The holidays are on full display in the desert during the third week of December with three chances to ice skate, an opportunity to sing carols with Mrs. Claus between sips of cocoa and decorate a gingerbread house.

Kids also have multiple opportunities to visit with Santa and view some holiday lights.

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To keep things fresh, giant, animatronic dinosaurs are tossed into the mix with this week’s opening of Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs.

This week’s family and kid listings has a good mix of paid and free events and if we just hit on the magic word, you can find free December kid events and our full listing of December events can be found at  www.azcentral.com/things-to-do/kids/.

12/16: Santa’s Workshop

Kids of all ages are invited to this holiday shopping event where they can buy gifts for everyone on their list for $2 each. The event features a nice selection for family, friends and pets, and Santa’s elves will be happy to wrap up the purchases in holiday paper.

Details: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Dec. 16. Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center, 5600 W. Union Hills Drive, Glendale. 623-930-4610, glendaleaz.com.

12/16: Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts

Come check out one-of-a-kind artistic creations as well as music and plenty of family-friendly fun. Formerly known as the Mesa Arts & Crafts Festival, this event is a good place to do some holiday shopping or treat yourself to some artwork.

Details: 2-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16. Along South MacDonald Street, Mesa. dtmesafest.com.

12/17: Santa Hustle Arizona 5K and Half Marathon

Christmas fans who love cookies and candy, holiday tunes and partying with their friends are sure to enjoy the Santa Hustle. The run features music and sweet treats along the course and the swag includes a Santa hat and beard, candy cane socks, finisher medal and more. The event, which also includes a kids 1-mile run and kids 100-yard dash, supports Glendale Fire Charities.

Details: 8-10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Blvd., Glendale. $5-$60. santahustle.com/arizona.

12/21: OdySea in the Desert opens ChillFest

OdySea ChillFest, a premium ice skating area, offers ice skate rentals, daily family fun activities, and an array of special holiday events. Kids of all ages can skate with “holiday mascots” during many of the days, while the whole family can enjoy evening entertainment including the Snowgirls Holiday Revue, a performance that got its start in Las Vegas and is filled with all the glamour ice-skating can offer! ChillFest also will offer tips and tricks lessons with the pros and other events include Snow Blitz, where kids can enjoy falling snow and wintry special effects. 

Details: Dec. 21 through Jan. 6. Times vary by day. OdySea in the Desert, 9500 E. Via De Ventura, Scottsdale. Included in admission price. odyseainthedesert.com.

12/21: Phoestivus at Phoenix Public Market

Inspired by Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets in Germany) and Seinfeld’s Festivus, Phoestivus is the premiere all-inclusive December celebration. The market features locally grown and produced gifts for holiday giving from more than 130 local vendors. Families can browse a variety of locally grown, produced and prepared foods, and shop for hand-crafted gift items, jewelry and holiday decorations created by local artisans. This family-friendly event boasts traditions like the Phoestivus Pole, Pheats of Strength and the Airing of Grievances.

Details: 5-10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14 and Thursday, Dec. 21. Phoenix Public Market, 721 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Free. 602-625-6736, openair6.wixsite.com/phoestivus.

12/21: Downtown Chandler screening of ‘Elf’

Gather up your family, friends and some blankets and head to downtown Chandler for an outdoor holiday movie night. Enjoy “Elf” while relaxing in  Dr. A.J. Chandler Park.

Details: 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21. Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Free. visitchandler.com.

12/23: Cocoa and Cookies With Mrs. Claus

Santa’s wife will head down from the North Pole to make a special appearance at Phoenix Premium Outlets. Families can enjoy cookies and cocoa as they listen to Mrs. Claus sing Christmas carols. Photos will be available at the holiday photo booth.

Details: Noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23. Phoenix Premium Outlets, 4976 Premium Outlet Way, Gila River Reservation. Free. premiumoutlets.com/outlet/phoenix.

12/23: Gingerbread House Decorating

Gather up the kiddos and head to the Phoenix Children’s Museum for some fun and creative gingerbread house decorating. Use royal icing and assorted candies to adorn a pre-constructed house, and sip on hot cocoa as you work.

