Fall is in the air, the days are growing shorter, and the old man is knocking on the door—but there’s still a fair deal of festival action left before year’s end.

This time of year, festivals are as much about shopping as they are about food: a chance get an early start on your holiday list.

It’s time to get out and have a little more fun before everyone rolls up the sidewalks for the season.

Hope you enjoy the wintry winding down of the festival season, and don’t forget your mittens….

Columbia County
In Valatie, Friday nights are always an excuse to go out, but on the first Friday of each month—November 7 and December 5—shops and restaurants will stay open until at least 8 pm offering specials and more. Call 518 758 2616 for more information.

November 29 and 30 is Holiday Gift Basket Weekend at the Hudson-Chatham winery from noon to 5 pm. Visitors will create personalized gift baskets with a selection of wines, syrups, cheeses, chocolates, preserves, honey, pancake mixes and other gift items. Hudson-Chatham Winery is located at 1900 Route 66 in Ghent. Call 518 392 2598 or visit www.hudson-chathamwinery.com for more details.

On December 5 visitors to the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will find the Lindenwald Winter Celebration. Warm yourself with hot cider while socializing with friends in the winterized tent before going on tours of Lindenwald, which is especially adorned for the season. The site is at 1013 Old Post Road (off Rte 9H), Kinderhook. The event runs from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Call 518 758 9689 for more details or visit www.nps.gov/mava. Martin Van Buren’s birthday observance in Kinderhook begins at 9:30 am the same day.

December 5-7, 13-14, 19-21 and 26-28 are Holiday House Tours at Olana for Christmas with the Churches, a look at how the family spent the Holiday at home. Olana State Historic Site is located at 5720 Route 9G, Hudson. Hours are from 11 am to 4 pm each day. On December 6, Olana will celebrate with a Holiday Bonfire from 4 to 5 pm. With a sunset backdrop, the views should be spectacular. Call 518 828 0135 or visit www.olana.org for more details.

December 6 is the Winter Walk on Warren Street offering a festival atmosphere throughout the city from 5 to 8 pm. For more information contact the Hudson Opera House 518 822 1438 or visit www.hudsonoperahouse.org

December 6 through 14 is a silent auction and craft boutique at the Columbia County Historical Society, 5 Albany Avenue, Kinderhook Village. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. Call 518 758 9265 or visit www.cchsny.org for additional information.

December 6 is a Child’s Christmas at Clermont State Historic Site, off Route 9G in Germantown, beginning at 10 am. Reservations are required: to make them or for more information, call 518 537 4240 or visit www.friendsofclermont.org.

December 12 is Candlelight Night in the Village of Kinderhook with fun family-friendly activities from 5 to 8 pm.

December 13 is Tom Hanford’s Christmas in America, offering an entertaining look for children and families at some of the ways Christmas was observed in the United States of the 1800’s. The fun takes place at Olana State Historic Site, 5720 Route 9G, Hudson. Call 518 828 0135 or visit www.olana.org for the complete story.

December 19 is a Winter Walk in the Village of Valatie with entertainment and hot chocolate at the Valatie Theatre, 3031 Main Street. Call 518 758 1309 or visit www.valatietheatre.org for the details.

December 20 brings candlelight tours of Clermont with a bonfire and carols from 3 to 6 pm. Call 518 537 4240 or visit www.friendsofclermont.org for more information.

Delaware County
December 5 is Jolly Holly Days from 6:30 to 9 pm in Sidney. Kick off the annual event with the parade down Main Street at 6:30. The theme this year is “An Old Fashioned Christmas,” with a $250 grand prize and trophies to be awarded for parade entries. There will be entertainment before and after the parade, the arrival of Santa, and drawings for the winners of the “Back To Main Street” promotion and the first-annual Sidney Economic Stimulus Raffle (First Prize $5,000; Second Prize $3,000 in heating fuel or cash; Third prize $2,000 in gasoline or cash.) Tickets are on sale for the raffle now at $20 each. Details about the parade and the drawings can be found online at www.sidneychamber.org.

December 6 in Roxbury is Holidays of the Gilded Age from 5 to 7 pm. Climb aboard Santa’s horse-drawn coach for caroling and cocoa, with Victorian homes and storefronts aglow with holiday lights and evergreen garlands. There will be a tree lighting on the village green and and old fashioned parlor party. Visit www.roxburyny.com for more details.

Dutchess County
November 15 anc 16 is the seventh annual Fair Trade Bazaar, sponsored by the Dutchess County Interfaith Council at Vassar College’s Ely Hall,The Aula, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie. Hours are Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. Admission is free. More details can be found at www.dutchessinterfaithcouncil.org.

