From Santa Selfies To Carriage Rides- Upstate New York Christmas

Two of your favorite local holiday events are back in Central New York.

The annual Camden Holiday Stroll and Santa in the Park will be taking place on Friday, December 8th , from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This family friendly event will feature a variety of festive activities for all ages.

Immerse yourself in the heart of the holidays as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus arrive by fire truck at 5PM in the Village Park, ready for selfies with children of all ages. Abundant Life Community Church will be passing out hot chocolate and other refreshments in their Winter Wonderland. There will be horse and carriage rides courtesy of Community Bank and you can see the Kindred Moon Siberian Huskies in the park.

Attendees are asked to consider donating a new, unwrapped toy or non-perishable food items to enjoy the International Wire Group kids activity corner.

This event is perfect for families, couples, or individuals looking to savor the joys of the holiday season. Stroll along Main Street, where you can shop, discover entertainment, and enjoy delicious dining options at your favorite local businesses.

Kids can unleash their creativity with face painting, embark on a quest to find the Grinch, and meet the mischievous Elf on the Shelf. The Mistletones and the Camden High School Select Choir will fill the air with captivating holiday tunes. You can play the popular Main Street Merchant BINGO, where you can win gift certificates to Camden's cherished businesses.

For more information on the events and participating businesses, you can find out more online here.

First Look at Famous 2023 Gingerbread Village at Turning Stone

The famous Gingerbread Village at Turning Stone is finally open for the holiday season.

Gallery Credit: Credit - Polly McAdams

The Mohawk Valley Is Home to Upstate New York's Best Christmas Store!

There are hundreds of stores, from craft shops to big box stores and to pop-up shops, that will feature Christmas items for sale this season. There is a small village in Montgomery County (population 2,000) that in our opinion has the best Christmas shop of them all.

Lee's Shops at Wagner Square is an amazing place in the Mohawk Valley. The store actually combines three large historic buildings on Main Street to connect into one exciting 8,500 square foot Christmas Mall. With more than 45,000 items on display it is no wonder that visitors come from around the Northeast to visit and shop for the holiday season here each year. Recently, several large motor coaches companies have put these Christmas shops on their "must see" shopping trips for their bus companies.

See what makes this place so magical in the post below.

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Winter Festivals and Carnivals Can Be Found All Over the Adirondack Region This Season

This gallery will be the first one which will take a look at winter carnivals and festivals held during this season in the various regions of Upstate New York. This gallery looks at the Adirondack Region. Other regions will follow. It is our intention that by checking out these galleries our readers can form a festival calendar ahead of the actual dates so they can plan with their family accordingly. Please note that there will be some festivals that have not announced their dates or event activities at the time of this publication. But we wanted you to know about them and urge you to keep checking back for when things get updated.

Each carnival or festival has a direct link to the its website or Facebook page.

The Adirondacks, while buzzing with campers, tourists, and outdoor sports lovers in the summer, is actually quite alive in the winter. Of course, ski season brings a whole new crowd of happy folks to the several ski slopes in our region. Snowmobiliers, too, can be seen buzzing around the forested lands in the High Peaks in ever growing numbers every year.

The little villages of this region, from Inlet to Long Lake and others have holiday events that you might want to put on your winter bucket list! (And we have even reached out a little farther north to Alexandria Bay to highlight their winter festival).

Look for future galleries focus on winter celebrations in Central New York., Finger Lakes, Western New York, Catskills, and Hudson Valley.

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Source: From Santa Selfies To Carriage Rides- Upstate New York Christmas Is Back