2019 Holiday Guide to Tree Lightings, Caroling, Santa Photos and More!

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Parent Category: Newsflashes

Category: Newsflash

Here are all the great holiday happenings in Brooklyn and beyond this season. Also check out our article about Where to See Christmas Lights (including Dyker Heights). Holiday window displays run until the new year-- so if you haven't seen them, you still have time to enjoy! Have another holiday event to add?  Email ."> .

We've also got a list of places where you can take photos with Santa!

Looking for ways to give this season? Check out the Park Slope Parents supported Holiday Drives (with a few others we found!)

Events December 2nd through December 8th

Dyker Park Tree Lighting

December 4

6:30 pm

Dyker Park @86th St and 14th Ave

2nd Annual Tree of Angels Tree Lighting Ceremony

December 5 

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

In front of Borough Hall in the Plaza

Tree Lighting @ Shore Road Park Gazebo

December 5 

6:30 pm

Shore Road Park Gazebo @ 90th St and Shore Road

Christmas Tree Lighting @ Grand Army Plaza

December 5th

5 pm

This year, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Christmas Tree will be lit on Thursday, December 5 at 5 pm at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza. The tree will remain lit 24/7 in red lights—the only such tree in NYC—until January 2019. This annual tradition of displaying the Christmas Tree and Nativity Creche brings the spirit and joy of the Christmas season to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn community.

DUMBO Holiday Tree Lighting

Thursday, December 5th

4pm – 7pm (tree lighting at 6pm sharp)

Pearl Street Triangle 

https://dumbo.is/lighting-the-tree

Tree Lighting at Investor's Bank-- Dyker Heights Branch

December 6

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

7414 Dyker 13th Avenue  

Osborn Plaza Tree Lighting

December 6

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Osborn Street and Belmont Ave

Santa, Hot Cocoa, Caroling, and more!  

Thomas Greene Park Holiday Tree Lighting
Friday, December 6th
Park is located in Gowanus at 3rd Avenue and Douglass Street.

 Santa in North Slope 

Saturday December 7th, 2019

2-4 pm 

Santa will be walking the Avenue from Dean to The Old Stone House from 2-4pm. Come find him get a candy cane and a photo!

Organized by the 5th Avenue BID. 

SinterKlass- St. Nicolas Day

Saturday, December 7th

1pm – 4pm

Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (5816 Clarendon Road)

Santa Claus will ride in on horseback at 2:30pm and photos with Santa. (for a fee)

Santa comes to the other 5th in Park Slope

Saturday, December 7th 

2pm – 4pm

5th Ave, from Dean to The Old Stone House.

Santa will be walking the Avenue from Dean to The Old Stone House from 2-4pm. Come find him get a candy cane and a photo!

Jingle Fest! Holiday Concert & Cookie Swap

Saturday, December 7th

3pm-- 5pm

3pm Concert

All Saints' Episcopal Church (286-88 7th Ave at 7th Street, Park Slope)

Join the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music for a joyful holiday family concert followed by our fourth annual cookie swap. Bring a batch of your favorite cookies to exchange and get one FREE ticket per family.

Ticket includes cookies, cider, hot chocolate and a photo op with Santa!

Carroll Park Holiday Tree Lighting

Saturday, December 7th, 2019

6 – 7pm

4:30 PM -  5:30 PM

Friends of Carroll Park will sing songs and light the Christmas trees.

Louis Valentino, Jr. Ballfield

Christmas Tree Lighting at Greenwood Park 

Saturday, December 7th

4 pm, Tree Lighting at 6:30 pm 

Greenwood Park, 555 7th Avenue

5th Annual Fort Greene Park Holiday Tree Lighting  (Changed from 12/2)

Sunday, December 8 @ 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Fort Greene Park – Myrtle & St Edwards Entrance, 282 Myrtle Avenue

Gather with neighbors for the annual event that is full of holiday cheer, including:

☕  FREE hot cocoa, cider & cookies from local Myrtle Ave restaurants

Read more...

Ways to Give 2019

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Parent Category: Newsflashes

Category: Newsflash

Giving is a great way to help those who need a hand up this holiday season. We have many ways to help, including gift drives, warm winter wear drives and more.  For any of the great drives below, feel free to organize a toy drive with your office or your baby group!  Have a holiday party potluck and have people bring gifts to donate.

Share these drives with work colleagues, block associations, or on social media. Every little bit helps!

The 2019 Little Essentials' Toy Drive

Suport Little Essentials Holiday Toy Drive and shop their Holiday Wish List on Amazon at from November 18th to December 2nd.

DETAILS: Select the gifts and send to the address near the top of the page: Little Essentials c/o Tribeca Pediatrics' Gift Registry Address

Little Essentials is a PSP favorite not-for-profit partner. They are a community response to a community need, helping families with children under 5 who live at or below the poverty line. PSP has  worked with them for 7 years, ever since founder and Ft. Greene mom Sandie Trombert had her living room chock full of donated items from her baby group friends to distribute to people less fortunate.

Deadline: December 16th

2019 Sheltering Arms Winter Wonders Gift Drive

Use Sheltering Arms Gift Registry for gifts ideas that kids and teens would love to open this holiday season.

Working with Foster Care, and with feedback from our youth 13+ , we decided to provide older youth with gift cards. We kindly ask that families consider donating gift cards (which can be found on the Amazon wishlist) to help us ensure our youth can purchase what they need/want. We have approximately 90 youth who are 13 years old and over. Of course, there is a need for gifts for children of all ages so we would be grateful to receive any gift that your families choose to donate. 

