Free Holiday Events at San Diego Libraries (Dec 2023)

In this fun, festive puppet show, Santa takes a spur of the moment vacation and winds up on a zany musical adventure in Halloweentown! A Zombie, Witch and The Five Little Pumpkins offer up the lesson to our hero that sometimes the best way to give, is knowing when to receive.

Stick around after the show for a special, winter surprise!

📆 SAT 12/2 at University Heights

3:30-4:30pm. Winter Yummyville

Join us for a winter wonderland workshop where you can make holiday inspired treats like a snowman, Christmas tree, and a sled full of presents! All supplies are provided. Adult supervision recommended for children under 8 years old. Limited seats available. Sign up required.

📆 SAT 12/2 at Rancho Bernardo

3-5pm. December Holidays & Traditions

Please join us to learn about December Holiday celebrations and traditions: Hanukkah, Kwanza, Yalda night, and Christmas. Participate in different craft activities and enjoy light refreshments.

While supplies last.

📆 MON 12/4 at Pt. Loma/Hervey

all day. Holiday Make & Take Craft Kits

Swing by the Children's Area on Mondays in November & December to pick up a Holiday-themed "Take & Make" craft kit featuring a new and unique craft each week.

Available while supplies last.

📆 MON 12/4 at Downtown/Central

4-5pm. Winter Yummyville

Join Rems Creations to make winter themed treats. Ages 12-18 only.

📆 WED 12/6 at Pacific Beach

2-3pm. Holiday craft: snowman mobile info

Join us on the Patio outside the children's room for arts and crafts after school every Wednesday at 2pm. Activities are designed for school age children. Young kids may require parent assistance.

We will be making Winter themed crafts this month:

Dec 6: Snowman mobile

Dec 13: Holiday Ornaments

Dec 20: Coffee Filter Snowflakes

Dec 27: New Year's Craft TBA

📆 THUR 12/7 at Skyline Hills

4-4:45pm. Filipino Christmas Parol info

Join us for our first craft of the Holiday Season! Learn to create your very own Filipino Parol.This is an event for the entire family. Registration required.

📆 SAT 12/9 at Mission Valley

2-3:30pm. All-Holiday Party

Age Group: Preschoolers , Elementary School Age , Middle School Age

Event Details: Celebrate the winter season with crafts, games, and cookie decorating in honor of Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the Winter Solstice. Enjoy the season of light and love; all ages welcome.

📆 SAT 12/9 at Balboa-Clairemont

1-3pm. Gingerbread House Making

Make a Gingerbread House to take home! Design your very own Gingerbread House with icing and delectable holiday treats from a candy buffet! For ages 5 & up.

You can register in person or by calling the Balboa Library at 858-573-1390. Space is limited.

Program sponsored by the Friends of the Balboa Library.

📆 SAT 12/9 at Pt. Loma-Hervey

11am-12pm. Ornament making

You're invited to the Point Loma/Hervey Library's 9th Annual Ornament Party! Make a variety of unique holiday ornaments while enjoying a festive, family-friendly afternoon of crafts, music, and holiday cheer.

Children of all ages and their families are welcome to attend.

Space is limited. Registration is required.Please register each child participant below:

📆 SUN 12/10 at Pacific Beach

2-3:30pm. Vegan Cookie Baking

Holiday Cookie Bake-a-thon We’ll set up the kitchen-aid mixer and get lots of batches of dough made to provide everyone a hands-on cookie baking and decorating workshop. Get tips on how to create cookie gift plates with decorative recipe cards and surprise your family and friends with an all vegan holiday cookie gift plate.

Learn how to create delicious and satisfying meals using all plant-based food products and ingredients. Join us at the Pacific Beach Library for plant-based culinary demos, food product sampling, and great conversations around today’s fastest growing segment of the food industry. Take home recipes, resources, and inspiration for making your life more plant-based.

Supplies are limited so samples are only guaranteed for the first 30 people to arrive at the event; additional tasting samples will be provided as available. Please note that registering for this event does NOT guarantee that you will receive tasting samples. Instead, registration for this event is intended as a way for you to choose to receive a reminder email a few days before the event.

