Local holiday events kick off with Columbus Village’s annual Christmas Light Tour.
By: Scott Morgan
So it’s Christmas. Almost. And there are presents to buy and trees to festoon with ribbons and lights.
There are traffic and mall crowds, umpteenth reruns of Christmas movies and pleas to the winter gods for a blanket of white on Christmas Eve.
All that stuff can be stressful, but for those of you looking for something fun to do, there are plenty of things happening in northern Burlington County, starting Friday night.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, you can catch a wagon ride around the Village of Columbus during the village’s annual Christmas Light Tour. Rides run every 30 minutes and tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for the kids, unless they’re 5 or younger then they can ride for free. Call (609) 298-0463 to reserve your seats.
On Saturday, the Bordentown Ballet Theater will head to the Burlington Township Performing Arts Center to put on two performances of "Scrooge" at 2 and 4 p.m. This is a performance for the kids, featuring local children. Tickets are $10, $5 for kids under 12 and seniors over 65.
If you’re just looking to catch a glimpse of Santa, he’ll be paying a visit to Holy Assumption Roman Catholic School in Roebling on Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. If you miss him, he’ll be dropping by Mansfield later on all you need to do is keep your eyes and ears peeled for the Franklin Fire Company truck he’ll be riding.
Over in Columbus, the Hedding and Wesley United Methodist church choirs will perform a community Christmas cantata at 24573 E. Main St. at 2 p.m. Sunday. At 7 p.m. that night, the Crosswicks Friends Meeting will hold its annual candlelight service on the Crosswicks village square, at Front and Church streets. Bring a flashlight and maybe a wrapped toy for children in need.
If you’d rather catch a play Sunday night, the Florence United Methodist Church Youth Group will put on "Bethlehem’s Best" at 7:30 p.m. This is a free play with refreshments offered afterward.
There are also the final shows of the "Holiday Cabaret," an evening of holiday tunes set to piano. The shows, played in the Academy Theater on Route 130, run Friday at 8 p.m., Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. and Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. The $25 tickets cover a performance and lunch at Mastoris Diner. If lunch isn’t for you, the performance only is $15.
If you’re looking for a horse-drawn carriage ride through old Roebling, they happen Sunday, from 5-9 p.m. Tickets to the 15-minute ride are $12, though children 3 and younger ride for free the clippity-clop begins at the Roebling Auditorium on Main Street. Call (609) 499-5866 or 499-2456 to reserve your seats.
Rain date is Monday.
Finally, you can round out the season with a Christmas Eve candlelight service at the Florence United Methodist Church. There are two services, one at 7 p.m. and the other at 11 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

