Category: Family Fun

Kiddie Pool 25/12/25

Family fun for whenever

Escape to the museum

Some area museums offer special hours and events during the between-holidays week of Dec. 25 through Jan. 1.

• SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St. in Manchester, see-sciencecenter.org, will be closed the Thursdays of Christmas and New Year’s Day but open Monday, Dec. 29, as well as its usual Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $14 per person ages 3 and up, the website said.

• The Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St. in Manchester, currier.org, will hold its fourth annual December Days on Friday, Dec. 26, and Saturday, Dec. 27, with family-friendly activities running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. included with admission (kids 12 and under get in for free). The museum’s regular hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the website. Admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for 65+ and students with ID cards, and $5 for ages 13 to 17, the website said.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, aviationmuseumofnh.org, is currently featuring the exhibit “Holiday Festival of Toy Planes and Model Aircraft,” which will be on display through Sunday, Jan. 4, according to a press release. The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas and New Year’s Day). The museum will be open extra days — Monday, Dec. 29, and Tuesday, Dec. 30. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and up, and $5 for ages 6 to 12, 65+, veterans and active military; kids age 5 and under get in free.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive in Concord, starhop.com, is closed on Christmas and Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Day but will be open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 26, through Wednesday, Dec. 31, and then Friday, Jan. 2, through Sunday, Jan. 4, according to the website. Admission costs $14 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, $11 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for ages 2 and under, the website said. Planetarium shows cost an additional $7 per person (free for children under 3) and run at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., the website said.

Treasure Hunt 25/12/25

inside/outside treasure hunt

Hi Donna,

This piece of pottery was found in the mid 1900s when the grounds of a Boston tavern were being dug up near the seaport. The inside is glazed. The outside is rough. The lid has two larger chips on its surface, and the main piece has a chip at its base. My mother-in-law says not to clean it as that can remove value. Might this be worth anything?

Thank you!

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

What you have is an early American redware bean pot. Most of the ones found in the Boston area were marked with names and Boston Mass.

Your pot is from the early 1800s and would have been heavily used in its time for cooking beans mostly. Being chipped does weigh in on the value. In general redware bean pots are in the $100+ range to collectors.

Thanks for sharing, Lisa.

Kiddie Pool 25/12/18

Family fun for whenever

Santa visit

• Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St. in Candia, continues its Santa’s Christmas with times Friday, Dec. 19, through Sunday, Dec. 21, as well as on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 24, according to visitthefarm.com. This event will feature a visit to Charmingfare’s North Pole, including an opportunity to see Santa Claus, get cookies from Mrs. Claus, see Santa’s reindeer and more as well as visits with farm animals, camp fires, and more, the website said. See visitthefarm.com for entry times for and ticket options (some include a horse-drawn ride through a Christmas Trail) and to purchase admissions.

Still some Nutcracker

• The Nutcracker 2025 will be presented by Ballet Misha at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 1 and 6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to tickets.anselm.edu.

• The Nutcracker will be presented by the Safe Haven Ballet on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre, 44 N. Main St. in Derry. Tickets are for sale at pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre.

• The NH School of Ballet will present The Nutcracker on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord, according to theaudi.org/events.

• The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker will screen on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 22, at 3 and 7 p.m at the O’Neil Cinemas in Londonderry (16 Orchard View) and Epping (Brickyard Square, 24 Calef Highway) via Fathom Entertainment; see fathomentertainment.com, where you can find times and locations. Get a look at the filmed production at rbo.org.uk/ballet-essentials-the-nutcracker.

Still some Pops

• The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra will present Holiday Pops with singalong and a Special Jolly Guest on Saturday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. at Seifert Performing Arts Center, 44 Germonty Drive in Salem, according to nhphil.org.

Treasure Hunt 25/12/18

Dear Donna,

I want to give this pair of earrings to my niece. They belonged to my late wife. I think they were her mom’s as well. My question is, should I have them insured for her? They are marked 14 KT but I have no information on the diamonds. Can you point me in a direction for the correct information?