📆 MON 12/11 at Pt. Loma/Hervey

all day. Holiday Make & Take Craft Kits

Swing by the Children's Area on Mondays in November & December to pick up a Holiday-themed "Take & Make" craft kit featuring a new and unique craft each week.

Available while supplies last.

📆 MON 12/11 at Allied Gardens

4-5pm. Gingerbread Houses

Join us as we get into the holiday spirit by decorating your own Gingerbread House! Everything is provided - the house, candy, icing! This program is in our Community Room and suitable for children of all ages. We can't wait to see you...it's gonna be sweet!

📆 MON 12/11 at Valencia Park

4-5pm. Gingerbread Houses

Join the Legler Benbough Teen IDEA Lab for Maker Mondays, every 2nd and 4th Monday from 4-5 pm. Each session the IDEA Lab team will focus on a different design and creativity project and will highlight a piece of awesome technology found within our amazing lab. This program is free and open to all teens aged 12-18 (aka 7th graders to 12th graders).

Drop by the Legler Benbough Teen IDEA Lab and create your own holiday ornament using our dye sublimation printer and heat press. Customize your two-sided ornament with special pictures from home or use a picture you find online from your favorite band, TV show, video game, or even your own original design. This program is free and for teens aged 12 to 18. Scan the QR code to register.

📆 MON 12/11 at North Park

6-8pm. Santa Visits & Photos

Join the elves at North Park Library as we welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus for a visit!

Come take a photo with Santa at this fun holiday event! In the interest of crowd control, we recommend families with kids ages 0-5 arrive for photos at 6:00pm and families with older kids arrive at 7:00pm.

📆 TUE 12/12 at San Ysidro

5-6pm & 6:30-7:30pm. Santa's Cookie Decorating Party

Decorate Christmas sugar cookies and drink some apple cider to celebrate the holiday season. We’ll decorate, giggle, and have lots of fun! Cookies, frosting & candy toppings will all be supplied. Registration required as space is limited to first 50 kids! There may even be a special appearance from a very important holiday guest...Ho! Ho! Ho!

📆 TUE 12/12 at Mountain View

5:30-6:30pm. Holiday Dessert Making

Do you want to learn how to integrate more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your diet, in a way that is tasty and doesn’t leave you feeling deprived of the foods you want? Sign-up for our hands-on cooking classes. We will teach primary vegetarian based recipes designed to promote more whole food and healthier options for your everyday life. This month, we will focus on Holiday desserts! Space is limited. Registration required.

📆 WED 12/13 at UTC-La Jolla

1-4pm. Movie & ornament making

Come celebrate the holiday season by decorating your own ornamental house using recycled materials, followed by a winter themed movie. All supplies will be provided, are for decorative purposes, and will not include edible materials. No registration is required to attend.

📆 WED 12/13 at Pacific Beach

2-3pm. Holiday craft: ornaments

Join us on the Patio outside the children's room for arts and crafts after school every Wednesday at 2pm. Activities are designed for school age children. Young kids may require parent assistance.

We will be making Winter themed crafts this month:

Dec 6: Snowman mobile

Dec 13: Holiday Ornaments

Dec 20: Coffee Filter Snowflakes

Dec 27: New Year's Craft TBA

📆 WED 12/13 at Rancho Bernardo

4-4:45pm. Holiday Puppet Show

Come to the library for a fun holiday-themed show! Party Puppet Show is a lively variety show that uses puppets, comedy, and music and encourages children to be creative and use their imaginations.

All ages welcome. No registration necessary.

Program dates and times subject to change.

📆 THU 12/14 at Otay Mesa

4pm. Holiday crafts

Come join us for crafts!

Each week, with featured crafts for holidays and special library events!

Ages 6-11 (Preschool aged welcome with adult supervision)

📆 SAT 12/16 at Scripps-Miramar

11-12. Holiday Storytime

Please join us for an interactive retelling of "The Littlest Fir Tree" with Literature Comes to Life. It's a Christmas story, with fir trees, Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves and more! Come enjoy this tale AND help us tell it. There will be costumes and props and lots of fun! Sponsored by the Scripps Ranch Friends of the Library.

📆 SAT 12/16 at UTC-La Jolla

4-5:30pm. Ukrainian Craft & Dance Show

The Friends of the North University Community Library are proud to present a dance performance by members of the House of Ukraine. Please come celebrate Ukrainian culture with us.

