Your guide to holiday highlights, and places to take your out-of-town guests

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas with Irving Berlin music? Have you ever attended the African American Cultural Celebration? This is the perfect time of year to discover and visit some Triangle museums, bookstores and performance venues.

Bundle up the family and out-of-town guests and check out some amazing entertainment during this holiday season and into the new year. Catch up with girlfriends, plan date nights and family outings centered on seasonal, educational and cultural events.

Here are some highlights.

‘Toy Boom! Toys from the 1950s & ’60s’

Where: N.C. Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh.

When: Now until Jan. 3, 2021. ncmuseumofhistory.org

What you’ll find: An interactive exhibition highlighting toys from post–World War II to the mid-1960s. According to the museum website, “Explore these years of energy, ambition and an evolving world through the toys they played with, and discover how the growing popularity of a relatively new medium, television — and its targeted programs and advertisements — also impacted, and reflected, their lives.” The exhibit also features old clips from commercials.

Don’t miss: Getting in the game. “You can actually hear families laughing and see them enjoying the games,” said Marcie Gordon, the museum’s director of community engagement and marketing. Adults and children can get on the mat and play Twister, a game of physical skills advertised initially in 1966 as “the game that ties you up in knots.” Other interactive games include Lite-Brite, the 1967 toy consisting of a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a panel and illuminate to create a lit picture, and Hot Wheels.

Details: Free.

North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival

Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary.

When: Nov. 22 to Jan. 12. Tuesdays through Sundays, from 6 to 10 p.m. Closed Mondays, except Dec. 23 and 30. boothamphitheatre.com

What you’ll find: More than 20 new displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts and thousands of LED lights from Chinese artisans, according to a press release. These larger-than-life lanterns promise to captivate visitors with their amazing craftsmanship, cultural significance and artistic beauty. And on Symphony Lake behind the amphitheater, you’ll find the likeness of a phoenix. “It’s ginormous. It’s beautiful. And it’s thousands of lights,” an organizer said during a telephone interview.

Don’t miss: The cultural performances, which include Chinese acrobats balancing chairs and jars; manipulating objects during foot juggling, and tumbling and leaping through hoops. “The history of acrobatics in China can be traced to Neolithic times, growing out of self-defense skills practiced during leisure time,” an organizer said. Performances take place each night of the festival, included with the price of admission. Each night, there are three shows at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Details: Tickets start at $10 and can be bought through etix.com or Booth Amphitheatre Box Office.

Disney On Ice presents ‘Road Trip Adventures’

Where: PNC Arena, 1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh

When: Eight shows Dec. 11 to 15. See website for times. pncarena.com

What you’ll find: Mickey Mouse and friends take a road trip to storied Disney destinations. “See the world from the rooftops of London with Mary Poppins, travel to the sun-soaked Motunui and help Moana restore the heart of Te Fiti,” according to the event’s press release. Aladdin is in the spotlight, along with other Disney princesses.

Don’t miss: Don’t be late getting to your seat. You don’t want to miss the opening act, which is the lamplighting scene from the 2018 “Mary Poppins Returns” movie. It replaced the chimney sweep scene from the original movie.

Details: Opening night tickets start at $13. After that, prices range from $20 to $85. Prices are subject to change and fluctuate.

‘A Fool for Christmas’

Where: Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth St., Durham.

When: Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. regulatorbookshop.com

What you’ll find: North Carolina author Allan Gurganus performs his contemporary birth of Christ tale, “A Fool for Christmas.” He first read it on NPR’s “All Things Considered” in 2004. Mall pet store manager Vernon Ricketts juggles selling puppies and kittens and helping a pregnant runaway with the birth of her child. This story of kindness will get you in the holiday spirit. The Hillsborough resident is the author of “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All” and “Local Souls.”

“The seasonal reading of this tale always stirs discussion about the state of our imperiled nation: how can we live lives like his — making virtue a daily possibility?,” said Gurganus, according to the book’s press release.

Don’t miss: Getting a signed copy of limited edition “A Fool for Christmas,” published by Horse & Buggy Press and Duke University Press. It’s available at local bookstores.

Details: Free

‘The Santaland Diaries’

Where: Theatre in the Park, 107 Pullen Road, Raleigh.