Details: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23. Phoenix Children’s Museum, 215 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. $35 for up to four people, plus museum admission. 602-253-0501, childrensmuseumofphoenix.org.

Through 12/31: Mesa Temple Christmas Lights

The Mesa Arizona Temple Gardens are decorated for the Christmas season with hundreds of thousands of colorful lights. Enjoy the illuminated palm trees and flower gardens, a nativity scene, recorded messages in English and Spanish and more.

Details: 5-10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31. Mesa Arizona Temple, 525 E. Main St. Free. mesachristmaslights.com.

Through 12/31: Holiday Bricktacular

Head to Legoland Discovery Center every weekend in December to literally and figuratively build holiday memories. Youngsters can build a Lego gingerbread house, meet a Lego Santa and let him know what sets they hope to find under the tree, and write a letter to a Master Model Builder.

Details: Every weekend in December. Legoland Discovery Center Arizona, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle, Suite 135, Tempe. Ticket prices vary, check website for details. arizona.legolanddiscoverycenter.com.

Through 1/5: Merry Main Street

Merry Main Street, a spectacular celebration of the holiday season, will be held in downtown Mesa through Jan. 5. Families wanting icy fun can skate on the Winter Wonderland Ice Rink. Other main attractions are the Jack Frost Food Truck Forest and a large holiday tree that is nearly four stories tall. Friday and Saturday evenings will feature arts, crafts and local vendors.

Details:  5-10 p.m weekdays and noon-10 p.m. weekends; noon-4 p.m. Dec. 24 and 31. Downtown Mesa, Main Street and MacDonald, 20 E. Center St. Free; $10 for ice skating. merrymainst.com.

Through 1/6: Glendale Glitters

The award-winning holiday festival returns to Glendale with 1.5 million LED lights that cover 16 blocks. Families can enjoy a festival full of holiday entertainment, visits with Santa, food and hand-crafted gifts.

Details: 5-11 p.m. nightly through Saturday, Jan. 6. Free. Historic downtown Glendale, 58th and Glendale avenues. glendaleaz.com/glitters.

Through 1/7: CitySkate in Phoenix

CityScape hosts this whimsical rink in the heart of downtown Phoenix for the sixth year, taking over Central Avenue and featuring a 36-foot-tall Christmas tree covered with thousands of twinkling lights. Santa will appear for photo sessions on certain days, and the City Lights Movie Night on Friday, Dec. 8, will feature “Home Alone 2” and “Elf.” The grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 25 will feature live music, an appearance by Santa, skating performances by Anna and Elsa and a tree-lighting ceremony.

Details: Ice rink is open Friday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 7. Check the website for ice-skating session times. 1 E. Washington St., Phoenix. $15 general admission; $30 for express pass, $10 for ages 4-8, military members and seniors. Free for age 3 and younger. Fee includes skate rental. 602-772-3900, phxicerink.com.

Through 1/15: ZooLights

Mark your calendars for Nov. 22, when the popular holiday-season ZooLights exhibit return to the Phoenix Zoo. ZooLights features millions of lights, hundreds of light displays, Music-in-Motion displays by the lake, a lighted tree, carousel rides and more.

Details: 5:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, through  Monday, Jan. 15. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway. 602-286-3800, phoenixzoo.org.

Ongoing: Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs

OdySea in the Desert opens a new indoor dinosaur attraction and interactive educational center. The attraction takes guests back in time to the age of dinosaurs with educational exhibits featuring more than 50 life-size animatronic dinosaurs. Kids can excavate fossils and enjoy face painting, sluicing activities, balloon art and more.

Details: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sundays. Guests must reserve tickets in advance of their visit to guarantee entry. OdySea in the Desert, 9500 E. Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale. General admission $19.95 for adults, $18.95 for ages 12-17, $15.95 for ages 3-11; other interactive activities available for additional cost. pangaealandofthedinosaurs.com. 

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Contributing: Sophie Blaylock and Alison Stanton.

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at @sonjahaller.

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