Hey Santa Clarita families, are you ready for the gingerbread-fake-snow-peppermint-flavored-warm-fuzzy joy of the holiday season? Me neither. So let’s get into the spirit together with some weekend family fun!

Here are my top 5 picks for family activities in Santa Clarita this weekend:

Festival of Trees

Trees. Santa. Trees. Gingerbread. Trees. Live Music. Tre…well you get the idea. It’s the 12^th Annual Festival of Trees benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley and it really is a great way to get your whole family into the holiday spirit.

It runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend and the next and has an endless variety of activities. This weekend the kid’s events include pictures with Santa, Holiday Hocus Pocus, and a Kids Corner (check the schedule for specific times). Plus, of course, TONS OF TREES! It’s at the Valencia Industrial Center and tickets are super affordable at $6 for adults, $3 for kids 4-14, and free under 3. Click here for more info.

Oh, did I mention they have trees there? Good.

Literary and Arts Fest at the Old Town Newhall Library

Electronics and screens are around us pretty much 24/7, but wouldn’t it be nice to put them all away and have your kids explore their own creativity?

Santa Clarita’s Literacy & Arts Festival has really cool ways to inspire them including Toast Murals, Post-It Art, Green Eggs and Ham, the SCV Ballet Company, and something called “Makey Makey” that combines electronic instruments and fruit. Creative enough for you? Yep, I thought so.

It’s Saturday, November 15^th from 10-3 at the Old Town Newhall Library and this link will give you the details. Put down your screens and go! I mean, smartphones are fun, but I’ve never seen one that could compete with a Toast Mural. Right?

Farmer’s Market

Sometimes you just want something simple with your children that all of you will enjoy. How about taking your little ones to the Farmer’s Market?

It runs Sundays from 8:30 to noon at the College of the Canyons Parking Lot 5. Your kids will love strolling from booth to booth and grazing on samples, plus you can get some distance from goldfish crackers and get a little closer to exotic hummus and olives.

As an added activity, challenge your kids to pick out 3 fun looking vegetables that they will eat. Head to your kitchen, crank up some killer music, and spend the afternoon creating a dish together of your own creation. Let them experiment! You might be surprised at what they discover, plus they may even eat one or two new things.

Santa Clarita Top Things To Do

Light up Main Street

The traditional lighting of the Christmas tree really does put you in the spirit of the holidays, so join up with the City Council of Santa Clarita as they Light Up Main Street in Old Town Newhall.

Saturday, November 15^th, at 6:30pm they will do the official street lighting ceremony, and then keep the party going with family-friendly activities and a visit from Santa himself.

A little hint, you can go early and visit the Old Town Newhall Sip & Shop event from 3-6 so you can get a head start on your shopping. And your sipping…

Farmer John Harvest Festival

If you are looking for a fun family event but just aren’t ready to “Deck the Halls”, what about heading towards the Old West at the Farmer John Harvest Festival?

It’s taking place at the Tesoro Adobe Historic park on Saturday the 15^th from 11-3, and for the low low price of “free” your kids can ride on pony rides, see animal shows, play carnival games, and find their inner cowboy with western music. You can call 702-8953 for more details.

I can’t guarantee you will be completely free of the holiday theme, but your odds are good, cowpoke.