As part of the Downtown Holiday Festival in Danvers, Maple Street Congregational Church will present a Living Nativity on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 2 to 4:30 p.m., on the front lawn of the church, located at 90 Maple St., Danvers. Church members will portray Mary, Joseph, wise men, shepherds, kings and angels as well as shepherd boys and girls. At the same time Santa Claus will be in the church’s Social Hall for visits and pictures with children. Cocoa, cookies and crafts will be available and all are welcome to attend. The Danvers area Girls Scouts will be caroling on the church’s front steps from 4 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 978-774-4510.
Asbury Grove Campground presents a “Festival of Trees,” running Nov. 24 through Dec. 1, with hours on Friday and Sunday from 6 to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8:30 p.m. The festival will benefit the restoration of Asbury Grove’s historic camp meeting buildings. Trees are decorated with themed-gifts that reflect a message. Items on and under each tree will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Grove’s historic restoration. Admission to the Festival of Trees is $4, and includes a children’s scavenger hunt, prizes, snacks and a beverage. Children 5 and under are admitted for free. Festival hours coincide with annual Christmas Fair activities, which will include a live nativity presentation on both Saturdays at 7 p.m., a petting zoo and refreshments. For more information, call 978-468-2113. Asbury Grove Campground is located at 1 Pleasant Ave., in South Hamilton.
Holy Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 16 Sylvan St., Danvers, will offer an alternative for Christmas giving. In an attempt to benefit international artisans and communities in need, there will be selections available for purchase from Equal Exchange, A Greater Gift, and A Bead for Life. Catalogs from Heifer International will also be available. The Alternative Christmas Market will begin after church on Sunday, Nov. 25, and continue through Sunday, Dec. 23. For more information, contact the church office at 978-777-7408.
The Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation in partnership with Richardson’s Ice Cream of Middleton invite families of the PJ Library to donate new pajamas to its second New PJ Drive, set for Monday, Dec. 3, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., at Richardson’s Ice Cream, 156 South Main St., Middleton. New pajamas of all sizes are needed. For more information, contact Phyllis Osher at 978-740-4404, or posher@rilcf.org.
Temple Beth Shalom will host free “Mommy & Me Classes” on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m., beginning Nov. 29 at 489 Lowell St., Peabody. During the six-week session, infants and toddlers will learn to play. New families are invited to participate and meet other new mothers. For more information, contact Dawn Sundenfield at dsudenfield@templebethshalom.org or 978-535-2100.
The Women’s Council of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary will present its annual Advent program and luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 10:30 a.m. The program, titled “A Christmas Meditation,” will be held on the campus in the Kaiser Chapel, followed by a luncheon in Alumni Hall, 130 Essex St., Hamilton. The cost for the program and luncheon is $12.75 per person. Those interested in attending should mail their payment by Monday, Nov. 26, to Women’s Council of Gordon-Conwell, 130 Essex St., Hamilton, MA 01982. For more information, contact Erica at 978-646-4027 or EricaG@gcts.edu.
Members of Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn’s Next Step Living will provide free home energy assessments to NSTAR and National Grid electric and gas customers. Participating homeowners can learn where they can make cost-saving updates to their homes and more information about state and federal incentive programs to reduce the cost to make those updates. For more information, call 781-595-8836 or sign up online at nextstepliving.com/UUCGL.
Chabad of the North Shore’s Jewish Learning Institute presents “The Kabbalah of You: A Guide to Unlocking Your Hidden Potential,” the institute’s new, six-session fall 2012 course, led by Rabbi Yossi Lipsker. Sessions meet for six consecutive Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., through Dec. 12 at Chabad Community Shul, 44 Burrill St., Swampscott. Through the examination of the entire spectrum of what it means to be human, “The Kabbalah of You” offers recipes, tips and techniques for discovering where one’s true meaning lies, and making it a part of one’s daily existence. Sessions help participants see life as the mysterious, challenging and satisfying wonder that it really is. The program is designed for people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those with no prior experience or background. Courses are open to the public. For more information or to register, call 781-581-3833 or visit myjli.com.
Torah Hub, a North Shore Adult Jewish Education Collaborative, is a free program that explores Judaism and Social Justice. The Monday night portion of the series, led by Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Fine, will be held at Aviv Center in Peabody on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Topic focuses on “Jewish Food Ethics for the 21st Century.” The Thursday night portion of the series, led by Rabbi Margie Klein of Congregation Sha’arei Shalom, will be held at the NSJCC in Marblehead at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, focusing on “Transforming Ourselves, Transforming the World.” The final session, featuring a symposium led by local rabbis, is set for Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the NSJCC in Marblehead. All sessions are free. Registration is required and can be done at www.jfns.org/torahhub.aspx, or contact Alanna Cooper at acooper@jfns.org or 978-224-4096.
Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church’s Social Action Committee will sponsor a Fair Trade Boutique during coffee hour after the Sunday, Nov. 25, church service at the church, 323 Locust St., Danvers. This year’s boutique features unique and handcrafted items for everyone, including mobiles, scarves, wind chimes, jewelry, tree ornaments, baskets and more, made by artisans from 32 countries. Proceeds support low-income artisans and farmers. All items come from SERRV, a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. For more information, contact the church at 978-774-7582 or visit www.nsuu.org.
North Shore Players will present “Prairie Lights,” a holiday musical, on Dec. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9, running Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the Hogan Regional Center Auditorium, 6 Hathorne Circle, Danvers. “Prairie Lights” tells the story of a Jewish brother and sister who journey west on an Orphan Train in 1905. Arriving with other homeless youths in a tiny Nebraskan town just before the holidays, the siblings are adopted by Wellspring’s only Jewish couple. As Christmas and Hanukkah approach, orphans and residents alike are on a quest to reunite Wellspring after being threatened by a fearful banker. For more information and directions, visit www.northshoreplayers.org.
Chabad North Shore’s annual Run-A-Latke, a family 5K run and Hanukkah party, will be held Sunday, Dec. 9, at 10 a.m. at Chabad Community Shul, 44 Burrill St., Swampscott. Hanukkah programming will be available for kids while adults run. Attendees can race, eat latkes and doughnuts, and help build a huge Lego menorah. Register at the door or online at www.nsjewish.com or raceit.com.
During November and December, St. Adelaide Church, 708 Lowell St., Peabody, will collect unwanted books in support of the North Shore Moving Market. Proceeds from the sale of donated books help provide free monthly grocery deliveries to the North Shore’s housebound elderly and handicapped residents. Books should be in new or good readable condition; no children’s books will be accepted. Books may be dropped off before Masses or in the Church Hall on Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon or Mondays and Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m., through the end of December. For more information, call North Shore Moving Market at 978-744-2532.
