See a guide to the top events going on this weekend in Washington, DC and the surrounding communities:

• National Christmas Tree - Through Jan. 1, 2010. The Pathway of Peace is illuminated each evening from dusk until 11 p.m. Seasonal displays include a Yule log, Santa's workshop and a large-scale model train. Musical performances are performed weeknights from 6-8:30 p.m. and weekends from 4-8:30 p.m. See photos from this year's lighting ceremony.
  
  
• Hanukkah Events in the DC Area - Celebrate the 8 day festival of lights with many events in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. Don't miss the lighting of the National Hanukkah Menorah on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009.
  
  
• Christmas Light Displays Throughout December. Celebrate the holiday season with a drive or a stroll through one of the Washington, DC area's spectacle of lights at a local park or along the water in Washington, DC, Maryland or Virginia.
  
  
• Washington Jewish Film Festival - Dec. 3-13, 2009. The event includes 62 features, documentaries and shorts from 20 countries, in eight venues around the Washington DC area.
  
  
• Capital Irish Film Festival - December 10-20, 2009. The festival features 18 screenings of more than 60 new Irish films at E street Cinema, the Goethe Institut and The Shop at Fort Fringe.
  
  
• Holiday Shows - Washington DC celebrates the season with a wonderful lineup of holiday shows and live entertainment. See the schedule of performances around the region.
  
  
• Christmas at Mount Vernon - through Jan. 6, 2010. Learn about the Christmas traditions of George Washington and his family, meet historic characters and tour the Mount Vernon Estate by candlelight. Candlelight tours run through Dec. 13.
  
  
• Christmas Town at Busch Gardens - Through Dec. 27, 2009. The Williamsburg, Virginia amusement park is transformed into a Christmas wonderland, combining an immersive holiday experience with one-of-a-kind shopping and dining opportunities, all-new holiday shows and a spectacular light-dancing Christmas tree.
  
  
• Holiday Concerts - Enjoy a variety of musical performances including Christmas classics, sing-alongs, Hanukkah songs and much more.
  
  
• ICE! - Christmas at the Gaylord National Resort - Through Jan. 10, 2010. The award-winning holiday attraction is a winter wonderland created entirely of 5,000 BLOCKS of ice weighing 1.5 MILLION POUNDS! hand-sculpted by 40 international artisans and kept at a chilling nine degrees Fahrenheit. New in our region this year, this is an interactive holiday attraction you won't want to miss.
  
  
• Holiday Model Train Exhibits - Toy train displays are a family favorite for the holiday season. Visit these holiday model train exhibits in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.
  
  
• Capitol Hill Ugly Holiday Sweater Bar Tour - Dec. 12, 2009. Dust off ye ol snowman-sequined cardigan and wear it out to all your favorite bars with hundreds of other festive partiers.
  
  
• Annapolis Christmas Lights Boat Parade - Dec. 12, 2009, 6-8 p.m. Eastport Yacht Club Parade of Lights. Annapolis City Harbor. Enjoy a parade of lights when more than 70 power and sailboats show off their holiday decorations. See more about Christmas Events in Annapolis
  
  
• Leesburg Holiday Parade and Festival - Dec. 12, 2009, 10 a.m. Catch your Christmas spirit and bring the whole family to see Santa and his friends parade down King Street, through the heart of historic Leesburg.
  
  
• Arlington Wreath Laying Ceremony - Dec. 12, 2009. Holiday wreaths adorn 5,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.
  
  
• Discovery Theater's Seasons of Light - Dec. 1-22, 2009. This seasonal favorite at the Smithsonian's children's theater celebrates the warmth of many holidays filled with light. Learn the history and customs of Devali, Ramadan, Sankta Lucia, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Christmas, and the First Nations tradition of the Winter Solstice.
  
  
• Target to Go - Dec. 11-13, 2009, 10 a.m-8p.m. M St. & Wisconsin Ave. Washington DC. Target is hosting a 3 day holiday shopping event in Georgetown, featuring a range of gift items from toys to gadgets to beauty to fashion items. Read more about Holiday Shopping in the DC Area.
  
  
• Holiday Cinema - Dec 12-24, 2009. AFI Silver Theatre, Silver Spring, MD. See a variety of Christmas movies, including classic favorites, comedies and romantic holiday dramas. Take a break from your holiday shopping and enjoy a few hours of family entertainment.
  
  
• Russian Winter Festival at Hillwood Museum & Gardens - Dec. 12-13, 2009. 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW Washington, DC. This annual tradition gives guests the chance to meet Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden and enjoy festive music and entertainment.

