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Providence   KidsOutAndAbout Newsletter
December 04, 2025

Local in-person events this weekend

FREE events this weekend

Local in-person events next weekend

Big List of Private Schools

101 Ideas for Holiday Fun

Christmas Tree Farms

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Thu, Dec 11: Trinity Presents The Christmas Show - Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Thu, Dec 11: DIY Holiday Sweaters At Framingham Public Library - Main Branch
Fri, Dec 12: Festival of Lights at Olde Mistick Village 
Sat, Dec 13: Providence Artisans Holiday Premiere - At WaterFire Arts Center
Sat, Dec 13: Meet Santa in the Meeting House - Olde Mistick Village
Sat, Dec 13: A Christmas Carol - Stadium Theatre
Sun, Dec 14: A Very Merry Marketplace - Crowne Plaza Hotel
Sun, Dec 14: RIPO Presents Handel's Messiah with Providence Singers at Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Sun, Dec 14: Santa and the Coca Cola Caravan Visits Mystic Aquarium
Mon, Dec 15: Minecraft Geology (Ages 6+) at Glocester Libraries - Harmony Library
Tue, Dec 16: The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight at Boch Center - Wang Theatre
Wed, Dec 17: Seán Heely's Celtic Christmas at The Historic Park Theatre and Event Center
Sat, Dec 20: Cultural Survival Bazaar – A Festival of Indigenous Arts and Culture at WaterFire Arts Center - Providence, RI
Sun, Dec 21: Annual Christmas Specialty Market at Tiverton Farmers Market
Mon, Dec 22: Monday Matinee: Muppets Treasure Island at Framingham Public Library - Main Branch
Mon, Dec 22: The Great Gingerbread House Build-Off! at Knight Memorial Library
Wed, Dec 24: Celebrate the Holidays at The EcoTarium
Mon, Dec 29: Holiday Ho-Ho-Hocus Pocus Magic Show at Weaver Library

Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:

When my husband and I started planning a family, we talked a lot about the kind of parents we hoped to be. Naturally, we looked back on our own childhoods. David had story after story about his parents—their quirks, what they cared about, who they were. But when I tried to do the same, I came up oddly blank. I could tell you what I loved as a kid, but not much about what made my own parents’ hearts sing. I remembered that my dad had a garden when I was little, but I couldn’t say whether he enjoyed digging in the dirt, liked making things grow, or was just trying to save money on vegetables.

That realization stuck with me. I didn’t want my kids to grow up seeing me as a blur in the background of their story; I wanted them to see me clearly: as someone who had favorite things, real interests, and a sense of enjoyment they could understand. I wanted them to grow up expecting that adulthood could be full of that, too... all of the vivid experiences that make up the inner life of a regular person, especially the joys. I started using the phrase "live what you love" as a kind of parenting guidepost.

Our kids are always watching, taking cues about what adulthood looks like. If all they ever see is grownups stressed, rushing, and tired, they’ll assume that’s the default. But if they also see us delighted by a song, energized by a game, inspired by something we've learned, genuinely laughing with people we love... that’s powerful. It shows them that joy isn’t something you age out of, it’s something you grow into.

The holidays are packed with tasks and to-do lists, but they’re also full of opportunities for joy. So tune your radar to what YOU love, and if you catch yourself smiling at paper snowflakes or belting out a corny carol, don’t downplay it. Let yourself have that moment. When your kids see the joy you've just pushed into the room; it's a gift to their present and to their future.

—Debra Ross, publisher

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If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site.