Schedule

4:00-4:30 p.m.: Ukrainian Christmas Star Craft

5:00-5:30 p.m.: Dance Performance by the House of Ukraine

📆 SAT 12/16 at Mission Hills

10-10:30am. Hullabaloo Holiday Concert

Hullabaloo will perform a special holiday concert, and kids are invited to dance along.

📆 MON 12/18 at Pt. Loma/Hervey

all day. Holiday Make & Take Craft Kits

Swing by the Children's Area on Mondays in November & December to pick up a Holiday-themed "Take & Make" craft kit featuring a new and unique craft each week.

Available while supplies last.

📆 MON 12/18 at Central/Downtown

3:35-5:30pm. Falala Family Fun

Join us for a series of fun arctic activities from 3:30-5:30 through the Children’s Library! All materials provided.

3:30-4pm: Reindeer food! Prepare a yummy reindeer snack so that Santa’s reindeer can find your house on Christmas Eve!
4:15-4:45: Skate on! Ice-skate your way through the Children’s Library using wax paper as we have a faux-snowball toss!
5-5:30: Craft and scissor Practice! Practice your scissor skills and creativity at the library! Join us as we create paper ornaments for the holiday season! Parental supervision required

📆 MON 12/18 at Mira Mesa

5-7pm. Ornament making & treats

Join us at the Mira Mesa Library for the return of our Annual Christmas Ornament Making Event! There will be a variety of ornaments to make, as well as seasonal beverages and treats. All are welcome to celebrate the holidays. All supplies are provided, and no registration is necessary.

View the event in the library's calendar. more info here

📆 MON 12/18 at Balboa/Clairemont

6-7:30pm. Movie: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000

Join us for family movie night at the library. On the outskirts of Whoville lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans to ruin Christmas for all the citizens of the town. This film is rated PG.

📆 TUE 12/19 at Pacific Beach

4:30-5:30pm. Gingerbread Houses

Join us for some winter holiday fun decorating your own Gingerbread House, while supplies last.

Hot cocoa and holiday music will add to the fun.

Please bring a bag of candy for decorating to share with the group.

📆 TUE 12/19 at Clairemont

6:30-7:30pm. Santa photos, holiday songs, jingle bell making.

We will make jingle bells, sing holiday songs, and children can chat with Santa. Be sure to bring a camera or phone to capture the moment.

📆 TUE 12/19 at Mountain View

4:30-7:30pm. Holiday Extravaganza. Ornament making, magic show, Santa photos, movie "Polar Express"

This year the our courtyard will be turned into a winter wonderland with snow machines blasting! Santa is coming to visit and for photos, we will have a magic show, free book giveaway and arts and crafts. The friends of the library will be selling treats and we will end the whole event with a showing of "The Polar Express".

4:30pm- Winter Wonderland Opens

4:30pm-Friends of the Library Food Sale

4:30pm-Holiday Ornament Decorating

4:30pm-Free Book Giveaway

4:45pm-Holiday Magic Show

5pm-Pictures with Santa

5:45pm-"The Polar Express" Movie Screening

📆 WED 12/20 at Pacific Beach

2-3pm. Holiday craft: coffee filter snowflakes

Join us on the Patio outside the children's room for arts and crafts after school every Wednesday at 2pm. Activities are designed for school age children. Young kids may require parent assistance.

We will be making Winter themed crafts this month:

Dec 6: Snowman mobile

Dec 13: Holiday Ornaments

Dec 20: Coffee Filter Snowflakes

Dec 27: New Year's Craft TBA

📆 WED 12/20 at Carmel Mountain Ranch

4-5pm. Winter Yumyville

Kids ages 3 to 12 are invited to Winter Yummyville! Join us for a winter wonderland workshop where you can make yummy holiday inspired edibles like a snowman and a sled full of presents! All creations can be eaten (just not in the library please). All attendees must have a parent present at all times. Space is limited and sign-ups are required. Registration will start on November 20 at noon.

📆 THUR 12/21 at Skyline Hills

4-4:45pm. Winter Yumyville

Join us for a sweet Create it Thursday! Come and create your own winter yummyville to celebrate the holiday season! *Registration required

📆 THUR 12/28 at Skyline Hills

4-4:45pm. Gingerbread Man Sewing Craft

We’re SEW excited for this winter craft! Pick up some sewing skills and create your very own Gingerbread Man! We'll be utilizing plastic needles.