Santa arrives on November 15 at the Poughkeepsie Galleria, 2001 Rt. 9, Poughkeepsie. Santa will available for pictures from November 15 (after 12 pm) to December 24. It’s free to pay the jolly old fellow a visit, though there is a charge for photos.

Holiday tours at Wilderstein Historic Site, 330 Morton Road in Rhinebeck, with seasonal decorations by well-known Hudson Valley and New York City florists, artists and designers, run November 28-30 and December 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, and 27-28 from 1 to 4 pm. Admission is $10, $9 for seniors and students. Visit www.wilderstein.org for more details.

A Gilded Age Christmas, featuring guided tours of the lavishly decorated 79-room Mills family mansion at the Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Old Post Road, Staatsburg, highlight family history and showcase turn-of-the century decorations with many Christmas trees, floral arrangements and spectacular dining room decorations. Tours take place from November 28 through December 16 from noon to 4:30 pm daily. The mansion is closed on December 25, and will reopen from December 26 through December 31 for tours from noon to 4:30 pm. Admission is $5. More details can be found at www.staatsburgh.org

November 29 and 30 is the 37th Annual Dutchess Community College Craft Fair with many returning and some new artists offering a wide variety of unique, original crafts from 10 am to 4 pm at 53 Pendell Road, Poughkeepsie. Admission charges apply.

Greene County
November 8 is the annual fine craft exhibition and sale at the Greene County Council on the Arts Mountaintop Gallery, 5348 Main Street, Windham. Artisans fill the gallery with pottery, quilts, toys, clothing, jewelry, ornaments and more, all available for purchase. The opening reception is November 8 from 2 to 4 pm. Call 518 734 3104 or visit www.greenearts.org for more details.

November 15 and 16 at the Bronck Museum off Route 9W in Coxsackie are the Chilly Willy Winter’s Eve Tours, special content cold season tours with costumed guide describing preparations for winter life on the farm and celebrations of Martinmas, St. Nicholas and St. Lucia days plus Dutch and Swedish refreshments from 11 am to 1 pm and at 3 pm each day. Call 518 731 6490 or visit www.gchistory.org for more information.

November 28 is the second annual Parade of Lights in Catskill sponsored by the Catskill Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary. (rain/snow date is Sunday November 29) The parade starts at 7 pm; line up starts at 6 pm at the Catskill High School parking lot (use West Main Street entrance). All floats, marchers and decorated vehicles are welcome. The Catskill Fire Department will be bringing Santa to town at the end of the parade for a tree lighting and awards ceremony in the county parking across from the police station.

November 29 and 30 is Ullr Fest at Windham Mountain. Celebrate Ullr, the Nordic god of snow. Ski with Ullr and bring an old, outdated pair of skis or some piece of ski gear as an offering to Ullr to guarantee a snowy, cold winter. Call 518 734 4300 or visit www.windhammountain.com for more information.

December 6 is the debut of what will be an Annual Winter Festival in Hunter presented by the Catskill Mountain Foundation (map) and Pure Catskills from 10 am to 6 pm. You’ll find food vendors, music, demonstrations, kids activities and more—all at Hunter Village Square (map), State Route 23A (Main Street). Call 518 263 2001 or visit www.catskillmtn.org for more details.

On December 31 celebrate New Year’s Eve at either Windham Mountain or Hunter Mountain—or both, but drive carefully between the two, please.

Windham will feature fun in the Legends Lounge après skiing. Bob’s awesome fireworks display will be at 9 pm featuring a live band, The Gyst.

Hunter’s festivities will include a torchlight parade followed by a fireworks display. The Main Bar and the Pizza Bar will remain open throughout.

Otsego County
November 8 is the annual Artisans and Crafters Festival presented by the Unadilla Chamber of Commerce at various locations in Unadilla, including house tours of 20 historic homes and over 30 artists selling their crafts. Call 607 369 3008 or visit www.unadillachamber.org for more details.

November 8 and 9 is Pure New York Maple Syrup Tasting Weekend at Fly Creek Cider Mill from 10 am to 4 pm each day. Join Pride of New York Members, Breezie Maples Farm, for a focused tasting of pure maple syrup. Pancake mixes and baked goods will be paired with syrup and maple cream. Recipes and promotions are available. Fly Creek Cider Mill is located at 288 Goose Street, Fly Creek. Call 607 547 9692 or visit www.flycreekcidermill.com for details.

