There are many events coming up for free family fun to get you in the holiday mood. This is by no means a complete list. PLEASE comment and let me know about your favorite cheap, free or unique holiday events so I can share them with my readers!

Friday, Dec. 4:

• Zion’s 2009 Festival of Lights begins at 6:30pm with Santa’s arrival. Write letters to Santa and enjoy holiday treats while you wait! Immediately following Santa’s arrival, join in the Santa Walk from the Shiloh Center to his house in Kringle’s Kingdom. Mail your letter to Santa in the giant mailbox, join in a carol or two, shake hands with a Gingerbread Couple and chat with a snowman! Festivities continue daily at 7pm, with Walk-thru and visits with Santa at his house inside Kringle’s Kingdom. Shiloh Park Drive-thru opens at sundown, view the Twas the Night Before Christmas Storybook Display at the Shiloh Center. Ride the Holly Trolley, visit the Shiloh House decked out in Victorian Holiday splendor (7-9pm) and don’t miss the spectacular light display at Midwestern Regional Medical Center daily from 5-9pm.
• The Mundelein Tree Lighting festivities begin at 6pm at Kracklauer Park, Seymour Ave. and Courtland St. After the tree lighting visit Santa’s Cottage at the corner of Park St. and Seymour Ave. from 6:30pm-8pm. Santa’s Cottage is also open December 5th and 12th from noon until 3pm.

Saturday, Dec. 5:

• Round Lake Park has a tree lighting at Village Hall from 4-6pm
• Lindenhurst Park District, 2200 E. Grass Lake Rd., hosts a tree lighting, with Santa arriving on a fire truck at 5:30pm, then he will meet with children inside the gym until 7pm. Children may make crafts at craft stations. Entertainment includes singing children, dancing from “The Nutcracker” and stilt-walker Jason the Juggler. The event is free but the Park District is asking attendees to bring a nonperishable food donation for the township food pantry.
• Antioch’s Christmas Walk features a scavenger hunt (click here for list to complete), an outdoor market, a free (with donation of two nonperishable food items) children’s magic show at 10:30am in PM&L Theatre, a free (with donation of two nonperishable food items) showing of the movie Prancer at Antioch’s Downtown Theatren at 10am, and more! Read all events here.
• The Round Lake Area Park District hosts its holiday festival at the Community Center, 814 Hart Road, from 2-pm. Fun & Festivities include fireworks, photos with Santa, Little Elves Workshop, Sleigh Rides, moon walks, the Round Lake Area Park District Community Band Raffle, and A “Neighborhood” Walk in the lights (at the children’s museum).

• From noon-5pm kick off the holidays with the Holiday Fest of Downtown Waukegan. There will be hot cocoa, live music and family fun. Tree lighting ceremony at 4:30, kid’s crafts 12pm-3:45 at the library with Story time, In Store events, Santa Claus and much, much more. Join us after for a Holiday Celebration at the Greentown Tavern on Genesee St. at 5:30pm.
• Wauconda is having an “Old Fashioned” afternoon on Main Street with free horse-drawn sleigh rides from 11:30am-1:30pm. Santa will arrive at 11:30am on a sleigh. A sticker scavenger hunt will take place from 11am-2:30pm. Pick up an entry form & goody bag at the Citizens Activity Center at 100 N. Main Street. Also come see the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, holiday storytellers, a woodcarving demonstration, Pixies on Main Street, carolers, winter games, “People’s Choice” gingerbread house awards, model train displays, food vendors, trimming of the Chamber tree, open house at the Village Hall and Fire Station, and craft bazaars at Curves, Lindy’s, the American Legion Hall, and the Federated Church. The events run 11am-3pm.
• Free workshops at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Michaels and Bass Pro Shops. Read more here.

Sunday, Dec. 6:

• There will be a candy cane hunt in Lake Zurich at Lions Park in downtown LZ. The LZ Lions Club hosts this event. Prizes will be awarded to the kids that find the special canes in their respective age brackets. Hundreds of prizes to be awarded! The children will be divided up in to several age groups–under 3 years old, 4 to 6 years old, and 7 years and older. Free admission if you bring canned goods for the food pantry, and a special drawing will be held for those bringing 3 canned goods. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there. Starts at 1pm sharp! Event will be held regardless of weather, according to this flier.
• Free workshop at Bass Pro Shop. Read more here.

Saturday, Dec. 12:

• Liberty Theatre in downtown Libertyville will have a free kids’ movie showing of  It’s a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart, at 10am. Bring one canned food item for entry. I don’t know if my kids would sit through this movie, being that it’s in black and white and mostly about adults. Have your kids watched/enjoyed it? Please comment and let me know.
• Free workshops at Lowe’s, Michaels and Bass Pro Shops. Read more here.

Sunday, Dec. 13:

• Free workshop at Bass Pro Shop. Read more here.

Monday, Dec. 14:

• Lakes Area Community Band will present their Christmas Concert at 7 pm at Antioch Community High School, corner of Highways 173 and 83 in Antioch. On the program are Sleigh Ride, An Irving Berlin Christmas, Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker Suite, Snow, and Christmas Festival. Also featured are the Antioch Community Christmas Singers and some sing-alongs. Free refreshments are served following the concert, courtesy of the band members. The concert is short, about an hour and 15 minutes and is very family friendly.

Saturday, Dec. 19:

• Free workshops at Lowe’s, Michaels and Bass Pro Shops. Read more here.

Sunday, Dec. 20:

• Free workshop at Bass Pro Shops. Read more here.