When: Dec. 13-15 and Dec. 19-22. theatreinthepark.com

What you’ll find: Raleigh’s favorite humorist David Sedaris’ story of Crumpet the Elf, the Christmas worker with an attitude. This is the hilarious, irreverent tale of an out-of-work actor’s brief stint as an elf in Macy’s department store during the holiday season. The show — for adult audiences only — is based on Sedaris’ short story, “Santaland.” It was adapted for the stage by Broadway actor and director Joe Mantello. Well-known local actor Jesse Gephart plays Crumpet. This is the 13th consecutive year of this show.

Don’t miss: Posing for a picture with the sassy elf Crumpet.

Details: $19 for members, $27 for adults, $22 for seniors (60+), students, military, plus taxes and fees. Call 919-831-6058.

Don’t forget about these art exhibits

▪ “Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now,” through Jan. 12. Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, at Duke University. 919-684-5135 or nasher.duke.edu. Forty-two Native American artists present 60 works in a wide variety of media.

▪ “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection,” through Jan. 19. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh. 919-715-5923 or ncartmuseum.org. The exhibit features 130 pieces — prints, drawings and photography — by Kahlo, her husband, Rivera, and their contemporaries. The exhibit is ticketed with “Scott Avett: Invisible.”

▪ “Scott Avett: Invisible,” through Feb. 2. North Carolina Museum of Art. Part of North Carolina’s beloved band, The Avett Brothers, Scott Avett debuts his first solo art show — 45 larger-than-life pieces that reveal intimate family moments.

▪ “Viva Viclas!,” through Feb. 9. CAM Raleigh, 409 W. Martin St., Raleigh. 919-261-5920 or camraleigh.org. Free. The exhibit features 10 motorcycles as well as art objects that reflect the aesthetic and values of the low-rider community.

On-Stage Classics

If you live in the Triangle, these productions should be on your holiday bucket list.

▪ “A Snow White Christmas,” Nov. 30-Dec. 8, Memorial Auditorium. With Disney Channel’s Olivia Sanabia and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child. DukeEnergyCenterRaleigh.com

▪ “The Nutcracker,” presented by the Carolina Ballet Dec. 7-8, at UNC Memorial Hall; Dec. 14-15, at Durham Performing Arts Center; Dec. 18-29, at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium carolinaballet.com

▪ “A Christmas Carol,” presented by Theatre in the Park. Dec. 11-15 at the Duke Energy Center in Raleigh, Dec. 18-22 at Durham Performing Arts Center. 919-831-6058 or theatreinthepark.com

▪ “Cinderella,” presented by Raleigh Little Theatre. Dec. 6-22. 919-821-3111 or raleighlittletheatre.org

▪ “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical,” Nov. 29-Dec. 24, Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. DukeEnergyCenterRaleigh.com

KwanzaaFest

Where: Durham Armory, 212 Foster St., Durham.

When: 2 to 5:30 p.m., Jan. 1. Doors open at noon. aadekwanzaafest.wixsite.com/kwanzaafest

What you’ll find: Join the African American Dance Ensemble for the 35th annual event — an afternoon of listening to good music, dancing and drumming. Some of the featured artists include “Greater Is He Mime,” a Winston-Salem gospel group; Willie Hinton, a Durham contemporary dancer; and Denbaya Dance Company from Greensboro along with several other performers.

Don’t miss: Connecting with the local community. Meet new people. Continue the legacy of fellowship started by the ensemble’s founder and choreographer, the late Baba Chuck Davis.

Details: Bring canned goods for donation to Urban Ministry of Durham.

African American Cultural Celebration

Where: N.C. Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh.

When: Jan. 25, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ncmuseumofhistory.org

What you’ll find: Celebrate the state kick-off of African American History month — the 19th annual event — with N.C. artists, performers, craftsmen, authors, dancers, historians, entrepreneurs, farmers and food vendors. This year’s theme is “20(20) Vision: A 400-Year Legacy, Looking Back, Moving Forward, Claiming Our Identity.” The museum will be filled with activities ranging from small concerts, presentations, readings, exhibits and demonstrations from North Carolinians from across the state.

Don’t miss: Stop by Historic Stagville to create a cowrie-shell necklace or Historic Edenton, where you can hear the story of escaped slave and abolitionist Harriet Jacobs. Other historic sites will have be represented as well.

Details: Free.

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 4:08 PM.