Through December 31, 2022. Check out all of the fuss about the humbug! Macy’s in Center City Philadelphia offers a true and tried holiday tradition featuring the iconic Dickens Village experience as well as its annual highly-anticipated Holiday Windows displays. Macy’s Dickens Village, an exhibit that walks you back to merry Ol’ England and the land of Scrooge through 26 scenes and animated displays chronicling the story of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. It covers 6,000 square feet, so bring comfy shoes. If you go online, you can get a video preview. Advance reservations required.

Kwanzaa kick-off celebrates unity

December 26, 2022 to January 1, 2023. What ideal place to celebrate the holidays than at the Kwanzaa Unity Celebration & Showcase (in-person) at the African America Museum in Philadelphia. It features family-friendly virtual and in-person activities. On the first day of Kwanzaa, observe the principle of Umoja (Unity), meaning “to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race,” with the lighting of the Kinara to kick off the Kwanzaa season. Also, enjoy open mic poetry and a drum circle open to all guests. It’s all part of a series of activities during Kwanzaa including arts and crafts, interactive workshops, discussions, a virtual cooking class, yoga and meditation, griots, and games, music, a paint party, vision boarding, a gallery walk and a commissioned poem written for the museum’s current exhibition “Vision & Spirit: African American Art, Works from the Bank of America.” Check out all of the daily online activities by signing up for a special Zoom link (via website, social media and newsletter) or visiting the African American Museum’s Facebook page. Guests are encouraged to dress in Kente, Ankara, or positive and empowering Kwanzaa-related attire all week long. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets: free for its museum members, $14 adults; $10 for kids, ages 4 to 12, students, and senior citizens. The African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St., 215-574-0380, aampmuseum.org or allevents.in.

Soak in the sounds of Afro-Caribbean holiday beats

December 23, 2022. Hosted by Roger Culture, vibe out at Afro Caribbean Fridays Holiday Edition to reggae, soca, Afro-beats, dancehall, kompa, Amapian and hip-hop courtesy of DJ Stagga [the young genna], DJ Afrik, DJ Kirsh, DJ Smoy, DJ Marvin-T, DJ Ogeez and other top local DJ's. Red Wine Restaurant & Steakhouse, 701 Adams Ave. Must be over age 21. $20 cover at the door; starting at 9 p.m.; free for women who register on eventbrite.com (Code: "free B4 10:00PM"), or text to: 215-512-4188.

Go ‘Home for the Holidays’

December 28, 2022. On the third day of Kwanzaa, Chef Shayla Felton-Dorsey will prepare a dish from the African diaspora and reflect on the meaning of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) at a Taste of African Pop-up. 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., free but reserve a space. Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, 125 S. 52nd St. Flavorful, nutritious, and eclectic — our Healthy Communities programs center healthy food traditions of Black and Brown people around the world. Eventbrite.com.

Kwanzaa with ‘The Food Griot’

Kwanzaa honors the African-American and pan-African community, culture and family. And few foodies celebrate the season better than culinary scholar Tonya “The Food Griot” Hopkins who spends the holidays sharing her love of food from the African diaspora -- the Nguzu Saba, the seven principles and the history. She whips up savory meals like black-eyed pea fritters and Black Sable Rice Calas over lively conversation as tasty as her homemade sesame sauce. Hopkins next local presentation this month at the Culinary Literacy at the Parkway Central Library is filled up, but you can catch the food host on Savory & Sweet: Food History & Culture, a weekly show on Philadelphia’s WURD Radio, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays or at WURD’s website anytime (wurdradio.com), and nationally on The Kwanzaa Menu, kicking off December 26th (FoodNetwork.com).

Concert spirits for the soul

Dec 29, 2022. Rejoice in historic spirituals, gospels and stories of Christmas in a 10th annual family concert hosted by AfroSouthern Education Project and performed by soprano and storyteller Tara Lake. The 2022 Christmas Spirituals Project – Christmas Concert focuses on African-American folk traditions of the late-18th-to-20th centuries through art songs, spirituals, classical songs, gospels, stories, poetry and biblical scripture. It includes works from Paul Lawrence Dunbar and others. The Christmas Spirituals Project moves listeners along a Nativity journey over various generations, with stops in the Gullah-Geechee coast of the southeast and in cities like Lexington and Chicago all in the historic setting of a grand 19th-century landmark church in West Philadelphia. All are welcome, but sign up in advance, as space is limited. 6:30 p.m., free. Calvary United Methodist Church, 801 S. 48th St., 215-724-1702, eventbrite.com or AfroSouthern.org.

Creative help for the holiday blues 

December 21, 2022. The holidays are not all fa-la-la-la fun for everyone. With this in mind, the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement is holding The Longest Night for anyone who is feeling sad, lonely or overwhelmed this holiday season. The gathering addresses the distressful feelings that can impact our emotional, mental and physical states, as a challenging and uncertain year closes. Teaching artists will run workshops on art-making that are designed to bring comfort and hope. Some of these ongoing workshops cover creative activities such as photography, painting and writing. Lucien Blackwell Community Center, 47th and Aspen streets. Sign up in advance: registration link or https://www.creativephl.org/venue/lucien-e-blackwell-community-center/ or creativephl.org.