For an added perspective on the holidays consider November 19’s Food for Thought: Our Home for the Holidays from noon to 2 pm at the Farmers’ Museum Bump Tavern on Lake Road, Route 80 in Cooperstown. Gwen Miner, supervisor of domestic arts, will lead a discussion of the most important holidays of the nineteenth century and how Americans celebrated these holidays with traditional activities and foods. Call 607 547 1450 or visit www.farmersmuseum.org for more details.

November 22 is Santa’s Parade on Main Street in Oneonta beginning at 11 am. The parade goes down Main Street Oneonta to Santa’s gingerbread house in the Main Street Plaza. There will be elves, horses, floats and a juggler. Call 607 432 6450 or visit www.visitoneonta.com for more information.

On November 28 Santa will bring Mrs. Claus to Cooperstown’s Pioneer Park on Main Street. They arrive at 5:30 pm aboard a horse-drawn wagon to start the holiday visits with children in their Victorian Cottage. Enjoy caroling, tree lighting, free wagon rides and refreshments.

November 28 and 29 is Thanksgiving at the Farmers’ Museum from 10 am to 4 pm each day, with a specially-designed program offering visitors a glimpse of how Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1845. Call 607 547 1450 or visit www.farmersmuseum.org for more details.

November 28-29 and December 6-7 are the Christmas Lights Trains on the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad. Get on board for evening train rides with beautiful Christmas Lights both on the train and along the tracks. Holiday goodies and refreshments will be available throughout the trip. Head to 136 State Highway 166/East Main Street in Milford.

Also on the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad, Santa Express Trains run December 13 and 14 at 2 pm with Santa and his helpers on board to hand out gifts and goodies to all the children on board. Refreshments will be provided. Call 607 432 2429 or visit www.lrhs.com for additional details about either event.

December 4 is the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony beginning at 4 pm at Main Street Plaza in Oneonta, a night of candlelight, music and gingerbread. Main Street will be closed for pedestrians to enjoy Santa, music, refreshments, reindeer and horse-drawn wagon rides. The gingerbread displays will be on view for the public. Call 607 433 9698 for more information.

December 7 is Cherry Valley Christmas from 10 am to 5 pm at various locations along Main Street. For 25 years this historic community has hosted holiday open houses in celebration of the season. Santa arrives at the Cherry Valley Museum, and there will be special business discounts and shop hours.

December 12 and 13 is a Festival of Trees at the Louis Jones Center of the Farmers’ Museum, Lake Road/State Highway 80 in Cooperstown. Throughout the day there will be entertainment and Santa Claus on hand for photos. The “Sugar Plum Reception,” a preview to this affair will be held the Friday evening. Call 607 547 5256 or visit www.farmersmuseum.org for all the details.

December 13 in Cooperstown is A Christmas Past, with Main Street aglow with hundreds of luminaries accenting decorated lampposts, shops and public buildings. Santa will be in his cozy Victorian cottage while outside carolers will be gathered around wood fires and Victorian strollers will be touring the village. Horse-drawn rides enhance the evening. Shops will be open offering specials and refreshments. Call 607 547 9983 or visit www.cooperstownchamber.org for more information.

Also on December 13 from 11 am to 5 pm, Saint Niklaas makes his annual visit to Brewery Ommegang at 656 County Highway 33 in Cooperstown. There will be stories, hot chocolate, cider, Belgian spiced cookies and sleigh or wagon rides for families, as well as beer sampling for the older folks. Call 607 544 1800 or visit www.ommegang.com for all the details.

Santa is due in Unadilla from 4 to 6 pm, on a breakneck tour of the county. He’ll arrive by horse and carriage, ready to meet the children and have his photo taken at the Fire Station on Clifton Street. Visitors will find games and refreshments too. Call 607 563 8600 or visit www.unadillachamber.org if you need more details.

From 1 to 3 pm on December 14 is the Holiday Hoopla for Kids at the Fenimore Art Museum, an afternoon of festive activities including gingerbread house and holiday ornament making, live music, crafts and more. The museum is on Lake Road/Route 80 in Cooperstown. Call 607 547 1400 or visit www.nysha.org for more information.

December 31 is First Night Oneonta, a family-friendly, nonalcoholic celebration with a host of entertainment, activities and fun for folks of all ages. There will be a firework finale at midnight ringing in the New Year at various locales. Call 607 432 1179 or click www.firstnightoneonta.com for additional enlightenment.

Schoharie County
November 21 to 23 is a craft show and sale with over 40 vendors at the historic Schoharie Valley Railroad Museum Complex on Depot Lane in Schoharie. There will be a country kitchen, drawings and raffles. Hours are Friday from 11 am to 6 pm Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.