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Each year Worcester Wreath Company (the wreath company that provides holiday greenery for L.L. Bean) makes and decorates holiday wreaths and places them on over 5,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. Morrill Worcester - President of Worcester Wreath Company, based in Harrington, Maine, started this annual event in 1992 to honor our nation's fallen heroes. The Arlington Wreath project, coordinated with the Cemetery Administration and the Maine State Society, adorns the white tombstones with evergreen wreaths and red bows to recognize sacrifices our Veterans and their families have made for our country. The annual wreath-laying ceremony will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on December 12, 2009.

_{Photo © Worcester Wreath Company}

How does the daily diet of a gorilla compare to that of human? Why do snakes eat less in winter than in summer? Families will get the chance to participate in hands-on learning experiences and find out at the National Zoo during ZOOTRITION Night on Saturday December 12, 2009 from 6-8:30 p.m. The special event features giveaways, demonstrations by the Zoo's commissary staff and Giant nutritionists, animated lights, 500 carolers from Giant stores across the DC area (performing at 8 p.m. at Lemur Island), and other live entertainment. ZOOTRITION Night is part of the month-long ZooLights, the National Zoo's winter celebration, which runs through January 2nd. Throughout ZooLights, the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat will be open for extended hours for those who wish to bid farewell to Tai Shan before he departs for China in early 2010.

The 2010 Washington, DC Entertainment Book makes a great gift! Purchase this discount coupon book for a small fee and save money on hundreds of Washington, DC area restaurants, attractions, car rentals, kids' activities and much more. The discounts will quickly pay for the book and save you a lot more. See the details and learn about more discount coupons for Washington, DC.

Looking for an interesting place to eat out on Christmas? Here are some suggestions of nice restaurants in the Washington, DC area to enjoy your holiday meal. Find Christmas dinner or brunch, buffets and a la carte menus at the finest restaurants in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia Some places get very busy, so call now to make your reservation!

Photo © Stockbyte

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The holiday season is a great time to volunteer and reach out and help the needy. The Washington, DC area has lots of charitable organizations that need volunteers to prepare and serve holiday meals, collect and wrap gifts, or visit the sick or elderly. Do you volunteer for the holidays? How do you like to spread your holiday cheer? Share your story and tell how you help others during the holiday season.

Not sure how to help? See organizations that have special programs for holiday volunteering in the Washington, DC area.

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Christmas is a wonderful time of year to visit Colonial Williamsburg, America's largest interactive history museum, located just a few hours south of Washington, DC. The Christmas season comes to life with Colonial Williamsburg's world-renowned holiday decorations and 18th century seasonal programming. Beating drums, trilling fifes, firework displays, theatrical programs and interpretive characters take visitors back in time to celebrate the holidays as our forefathers did during colonial times. See a guide to Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg and find out about special holiday programming.

_{Photo © Rachel Cooper, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

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A National Hanukkah Menorah is lit on the White House grounds, at the Ellipse during the eight day Jewish holiday commemorating the Jewish Maccabees' military victory over Syrian oppression more than 2,000 years ago. The National Hanukkah Menorah Lighting Ceremony is December 13, 2009 at 4 p.m. Festivities include musical performances and hot latkes and donuts.

_{Photo © American Friends of Lubavitch}

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Hanukkah Events in the Washington, DC Area

If you didn't get tickets to the Pageant of Peace (on December 3), you can still attend the lighting of the christmas tree at the U. S. Capitol Building. The 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree is an 85 foot blue spruce, that was harvested from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests located in northeastern Arizona. The children of Arizona made the 5,000 ornaments used to decorate the tree. The lighting ceremony will be held on December 8, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. No tickets are required. Celebrate the season and enjoy holiday music by a section of The United States Marine Band (The President's Own), and carols sung by the Congressional Chorus.

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Christmas Events in the DC Area

Capitol Hill's most festive seasonal event: Miracle on 3rd & 4th Street, Ugly Holiday Sweater Holiday Bar Tour, benefiting Toys for Tots is Saturday, December 12, 2009, 1-9 p.m. Start off the event anytime between 1-6 p.m. at Hawk 'n' Dove (Pennsylvania Ave., SE between 3rd & 4th Street) then bar-hop between Bullfeathers, Tune Inn, Thai Roma, 18th Amendment, and Ugly Mug. Participants can push aside that cup of egg nog and instead sip on $2 Coors Lights, $3 Blue Moon, with festive food specials until 9 p.m. The first 200 guests will also receive a free Santa hat, and everyone can join the best Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. Tickets are on sale at lindypromo.com. Cost is only $5 to participate in an Ugly Holiday Sweater, or with new toy donation benefiting Toys for Tots, $10 without.

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