I don't know about you, but that foot of snow certainly put me in the mood for Christmas. There's nothing like a white Christmas!

 

Seasonal family events are winding down, but there are a couple of opportunities to see Santa Claus this weekend before staring down a week and a half off from school. (Don't worry: I have some ideas for that, too!)

 

On Saturday, Dec. 21, Santa Claus will be making a special appearance at the Goodwill store on 457 Dalton Ave. in Pittsfield from 1 to 4 p.m. Children can bring their Christmas wish list, hop up on Santa's lap and tell him how good they have been all year. All children visiting Santa that day will go home with a present and candy from Goodwill. For details, visit www.goodwill-berkshires.org.

 

Then, on Sunday, Dec. 22, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Pittsfield Family YMCA on North Street in Pittsfield from 1 to 3 p.m. Children can come spend time with Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy cookies, milk and juice. Parents: Don't forget your camera for some last-minute photo opps. Details can be found at www.pittsfieldfamilyymca.org.

After Santa Claus comes to town Tuesday night, and all of the presents are unwrapped on Wednesday morning, the kids will be out of school for another week. What to do with them when the novelty of their new toys wears off? I have two ideas, courtesy of the fabulous museums we are blessed with in the Berkshires.

 

First off, in South County, the Norman Rockwell Museum invites kids to come make picture books in conjunction with its current exhibit, "Dancing Princesses: The Fairy Tale Art of Ruth Sanderson." Kids can invent their own story lines and design characters, plots, and settings inspired by the picture book art on display during this lively series of drop-in art workshops for children of all ages. The workshops are free with museum admission and actually begin before Christmas, on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 23 and 24, and continue the Thursday, Friday and Saturday after Christmas, from 1 to 4 p.m. each day. The best part? Children are invited to wear their enchanting prince and princess costumes! Visit nrm.org for details.

 

Then up in North County, Mass MoCA in North Adams will host the first two sessions of its "Break For Art" workshops on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 26 and 27. At 10 a.m., kids are invited to make 15 art projects for 60 seconds each, in tribute to the current Kidspace "One Minute Film Festival" exhibit. This sounds especially appealing to me, as I have one of those children who loves to rush through projects. You should have seen her making her gingerbread house at school: She was done with the decorating while some of the other kids were still "gluing" together walls with frosting! The cost for the MoCA workshops is $5 for members and $7 for non-members; RSVP to 413-662-2111, ext. 1. And mark your calendars for the second two sessions: “Rockin’ Art Countdown” on Dec. 30 and 31.

 

Merry Christmas to all!

 

Berkshire County native Rebecca Dravis of Williamstown is a former journalist who now works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. She can be reached at rdravis@verizon.net.