KidsOutAndAbout's weekly e-newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
Peace can come in many textures during the holidays. For some, it’s the energizing bustle of concerts and community events, or the warmth of a crowded house full of voices and motion. For others, it’s the stillness of a walk through snow-covered woods, a soft blanket at home, or the quiet company of someone who understands them. It shifts from person to person, and sometimes even
from one day to the next. Peace can be internal, external, or, at its best, a bit of both: a sense that life makes sense, within and around us. It’s easier to feel when we’re free from hardship, but even in the midst of challenge, it’s sometimes possible to find a quiet kind of peace when we know we’ve done our best with the time and energy we’ve been given. Peace can be elusive for parents; after all, we're the ones in charge of figuring out how to make the
family rhythm and flow work for everyone, and what brings peace to our kids may look nothing like what brings it to us. Maybe your son needs to be out with friends while you crave stillness. Maybe your daughter is hoping to hide in a corner with a book while you're in full-on glitter-and-cookie mode with all the cousins. Parenting is the art of balance, of helping everyone in the family thrive by seeing who they really are and doing our best to honor it. It's not easy, and it's never perfect,
but we try. When kids feel known—when they hear “I see that you love this, that you need this, and I’ll help you find your way to it”—they flourish. That sense of being understood can be its own kind of peace. So as the season winds to a close, I wish you whatever kind of holiday rhythm helps you feel most like you. And I hope you’ll find moments to offer that same gift to those around you. When we make space for each other’s version of peace, it’s more
likely to find its way into the room.
—Debra Ross, publisher
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Connect more. Do more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
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Do your kids know that utilities like water and electricity aren’t free? Show them the bills—it’s a great way to help them connect daily actions with real costs. Try simple swaps to save energy and money: Wear a sweater instead of turning up the heat, shovel snow for exercise, go sledding instead of to a movie, and turn off the tap while brushing. Only wash dirty clothes, run full laundry or dishwasher loads, and reuse craft supplies from home. Show your kids how much you’ve saved—and let them choose a fun way to spend the extra cash! Click the graphic for youth bank account info.
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KOAA's Holiday Light List: 150-house driving tour of Rochester, including the Buffalo Bills house! KidsOutAndAbout.com has been updating its list of 150 spectacularly-lit houses in the Rochester area since 2005! The houses are sorted by town to make it easy... bring some snacks and hot chocolate and head out for a drive! It's the best completely free holiday fun to be had... a Rochester tradition! I've been working extra-hard on the list this year; it now includes a driving tour for each town... Just click on the map and it will plot on your phone! |
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Spend winter school break week at The Strong from December 20–January 4! American Dairy Association North East’s winter farm pop-up returns to The Strong, offering hands-on farm play and dairy-powered nutrition education. Children can feed plush calves, try play tractors, explore dairy kitchens, and learn how milk, cheese, and yogurt fuel healthy winter fun. Lactose-free Cabot cheese samples will be available during select times each day! View winter decorations in the beautiful Dollhouses Unveiled exhibit, which is open through January 4. Create a cardboard home to add to the community-built winter village, and enjoy special holiday displays and lights throughout the museum!
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The seventh annual City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village, presented by ESL Federal Credit Union, returns December 5–28 at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park with sixteen days of free holiday fun. Enjoy free ice skating and skate rentals, visits and photos with Santa, kids’ crafts, and festive holiday celebrations. Take on the I Spy Scavenger Hunt and Adventure Map, or catch special ice rink events like sled hockey, curling lessons, and figure skating performances. Warm up by the fire pits, sip hot cocoa for a cause at The Giving Cup, and soak in the lights, music, and cheer of Rochester’s favorite winter festival.
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Embrace the holiday spirit at Tim Hortons Iceplex! This season, we’re expanding our public skating schedule with extra daily sessions to help you make the most of the winter break. It’s the ultimate destination for festive family fun, offering 90-minute sessions perfect for skaters of all ages and skill levels. We offer both skate and ice scooter rentals to ensure everyone can join in the magic. Because the rink is a holiday favorite, we strongly encourage booking your tickets online in advance to guarantee admission. Come celebrate the season and create wonderful memories on the ice!
