Now is the time to catch up on some of the great holiday events that passed you by in the rush to Christmas. In Washington you'll find activities for all ages. One for children is the Holiday Celebration at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History from Thursday through Dec. 31.
Local musicians, storytellers, craftspeople and cooks will demonstrate the ways we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the New Year. Hanukkah will be observed by the telling of folk tales, performances by groups of Jewish musicians and through the preparation of "rugelach," a traditional Jewish pastry. A daily program of music and storytelling celebrates the African-American tradition of Kwanzaa. And there will be music from Eastern Europe, Hawaii, Finland, Spain, Italy, the Caribbean, England, Ireland and Latin America. Chefs will prepare festive holiday foods from different cultures and you'll // see a demonstration of Colombian "nacimiento" (Christmas creche figures made out of clay) and a maker of wooden toys. There will also be demonstrations of Jewish and German paper cuts, Ukrainian ornaments and Swedish paper hearts.
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the museum is on Constitution Avenue Northwest between 12th and 14th streets. Admission is free. Call (202) 357-2700.
White House Candlelight Tours are scheduled Thursday to Saturday evenings from 6 to 8. You can visit the beautifully
decorated main state rooms of the White House while local choirs and bell ringers perform Christmas music. Admission is by free ticket with lines forming on East Executive Avenue. Call (202) 456-2200.
The 14th annual Festival of Lights, Trees and Music continues through Jan. 5 at the Washington Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints in Kensington.
Temple grounds are lit by thousands of lights and inside the Visitors Center is an exhibition of nine miniature nativity scenes on loan from different countries along with the annual display of 14 trees decorated in biblical themes. Programs of Christmas music are presented at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 each evening and a live nativity scene can be seen in the temple parking lot between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. through Dec. 30. Admission is free.
Take exit 33A off the Capital Beltway toward Kensington and turn right onto Beach Drive and left on Stoneybrook Drive. For information, call (301) 587-0144.
Frederick Candlelight Tour
Another popular event is the Candlelight Church Tour in Frederick on the day after Christmas from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The First Baptist Church, constructed in 1922, is an addition to this year's self-guided tour of 11 churches and one synagogue. You can also visit St. John's Catholic Church, the oldest consecrated Catholic church in the nation; All Saints Episcopal Church, listed among the famous churches in America; Frederick Presbyterian Church, which served as a hospital during the Civil War; and Beth Sholom, a 1917 synagogue.
Many of the churches will offer musical presentations, and at Beth Sholom Synagogue there will be a presentation on the synagogue and Judaism.
Admission is free. Tour brochures and maps are available that evening at four hospitality centers: Evangelical Lutheran Church, E. Church St.; Calvary United Methodist Church, 133 W. Second St.; Beth Sholom Synagogue, 20 W. Second St.; and First Baptist Church, 217 Dill Ave. Complimentary hot beverages will be served at each of the centers.
The Historical Society of Frederick County, 24 E. Church St., will also hold a candlelight tour that evening from 4 to 9. Decorations and refreshments in this Federal period town house reflect German and English Christmas traditions. Admission is $1.
For information about either tour, call (301) 663-8687.
Ephrata Cloister tours
Christmas Candlelight Tours will be held Friday through next Sunday at Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata, Pa. First-person interpretive tours are conducted by student historians using scripts based on cloister life of the 18th century. This year's tour will focus on the cloister's founder, Conrad Beissel, whose 300th birthday is being observed this year. Two of the brothers will report on conditions in the cloister at that time and of Beissel's accomplishments. The presentation allows visitors to take part in the scenarios.
Tours are offered on the half hour and last about an hour. Hot chocolate and cookies are served following the tour.
Hours are 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for ages 6 to 17. Reservations are necessary. The cloister is at the junction of U.S. 322 and Route 272 in Ephrata. For information, call (717) 733-6600.
Washington's crossing
The annual re-enactment of Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas Day brings crowds to Washington Crossing Historic Park in Washington Crossing, Pa. Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776 and went on to defeat the British at Trenton and Princeton. These events turned the tide of the Revolutionary War.
This year's 39th annual event begins at 1:30 p.m. in the area adjacent to the visitor center. Following an address by Washington, the troops will march along the river bank past McConkey Ferry Inn (Washington's headquarters) to the crossing site. At 2 p.m. Washington and his men will board four replica Durham boats and row to the New Jersey shore.
Some of the park buildings will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a documentary film on the crossing will be shown at noon and 1 p.m. Enter the park on Route 32, just north of Route 532. Admission is free. For information, call (215) 493-4076.
Holiday Illumination
Sully Plantation, once the home of Virginia's first congressman, Richard Bland Lee, in Chantilly, Va., will hold its annual Holiday Illumination next Sunday. Candlelight tours of the decorated mansion will be conducted from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Outside candle lanterns will light the pathways as various 18th century characters stroll the grounds. Visitors can enjoy hot chocolate and caroling around the bonfires or take wagon rides in the surrounding fields. The evening concludes at 8 with 18th century-style fireworks.
Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children. Sully is on Route 28, Sully Road, in Chantilly, 3/4 mile north of the junction of Route 28 and U.S. 50 and four miles south of the Dulles Toll Road. For information, call (703) 437-1794.
New Castle candlelight tours
For those who were unable to attend the earlier Christmas Candlelight Tours in New Castle, Del., two additional ones are scheduled after Christmas on Friday and Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Three house museums, historic churches and the town hall will be on view and costumed guides will escort small groups to each site by lantern light.
Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for ages 6 to 12. For information or reservations, call (302) 322-8411.
Cape May house tour
The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts in Cape May will sponsor its 18th annual Christmas Candlelight House Tour Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Each evening 10 different homes, guest houses, hotels and churches will be open for tour. A free trolley shuttle will operate between sites, and the First Presbyterian Church will offer hospitality and free refreshments.
Tickets cost $25 for adults, $12.50 for ages 3 to 12 (includes both Friday and Saturday tours), $15 for adults, $7.50 for children (one night tour). Tickets can be purchased at the MAC office, 1048 Washington St. For information, call (609) 884-5404.