December 6 and 7 at Howe Caverns features unique crafts produced by local artisans, music by local choral groups, photos with Santa and much more. Overnight packages are available. Hours are 11 am to 5 pm. Call 518 296 3900 or visit www.howecaverns.com for the lowdown.

December 6 to 13 is the Old Stone Fort Festival of Trees, an exhibition of Christmas trees decorated by local artists and community groups with additional holiday programs. Hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Old Stone Fort is in the village of Schoharie. Call 518 295 7192 or visit www.theoldstonefort.org for more information.

December 13 at the New York Power Authority Center and Lansing Manor Museum on State Route 30 in North Blenheim is your chance for free pictures with Santa and gifts too! Find the facts at www.nypa.gov.

December 13 and 14 is Crafts and Carols at Howe Caverns with unique crafts produced by local artisans, music by local choral groups, photos with Santa and more. Call 518 296 3900 for more details.

Sullivan County
November 28 and 29 at the Delaware Community Center in Callicoon is a holiday craft fair featuring an assortment of merchandise and crafts for your holiday shopping pleasure. Call 845 887 5155 for directions.

December 6 is the Christmas Tree lighting in Barryville, on Route 97/Highway 55 at 7 pm. You’ll find Santa, caroling, cookies and of course good spirits.

Also on December 6 is a cookie and fair-trade gift sale from 10 am to 3 pm at the First Grace Lutheran Parish at 4968 State Route 52 in Jeffersonville. Assorted Christmas cookies will be for sale by the pound: you choose your own assortment. Gifts and crafts will also be available from the Fair Trade Booth. Call 845 482 3224 for more information.

On December 7 the Sullivan County Historical Society hosts the 22nd annual Holiday Theme Tree Open House and Reception at 265 Main Street, Hurleyville. It features tree themes as varied as those sponsoring and decorating them. Call 845 434 8044 for more details.

Ulster County
Kingston Model Railroad Club’s 71st Annual Open House will be held November 8-9, 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30, showing off scale models of steam and diesel locomotives, old fashioned and modern trains, complete villages and scenery, the railroad museum, trolleys and a circus train. Make tracks for Susan Street, off Pine Grove Avenue in Kingston from noon to 5 pm. each day. Call 845 334 8233 for more details.

November 8 and 9 is the fourth annual Harvest Holiday Arts and Crafts Show; juried show with over 30 artisans working in stained glass, jewelry, pottery, fine art, specialty foods and more at Wallkill High School on Route 208 from 10 am to 4 pm. Call 845 883 5112 for more details.

Also on November 8 and 9 is the John A. Coleman High School Annual Christmas Craft Fair on Hurley Avenue in Kingston from 10 am to 4 pm. Call 845 338 2750 for additional information.

November 14 and 15 is the annual Community Church of High Falls Bazaar with a Christmas craft table, home and hearth table with afghans, a variety of handmade, knitted and crocheted items, Grandma’s Attic table, plants, home baked goods and more. Hours are Friday from 3 to 7 pm, with a light supper, and Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm with a light lunch.

November 15 is the fourth annual Chili Fest in Pine Hill with a plethora of chilis served in hand thrown clay bowls, plus live music, games and more at Pine Hill Community Center from 1 to 5 pm. Call 845 254 5469 or click www.pinehillcommunitycenter.org for the spicy details.

November 23 is the 11th Annual Rosendale International Pickle Festival with various countries and local pickle vendors represented plus contests and door prizes at the Rosendale Recreation Center, on State Route 32 from 10 am to 5 pm. Call 845 658 9649 or visit www.picklefest.com for more information.

From 5 to 9 pm on December 5 head to Woodstock for their 27th annual open house, sponsored by the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce. All of the shops in Woodstock will be open, and you can also visit with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, see culinary ice sculpting and take in some of the varied entertainment that will be on hand.

December 6 is a Holiday Craft Fair with handmade crafts at Marbletown Elementary, 12 Pine Bush Road, Stone Ridge from 10 am to 4 pm. Call 845 687 4433 for all the details.

Also on December 6 is Santa’s Run, a chance to ride the trolley with Santa from the Trolley Museum in Kingston from noon to 4 pm. Call 845 331 3399 or visit www.tmny.org for more information.

December 6 and 7 is the Catskill Fiber Celebration, a juried show and sale of fiber art presented by the Renegade Day Weavers. You’ll find one-of-a-kind clothing, hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns and more at the Woodstock Firehouse on Zena Road.

That’s all folks: two months filled with crafts, gifts, song, sleighs, fireworks and fun, and more than one chance to catch a certain red-suit-wearing fellow greeting the public.