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The Pirate Toy Fund's continues throughout December! Drop off a new, unwrapped toy so that a needy child in our area can benefit at the holidays and through the year. Go shopping with your kids and ask them to pick out a toy that another Rochester child would love. Then drop off the NEW, UNWRAPPED TOYS at any area Wegmans locations, Kinecta Federal Credit Union, Eastview Mall, Marketplace Mall, the Mall at Greece Ridge, Howard Hanna Real Estate, or Mark's Pizzeria. ...and feel great that you're helping other kids in our area at the time they most need comfort and joy. It's also easy to donate ONLINE! Every $20 donation buys a toy for a local child! Do that at https://ptftoystore.com/store/koaa
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From 8–10 a.m. on Sunday, January 18, enjoy The Strong before it opens to the public at an exclusive event designed for guests with special sensory, developmental, or physical needs. Explore the museum in a comfortable and accepting environment that features fewer guests, light and sound reduction, and designated quiet areas that include sensory friendly toys. Also enjoy carousel rides, train rides, and a free visit to the relaxing Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden. Sensory Friendly Sunday is FREE to members. Members must register for a ticket; $25 for non-members; $6 SNAP pricing available. The Sensory Friendly Sunday ticket includes admission to the museum after the event.
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December 27, 2025 Gather Gallery Airigami is taking visitors on a balloon adventure under the sea! Join us December 27 to help Airigami create a balloon sculpture of an iconic piece of art from the Corning Museum of Glass that will take you to a whole new (watery) world.
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Fans can't get enough of the retro vibe of the hit series Stranger Things. Take a trip to the upside-down in the safety of the dome. Experience the '80s tunes and soundscapes from the show reinterpreted in vibrant laser light. Produced by Laser Fantasy
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Brighton Library for break week: Model train engineers will be on hand to display and discuss their N-Scale Model Railroad and scenery made up of T-Track modules. Chug on in at the times listed to see these model trains in action!
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When an uber-organized mother and her spontaneous teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to make it right. Masquerading as each other, they must work together to solve the mystery of how to break the spell. By spending a day in each other's shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another in a way they never could have imagined. In the end, both learn the…
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Impressionist art is anything but tame and stagnant. Frontiers of Impressionism explores the evolution of the radical artistic movement that changed the course of art history. The audience will see fifty-three stellar paintings from the Worcester Art Museum’s collection through the lens of more than thirty artists—American and European—including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir,…
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The RMSC’s newest exciting temporary exhibit explores the tasks and challenges required of a space explorer, requires teamwork to solve problems, and illuminates the science + tools needed to monitor damage to a spacecraft. Experience a rocket launch, explore how a lack of gravity can affect the body & mind, and discover how scientific observations and measurements can both differ in…
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Looking to get the family out of the house after the Christmas festivities wind down? Head over to YuleTIDE Days, three days of post-holiday happenings at the Aquarium of Niagara from December 26th to 28th!
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Join us for a Beginner Climbing Workshop at Dick’s House of Sport on Saturday, December 27, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. This free event, sponsored by Central Rock Gym, will cover how to tie the proper knot to connect a climber to the rope, basic climbing techniques, tips on how climbing shoes should fit, and a Q&A to answer your questions.
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Free family fun every Monday @ Bill Grays Webster location - Balloons, face painting, interactive games in the party room with DJ Brian and Nancy "The Balloon Lady" 5pm-7pm
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Memdon Public Library, Dec 29 at 10am: Join flutist Jaclyn Warren for a flute story time! Jaclyn will present a few seasonally themed picture books to accompany flute pieces. This program is open to all ages - young and the young at heart! Please register to save your seat.
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Wishing you and yours good health and happiness, and the happiest of holidays!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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