After making your gift, please fill out their online Donation Form - found at https://forms.gle/F5VxBdjZvCGZYVWB8  if you need a tax letter.

• Select Sheltering Arms’ Gift Registry Address for the shipping address

•  Enter your name, your Organization’s name if applicable, your contact information and the name of the Wishlist you chose your gift(s) from

  • E.g. 2019 Winter Wonders - Foster Care in the 'Gift Message' field.

  • If you're donating several gifts from the same wishlist, you only have to enter this information once on the first item listed in checkout

Questions? Contact Diana Ortiz at or (212) 886-5771.

Deadline: Thursday, December 5th

WRAPPING PARTIES-- These are at Sheltering Arms headquarters in Manhattan: 

• • 12/7 12p - 3pm
  • 12/8 12p - 3pm
  • 12/14 12p - 3pm
  • 12/15 12p - 3pm

Lantern Winter Gift Drive 2019

More than 23,000 children age out of the US foster care system every year.
After reaching the age of 18, 20% of the children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless.

Lantern Community Services champions the independence and well-being of New York City youth who are threatened with homelessness.

This holiday, many of our youth don’t have families to turn to at all.

With your help, we’ll make sure that every single one of them receives a gift.

Each gift on their Amazon Wishlist is only around $20. 

Please consider donating to our Amazon Wishlist

Or, gifts may be mailed to: 

Lantern Community Services Holiday Gift Drive

c/o Karisa Antonio

494 8th Avenue, 20th Floor

New York, NY 10001

 Lantern is a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit and we would love to give you a letter acknowledging your donation for your tax records. To receive a tax letter, go here  and fill out their form.

 Questions?    

Second Chance Toys

Nearly 14 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $22,050 a year for a family of four. Just by donating a gently used toy, you can make a world of difference in the life of a disadvantaged child and at the same time help keep toys out of our landfills.

From December 2nd until December 12th.

• • Kidville Park Slope

    808 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

    Monday- Friday:9:00 am-5:00 pm

    Sat & Sun call store for hours

    Phone: 718-569-2150

  • Kidville Carroll Gardens

    380 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

    Monday- Friday:9:00 am-5:00 pm

    Sat & Sun call store for hours

    Phone: 718-522-1700

  • Private Building (leave with Doorman)

    265 State St. #801

    Downtown Brooklyn, NY 11201

  • South Slope Doorman Drop-off

    438 12th Street

    Brooklyn, NY 11215

Donate to the 31st Annual New York Cares Coat Drive!

For the last 31 years, New York Cares has channeled the generosity of our city into our annual Coat Drive. Last year we distributed our two millionth coat, and this year our goal is to collect 100,000 new or gently used coats for New Yorkers in need in partnership with social service agencies, public schools, transitional housing shelters, and other nonprofit organizations. 

You can donate new or gently used winter coats at a variety of locations citywide, including any NYPD precinct or our warehouse in Midtown (located at 157 W 31st St, New York, NY 10001). You can also start a collection, or help us purchase new coats at wholesale prices by texting “COAT” to 474747. Every $20 donated will keep a fellow New Yorker warm this winter. The Coat Drive is a proud tradition that shows what New York City is really about: giving back to the community by looking out for one another ❤️

Learn more about the Coat Drive on our website:https://www.newyorkcares.org/coat-drive.

If you have any questions please email us at or call us at (212) 402-1103.

PS 321 COAT DRIVE

December 2-6 coats will be collected in the school entrance (180 Seventh Avenue_.The coats will be distributed to families in need through St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

Give to the PS 130 PTA Holiday Gift Drive for children in need this holiday season

At this time of year, there are so many worthy causes to support, and a great deal of need in the world. We are writing to ask you to consider need closer to home: the children in the PS 130 classrooms in Kensington, Brooklyn.

Each year, the PS 130 PTA sponsors a “Holiday Gift Drive” program: families in need are invited to register their children and fill out a list of needs and wants for the winter, and receive a gift basket of those items for their child(ren) in mid-December. As a Title I elementary school, we have a great number of families eligible for this program. This year we have 95 children registered to receive baskets.

Our program is asking the community at large if they can help by sponsoring winter boots ($30) or a coat & boots ($50) for a child in need. It takes a village to fill that many gift baskets.
On December 16, we’ll deliver 95 baskets, which will hold coats, boots, shoes, pjs, blankets/sheets, hats, gloves, scarves, rain gear, toiletries, socks, underwear, school supplies and backpacks to meet the children’s needs for this year. We’ll also include items from each child’s special “wants” – books, toys, art supplies, games and more.

Two Ways You Can Help - DONATION DEADLINE: TUES DEC 10:
1) Sponsor Winter Boots for $30, or a Coat & Boots for $50.
Please click on this link to give if you are able – and no amount is too small to help us towards the goal:


2) Buy gifts from the Holiday Gift Drive Amazon Wish List.
All gifts on our list are requested items for a specific child – books, toys, games, blankets, sheets & clothing gift cards. Your gift will be sent directly to the school.

PS 130 PTA is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Questions can be emailed to

Thank you for your generosity!
With gratitude,
The PS 130 PTA - Holiday Gift Drive Committee

Shot's for Tots Toy Drive

November 29-December 22(Confirmed date)
Butter & Scotch
818 Franklin Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225
O:347.350.8890
W: butterandscotch.com
A box will be located in the space to collect toys and a shot is offered for each patron that brings in a new toy."