Thank you, Donna.

Denny

Dear Denny,

What a nice gift to pass along!

The first thing you want to do is have a jeweler take a look at them. This is usually a free service they provide. If you want a written appraisal that would cost you.

You want to ask them if the stones are of good quality and what is the size of them. Then an approximate value for them. They might be able to give you an age on them as well. This should give you all the information you need to make your decision on whether to insure or not.

Denny, I think any information will be helpful. Either way, though, it won’t take away from them being family and being passed on.

Good luck and thanks for asking.

Note: Jewelers have diamond testers as well to confirm the stones are real.

Kiddie Pool 25/12/11

Family fun for whenever

See Santa

• The Milford Recreation Department will hold a Breakfast with Santa featuring pancakes and sausage on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Town Hall Auditorium, according to milfordnh.recdesk.com, where you can register and pay for limited seating.

• Santa Live 2025 at the Londonderry Access TV studio, 281 Mammoth Road in Londonderry, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 1 to 3 p.m., according to the station’s Facebook page. Kids can meet with Santa and Mrs. Claus on TV while parents take photos, the post said. RSVP to Erin at 432-1147 or email erowe@londonderrynh.gov.

Santa airborne

• On Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11 a.m. the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, will receive a visit from Santa Claus via helicopter, according to aviationmuseumofnh.org. Families wanting to watch Santa land should be at the museum by 10:45 a.m., the website said. Kids can meet with Santa at this free event until he departs at 1 p.m., the website said.

• It’s Astronaut Santa Day at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when kids can visit with Astronaut Santa and explore the museum, according to starhop. com, where you can purchase admission for the museum only or for the museum and a planetarium show.

Holiday concerts

• The Manchester Community Music School, 2291 Elm St. in Manchester, will hold its Holiday Pops 2025 concert on Friday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., according to mcmusicschool.org.

• Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, will host a Mr. Aaron Concert on Friday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m. in the Carriage House, according to kimballjenkins.com.

• Catch Symphony NH’s Holiday Pops concert on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Keefe Center for the Arts, 117 Elm St. in Nashua, according to symphonynh.org.

Holiday fun

• The YMCA of Greater Londonderry, 206 Rockingham Road in Londonderry, will host The Great Candy Cane Hunt on Friday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to graniteymca.org, where you can register and pay for the event. The YMCA’s Teen Leaders will hide candy canes all around the facility, and kids, in groups divided by age, will search for them with candy cane bags they decorate, the website said.

• Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St. in Pembroke, pembrokecitylimits.com, will hold a Kids Show on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 1 p.m. featuring a reading of The Polar Express, hot cocoa and candy canes and a “visit from the North Pole,” according to the website.

Holidays on screen

• Cinemark Rockingham Park, at The Mall at Rockingham Park, 15 Mall Road in Salem, cinemark.com, will wrap up its special screenings as part of Holiday Movie Clubhouse with screenings onElf(PG, 2003) on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 9:40 a.m. and 10 a.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 6:30 p.m.

• The Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org) will present one of the best cinematic A Christmas Carol adaptations, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 4:30 p.m.

Treasure Hunt 25/12/11

Hello, Donna,

Can you give me a value on my brother’s lava lamp? He just recently gave it to me. It’s in good working condition and is marked Simplex on the bottom. He got it in the 1970s so I’m wondering, is it an antique one? Thank you kindly, Donna.

Kenny

Dear Kenny,

Your brother gave you a collectible, not yet an antique, but a fun piece from the 1970s. Lava lamps were created in the 1960s by a British inventor. The first ones were called Astro lamps. The Simplex Co. was very popular in the 1970s. Now called Lava Lamps they were made here in the U.S. until the early 2000s, after which they were manufactured in China. Lava lamps were a big part of the 1970s. Lamps of this age in good working condition can bring in the range of $100 to $200+. So yes, Kenny, it does have a value and collectibility these days. It’s very important that the light is clear and the wax inside is in good shape. What a fun piece, Kenny. Thank you for sharing.

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