Christmas chillin' with the children

Behold: 'tis the season for entertaining ... your children. Have a look at our list of the best bets in Sarasota for keeping all spirits bright this season.

+ FOR GOODNESS' SAKE:

Christmas in Candyland — takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Michael's on East. $75 for adults and $50 for children.

Sure, the ticket price is hefty, but it goes toward a great cause: Christmas in this candy land benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida. No event at Michael's on East ever happens without pulling out all the stops, so expect a full-on tapestry of gorgeous decorations. This is the moment to dress your kids in taffeta and bow ties — total photo-op central in the holiday photo booth. CIC offers all the holiday activity classics: cookie decorating (with, you know, Cakes by Ron), Santa, elf face painting, temporary tattoos, balloon-making, kid-friendly food, demos by Home Depot, and most importantly, the opportunity to discuss with your kids what it means to be philanthropic and charitable.

Goodness Alternative: Make-A-Wish offers the Adopt-A-Wish program, where individual families choose from a list of adoptable wishes and then donate to fulfill it.

Adults Only: There's a Naughty/Nice bar.

+ FOR THE LITTLE MISS:

Moscow Ballet: Great Russian Nutcracker — takes place at 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Tickets start at $35. Call 953-3368

We are lucky, lucky Sarasotans. For the last two years, the Sarasota Ballet has run its circus-themed "Nutcracker" during season, to much delight. While they're not running it this time around, never fear — the Moscow Ballet is in town doing its own thing, so you can still style up your little girl, take her out to a fancy lunch and then attend this well-reviewed interpretation, which includes Father Christmas and the Land of Peace and Harmony, as well as the usual suspects, all set to Tchaikovsky's dreamy score.

Cheap Alternative: Download the Kirov Orchestra soundtrack, especially selections Op. 71: No. 2 March and Op. 71: No. 14c Pas De Deux: Variation II (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy). Play these two songs on the way to school; repeat on the way home. Then, screen Ovation TV's "Battle of the Nutcrackers" (Dec. 7 through 11) for as long as your kids can stand it. Also, get yourself a good old-fashioned nutcracker for your daughter to carry around, like Clara does.

+ FOR ACTIVE TYPES:

Lights in Bloom — takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 19 through 23 and Dec. 26 through 29 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. $17 for adults, $14 for members and free for children younger than 12. Call 366-5731

If there's one un-missable holiday event in town, it's got to be this one. Your kids, like mine, may have the Selby circuit imprinted in their neural pathways by now: hugging tree at the right entry to the Rainforest Garden, banyan No. 2 is the best for wild games, case the café freezer for the Mexican Chocolate Popcrafts early. Even so, Selby at night, lit up, is another thing altogether. The place is transformed into a new and magical scape, complete with dancing fairies, a wishing-tree station, insane light displays, music, and at the end of it all, Santa. Bring a flashlight and some other parents; there's lots of kids, lots of plants and lots of dark. Did I mention kids younger than 12 get in free?

Cheap Alternative: There is no substitute for what Selby does, but possible chasers to a light display like theirs include putting up lights in your own yard and scene-selecting the moment when Chevy Chase finally illuminates his house in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

+ FOR THE FANATIC:

Frozen at UTC — Ongoing until Dec. 24

Though it's not exactly clear why Santa is hanging out in Norway (which is where, according to the best minds in fan fiction, "Frozen's" Arendelle is set), he's here, at the end of the "Frozen" rainbow, at the UTC mall. If your kid can't stop crushing on this movie, get him or her to this interactive ice palace next to the Starbucks (pick one up before getting in line). You'll wait a bit, but the line moves fast, and once you enter the palace, you and your kid will be dusted with snowflakes and entreated to sing along with Anna and Elsa by microphone, all while chilling in a pristine tundra of animated glory. Be forewarned: if you want to sit on Santa's lap and get pictures when you exit the palace, be prepared to pay.

Alternative: Watch "Frozen" again.

Adults Only: Watch "Frozen" lampooned on social media again.

+ FOR THE BESTIES / GENERAL SANITY

Holiday Play Date — Any time

I'm having one of these next week, and I'm planning on attending in my most comfortable clothes and not caring at all what I look like. And that's why, of all the things on this list, the holiday play date is perhaps the easiest to pull off. Here's the skinny: gather four or five family friends together in one exceedingly gracious person's home. Have two parents do crafts with the kids, and the others do crafts for the parents.

For the kids: gingerbread houses, luminaries, paper snowflakes, popcorn garlands, drawing snowflakes on the windows with soap (there's a Pinterest for this), or baking cookies. Any of these can be parlayed into gifts for teachers (except the windows, which would be like the most adorable graffiti, but still). This is also the perfect time to swap gifts. Parents can make something everybody wants but no one actually has time to make: in our case, it's big, fluffy, fragrant eucalyptus wreaths, but you could also nail that one recipe your friend found for spiced plum cake, or make those bottlebrush-trees-in-bell-jar things, or wrap presents. Everybody leaves with a kid craft and an adult-made item, i.e. everybody wins.

Adults Only: Drink spiced hot chocolate. If you've been nice this year, I'll email you the recipe. Kick it up with a shot of whiskey.

Cheap Alternative: This is the cheap alternative to everything else.

+ FOR THE LITTLE ROCKWELL:

Holidays Around The Ranch — takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at Lakewood Ranch

LWR's holiday square is a charming and idyllic respite from the marketplace madness happening just across University. Little ones can ride the train around the stately Christmas tree and swig hot cocoa and egg nog; the bigs can take advantage of the acrylic outdoor "ice skating" rink. Everyone can herald Santa's arrival via horse-drawn carriage. This is the perfect family-night venue: easy, walkable and something to do for all ages.

Adults Only: A hot toddy at MacAllisters Grill & Tavern goes for $5.75.

Cheap Alternative: Set up your lighted ceramic winter village display on the mantle with a tiny folded up sign that says DON'T TOUCH. Or, just check them out at Michael's Craft Store.

— Amy Nance is a writer and editor based in Sarasota. She is the editor of Mommy Magazine and mom to Willa and Jude. You can find more of her work at amyshepherdnance.com.