Frugal in Philly - Winter Holiday Edition

Frugal in Philly is a weekly celebration of all things Philly that are fun, frugal (costing $10 or less) or free! Stop here each week to see what Philly's got to offer for those of us who haven't quite mastered the art of becoming Independently Wealthy (although believe us, we're trying).

Featured Pick of the Week: Holiday Hoopla
Phillyist reader Maria recently chided us for not pointing out the many Frugal in Philly appropriate, holiday-related happenings around the city this time of year. She particularly cited what was once the Wanamaker's Light Show, which is now a still enjoyable shadow of itself at Lord & Taylor (1300 Market Street). And since we don't want coal in our stocking (and, since all the regular frugal favorites seems to be on holiday break this week), we'll tell you the light show is free, runs once an hour and that you'll want to get there early to jockey for a good spot to see. (Oh, and also that standing there for so long might make you tempted to sit on the floor...but we don't recommend it unless your slacks are well insulated. It can get a bit chilly down there.) Furthermore, we are providing a very abbreviated list of other frugal festivities happening around town this season:

• Walk Through A Christmas Carol: Take a stroll through this Dickensian classic at Strawbridges at 8th and Market. The exhibit is open daily from 10AM to 7PM (till 5PM on Christmas and New Year's Eves) and will close December 31st. There are timed tickets to help with traffic flow...but admission is free. This is probably our favorite holiday tradition here in Philly. But we are a book nerd after all.
• Being Jewish at Christmas: An "outrageously hip" afternoon of music, magic and other fun at the National Museum of American Jewish History on December 25th from noon to four. The program will end with the lighting of a menorah and the singing of Hanukkah songs to mark the beginning of Hanukkah. The museum is located at 55 North 5th Street, and admission to the celebration is $4.
• Kwanzaa Celebration with Queen Nur: Queen Nur and her daughter Sarai mark the start of Kwanzaa with storytelling at the Garden State Discovery Museum (2040 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill) December 26th at 1PM. Museum admission is $8.95.

Phillyist knows there are about three gazillion holidays going on this month, and subsequently more events around town than one can safely shake a stick at...and that most of them are free. So if we've missed your favorite, we say"Mea culpa," followed quickly by, "Now quit your whining and drop us a note about it in the comments." (it's not that we're lazy, per se...but we feel we derserve a holiday break too). We're especially sorry we weren't able to find a single event celebrating Cephalopodmas - if only because we'd love to see City Hall draped in giant, blinking squids rather than those candy-colored lights.