Registration is required.

(click here for events calendar)

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SAN DIEGO COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM

📆 FRI 12/1 at Lakeside

6-8pm. Polar Express Party

Do you love to celebrate the holidays? Join Lakeside Library as we craft, play games, sing holiday songs, and enjoy a special Storytime...wear your pajamas if you like! We'll also be hosting a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus with a great photo-op for parents. Festive performances by the Santee Community Chorus.

📆 SAT 12/2 at Cardiff

10:30-11:30am. Holiday Hijinks Puppet Show

In this original holiday puppet show, Santa takes a last-minute vacation and winds up on a zany musical adventure in Halloweentown! Zombie, Witch and The Five Little Pumpkins offer up the lesson to our hero that sometimes the best way to give is knowing when to receive.This puppet show will be presented by Noteworthy Puppets and will conclude with snow! This program is perfect for the whole family and will be held in our Community Room. Phone: (760) 753-4027

📆 SUN 12/3 at Poway

2-3pm. Gingerbread House Decorating

Come for this special event for the family to decorate gingerbread houses together. Sign up is required. Please sign up at the front desk or call the branch at (858) 513-2900. Due to limited supplies, please: Only 1 gingerbread house per household Only sign up for one session This free program is open only to families with children. (858) 513-2900

📆 TUE 12/5 at Alpine

4-6pm. Winterfest (no snow)

A festive event for all ages! Stories, crafts, a holiday classic, music, and refreshments! 1:00-6:00 ALFA Holiday Book Sale; gift wrapping provided by Girl Scouts troop 5003 from 3:00-6:00 4:00 Local princesses share wintry stories and a craft with kids 4:30 Movie: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 5:00 California Note Catchers: A women's a capella chorus performing 4-part harmony in the barbershop style. Come sing along!This is a yearly event sponsored by the Alpine Library Friends Association. Phone: (619) 445-4221

📆 TUE 12/5 at Santee

6-7pm. Storytime w/ Ballerinas

Join us for a holiday storytime with special performances by dancers from Expressions Dance Movement Center! Phone: (619) 448-1863

📆 SAT 12/9 at Oak Park

11am-12pm. Ginger Bread House

Decorate your own cute ginger bread house and enjoy a fun family movie at the library.

📆 SUN 12/10 at Poway

2-3pm. Dreidel Day

Celebrate Hanukkah at the library with fun dreidel games, crafts, and a special storytime with Temple Adat Shalom. Phone: (858) 513-2900

📆 TUE 12/12 at San Marcos

5-7pm. Free Santa Photos

Come visit Santa at the Library! Hear a holiday themed story, and then, children will have the opportunity to meet Santa. Bring your own camera for photos with Santa! Phone: (760) 891-3000

📆 THU 12/14 at Ramona

3-5pm. Santa Party

Join us in celebrating the holidays at the library. Come take your photos with Santa, make some holiday themed crafts, and partake in some reindeer games! The Ballet Folklórico dancers will also perform at 4pm. The festive fun is available for all ages. Phone: (760) 788-5270

📆 THU 12/14 at Pine Valley

10:30-11:30am. Mrs. Claus Storytime

Enjoy stories, songs, and movement activities read by Mr. Mrs. Santa, followed by a craft. Phone: (619) 473-8022

📆 THU 12/14 at Vista

11-11:30am. Story: Runaway Latkes

This adaptation of the Runaway Pancake involves the entire audience. CHidlren will dress up in costumes and use props to participate in the story. Hanukkah items will be on display including dreidels. This interactive storytime will be fun for the whole family. Phone: (760) 643-5100

📆 SUN 12/17 at Poway

2-3p. Santa & Songs

Enjoy festive music by the Winecreek Ensemble, Meet and take pictures with Santa, and make a lovely holiday-themed craft! Phone: (858) 513-2900

📆 WED 12/20 at Pine Valley

4-5:30pm. Polar Express Party

Afterschool program with different themes weekly. Today paint a little train while watching a movie. There will be snacks! Phone: (619) 473-8022