The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

The holidays are looming, and that ushers the Children's Museum into its busiest time of the year. A combination of yucky weather, visiting families, and time off from school is a triple delight that brings in the crowds! We strive to be open as much as possible during this time of year so that as many people as possible who want to visit us have the opportunity to.

This brings us to the confusion over vacation and when exactly the Children's Museum is open. As a rule of thumb, the museum is open whenever school is closed, barring major holidays. This means that althou

gh we are usual

ly closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, we are open if school is out. So for the upcoming holidays, here is a schedule of museum hours:

Thanksgiving

Wednesday Nov. 25th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Thursday Nov. 26th: CLOSED

Friday Nov. 27th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Saturday Nov. 28th: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sunday Nov. 29th: 12:00 pm- 4:00 pm

Winter Break

Monday Dec. 21st: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Tuesday Dec. 22nd: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Wednesday Dec. 23rd: 10:00- 4:00 pm

Thursday Dec. 24th: CLOSED

Friday Dec. 25th: CLOSED

Saturday Dec. 26th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Sunday Dec. 27tth: 12:00

pm- 4:00 pm

Monday Dec. 28th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Tuesday Dec. 29th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Wednesday Dec. 30th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Thursday Dec. 31st: 10:00 am- 2:30 pm (First Night Jr. Event, closing early to give families time to walk over to the Visitors' Center for the New Year Count Down and Ball Drop)

Friday January 1st: CLOSED

Keep an eye out for the Children's Museum's WISH TREE. It will be appearing soon, and we will be hanging "wish stars" from its branches detailing small items that the museum needs to help keep its exhibits, programming and activities running (markers, paper, etc.). As we strive to make our museum and staff performance better and brighter, we could use your help with some of the little things. So pick a star, and make a wish come true for us (and in turn, for YOU!) (picture source: freevectors.net)

Please join us Saturday, December 5th for our Meet the Clauses event. Listen to both Santa and Mrs. Claus read their favorite stories, have your picture taken with them, decorate a fancy cookie, make an ornament or tree topper, and learn how to make a beautiful snow flake. This event runs from 10:30 am until noon and is free with museum admission, so don't miss it! (photo source: cdn-write.demandstudios.com)

Finally, we want to remind everyone of the approaching annual fundraiser: First Night Junior. This will take place on Thursday, December 31st from 10:00 am until 2:30 pm. An admission price of $6.00 per person includes entry to the museum, unlimited rides on the Merry-Go-Round, Ed Propielarczyk's Magical Moments, Roger Ticknell's renowned music and storytelling, balloon sculpting, face painting, and much much more. Come meet your favorite WGBY characters, and don't miss the ball drop finale over at the Visitors' Center at 2:30! Advance tickets will be available for $5.00 per person. Because this event is a fundraiser, memberships and library passes are not accepted. Call the museum at (413) 536-7048 or the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round at (413) 538-9838 for more details! (photo source: .nyc-architecture.com)

*There will be NO Think and Play Series for Preschoolers this Friday, November 27th*