Charm City Moms: Things to do -- the Christmas/winter break edition - A blog for Maryland parents by The Baltimore Sun's Kate Shatzkin

Walters winter break Merry Christmas!

Here are a few activities to get you through the extended holiday weekend. For more, consult our You & Your Weekend section today or the activities calendar on the rail to the right.

By the way, if you're tooling around the Inner Harbor with visiting family members and taking in the museums, you'll want to check out some deals on destinations from kidsdowntownbaltimore.com.

Thursday, Dec. 25:

Cinco de Chanukah, profiled here Tuesday, is on this afternoon. All kinds of families are welcome, whether or not they celebrate that holiday.

And if you're up for a longer trek, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens is open on Christmas.

Friday, Dec. 26:

Winter break activities at the Walters: Today through Jan. 1, the Walters Art Museum will be open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. with drop-in activities for families in the museum’s Family Art Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities will be suitable for children 3 and up, accompanied by an adult; make star lanterns, jeweled votive candles or holiday greeting cards. Free.

Story times: Baltimore County library branches in Rosedale, Towson and Pikesville will have preschool story times at 10:30 a.m. Visit bcpl.info for details on your branch.

On Saturday, check out the Kwanzaa celebration at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The admission price is right -- $1...

(Photo of family activities courtesy of the Walters Art Museum)

Saturday, Dec. 27:

Kwanzaa Celebration: Celebrate the second day of Kwanzaa at the Reginald Lewis Museum with performances, films, art activities and educational sessions. Call 443-263-1800 or visit africanamericanculture.org. Special admission: $1.

Nature puppet theater: See a puppet show about nature at 10 a.m. at the Irvine Nature Center. Free for members; $5 nonmembers. Call 443-738-9200.

Songs and stories: Kids under 6 can sing wintry songs and move with Deborah Spice Kleinmann at 2 p.m. at the Catonsville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Call 410-887-0951 or visit bcpl.info.

'Gingerbrick' museum: Kids will always love one more gingerbread house, especially if it’s a gingerbread mini museum. A small-scale “gingerbrick” replica of Port Discovery will be on display from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturdaydec.27. Children can create their own gingerbread men as well. Free with admission to Port Discovery, 35 Market Place. Call 410-727-8120 or visit portdiscovery.org.

Sunday, Dec. 28:

Family Day at the BMA: The theme of today's family activities at the Baltimore Museum of Art is "ceremonies from around the world." 2 p.m. Free.