ll learn defining features of insects and have an opportunity to see some real insects up close. We will also make a bug box and go on an insect hunt! Program starts at 2:00 pm.
$4.00

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Local Attractions Open Daily!

McWane Science Center:

IMAX
McWane Science Center’s IMAX® Dome Theater puts you in the center of the action by projecting breathtaking quality images onto the 5-story-tall dome screen and delivering intense surround sound through almost 3 tons of speakers and subwoofers.
Now Showing: Tornado Alley, Great White Shark, To the Arctic, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar

Birmingham Zoo:

Lorikeet Aviary – Our Lorikeet Aviary has more birds than ever! Zoo guests can feed these exotic birds every day. You and your family will see these birds’ behavior as they eat nectar out of your hand.
Weekends 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

PELICAN FEEDING – A great way to see our pelicans in action is to witness them eating their favorite treats near the pelican boardwalk.

RHINO ENCOUNTER – Embark on an African adventure and experience one of the world’s most extraordinary animals, the Southern White Rhino. Watch from only feet away as our zookeepers engage in hands-on interaction with the animals inside their African-themed exhibit. Don’t miss this exciting encounter with one of the largest mammals on the planet!
Weekdays: 3pm – 3:30pm
Weekends: 11:30am – Noon & 3pm – 3:30 pm

GIRAFFE FEEDING – This up close and personal animal encounter is a memory you and your family will have for a lifetime.
Weekday: 11am – Noon
Weekends: 10am – 11am  & 2pm – 3pm

Vulcan Park and Museum:

Vulcan is the world’s largest cast iron statue; made of 100,000 pounds of iron and 56 feet tall, he stands at the top of Red Mountain overlooking the city of Birmingham. But, Vulcan is more than a statue. Vulcan Park and Museum features spectacular views of Birmingham, an interactive history museum that examines Vulcan and Birmingham’s story, and a beautiful public park for visitors and locals to enjoy. With an official information center that is operated by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vulcan Park and Museum serves as the first stop for visitors to the Birmingham area!

Railroad Park:

Railroad Park is a 19 acre green space in downtown Birmingham that celebrates the industrial and artistic heritage of our great city. Situated along 1st Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets, the park is a joint effort between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation. Hailed as “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park provides a historically rich venue for local recreation, family activities, concerts, and cultural events, while connecting Birmingham’s downtown area with Southside and UAB’s campus.

Southern Museum of Flight:

Earn Your Wings – Bring your little pilot and soar above the clouds in our little pilots room. Kids enjoy building aircrafts, flying kites, and more.
Museum Open Tuesday – Thursday
9:30am – 4:30pm

Do you have or know of an event you would like to have added to our weekly calendar? Please email us at contact@birminghammommy.com, subject line “Events Calendar” – We would love to hear from you!

** All information listed on our calendar is subject to change without notice to us or you… We do our best to keep the information accurate and will always update as soon as we learn that something has changed. It’s always best to double check with the event via their website or a quick call,  especially when weather can impact the event.