Other events (ongoing through Christmas season):

• One event to check out is the Cuneo Museum in Vernon Hills. It is all decked out to celebrate Christmas and there is the light show on the grounds as well, which begins Nov. 27 and runs through Dec. 31, costs $5 Monday-Thursday and $10 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My kids have enjoyed this very much in past years. The mansion itself is also decorated in the theme “A Glimpse of Christmas Past.” Want to do both? There are some special evening tours of the mansion Dec. 8-12, from 6-8:30pm. The tour fee for visitors 16 and older is $7. Under 16 is free and you must also pay the regular light show admission fee. You may recall in the past that I mentioned a reader’s experience at the Cuneo Museum using the Macy’s Library Adventure Pass. I am going to try to combine using that pass with the light show for a cheap night of fun with my family. (For details on the pass, see the above link.)
• Long Grove already lit its tree. For a list of other events in the town, click here.
• Spend a magical day with the family counting snowmen in downtown store windows and enjoy Antioch during the holidays. It’s fun and easy and free (for kids ages 2-12). Stop by each merchant listed and count the snowmen in/on the windows and write it on the entry form and drop it at the Chamber before 12/24/09. One entry with the correct number of Frosties will win $100 gift certificate. Find the Special Frosty with the Red Letter ‘A’ on it and win a gift certificate to Baskin Robbins on Orchard Street. Also, Saturday afternoons between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can travel in a horse-drawn carriage through downtown Antioch. Carriage Rides are free for your family if you show the driver sales receipts totaling $25 or more from Antioch businesses dated within one week of your carriage ride. Without sales receipts, rides are $5 per person (children age 2 or under are free).
• Meet Santa and Mrs. Claus in spectacular candy land at Jelly Bean Center, 10100 Jelly Belly Lane, Pleasant Prairie, WI, on Saturdays Dec. 12, 19, & 20 - 10am-2pm, and Sundays, Dec. 13 - 1-4pm. There will be games and entertainment. Free tours on the Jelly Belly Express indoor train all day.

(Events below already happened)

Friday, Nov. 27:

• The City of Lake Forest is hosting its 26th annual event, which starts at 2pm! The trees on Western Avenue and in historic Market Square are set aglow with thousands of twinkling lights. There will be an Ice Sculpting performance by Art Below Zero from 2:30-4:30pm, then Santa visits Market Square from 4:00-5:30pm, followed by caroling with the Lake Forest High School Choristers at 4:45pm. The trees will be lit at 5:15pm. Santa Claus will visit, and everyone can enjoy free hot chocolate, donuts and cider.
• Round Lake Beach is the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Village Hall, 1937 Municipal Way (by the SportsCenter behind Kohl’s). Gather at 6pm, and wait for Santa to arrive by fire truck at 6:15pm to light the tree at 6:30pm. Then carol over to the Round Lake Beach Cultural & Civic Center (next door, so you might want to park there) for holiday music provided by RLHS students, hot chocolate, crafts and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus by the fireplace!
• The Village of Antioch’s Annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony is at 6:30 p.m. The evening starts off with a Christmas Parade to bring Santa to his castle (874 Main St.). Following the parade the tree will be lit and there will be holiday caroling. There will be free hot chocolate and cookies while they last, compliments of the fire department. Children may have their photos taken with Santa as well. Santa will be at the castle throughout the next month for visiting. You are allowed to bring your camera to take your own pictures or pay a “nominal fee” to have the photo taken. (Click here for visiting hours.)
• Grayslake’s Tree Lighting Festival, from 5:30-8pm, features the New Holiday Market to stock up on holiday goodies. Carolers, music and carriage rides throughout the evening. Santa arrives at 5:30 to light the tree and then children may visit with him at the Grayslake Youth Center from 5:45pm-8pm. There will also be children’s activities and extended shopping hours in businesses throughout the town.
• The Village of Libertyville’s Tree Lighting Ceremony features choral performances, and a visit by Santa in Cook Park in downtown Libertyville. Refreshments will be available at St. Lawrence Church from 6-7:30pm. Main Street shops will feature food, drink, music and decorations from 4-9pm. A Dickens of a Holiday Festival will continue in Libertyville with events throughout the month. Click here and then click on Dickens of a Holiday on the left side to view all the events and details.
• Here’s a special event that is not free but might be right up your alley… Rev up the holidays at The Harley Davidson Museum, 400 Canal St. in Milwaukee. There will be a bonfire, hot drinks, skateboarding elves, live music, a tree lighting ceremony and a visit by Santa! Everyone who donates a can of food (vegetables, beans, fruit, soup) will receive one complimentary kid’s ticket (value $10) to the museum. You can use your ticket right away (though there is conflicting info on the site regarding this–phone first!) . Admission for adults is $16.
• Fox Lake’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is at Millennium Park at 7pm.

Saturday, Nov. 28:

• There is a holiday parade at 11am in Fox Lake along Grand Ave. to Millennium Park at the corner of Grand and Rollins Road. A children’s party (for ages 10 and younger) follows the parade at Lakefront Park, 71 Nippersink Drive. Hot dogs, soda and a holiday stocking will be provided free of charge. Children will have a chance to talk to Santa at the party as well.
• Vernon Hills hosts its tree lighting at Vernon Hills Golf Course, 291 Evergreen Dr. There will be free hot chocolate, cookies and cider. Santa will be there too, possibly on a fire truck.
• Lake Villa will be holding its lighted Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting Ceremony and children’s party at the train station. Downtown businesses will hold an open house and a candy cane hunt for the children with prizes donated by the businesses from 3-6pm. At 5pm enjoy the lighted holiday parade starting at Palombi School and ending at Lehmann Park where the tree lighting ceremony will commence. Then follow Santa to the train station to enjoy the children’s party with refreshments, goodie bags, balloon sculptures and more!