Get filled with the holiday spirit with sparkling lights, Santa Claus and shopping

This week’s Road Trip: Close to Home visits the Cross County Center in Yonkers and Westchester’s Winter Wonderland in Valhalla.

News 12 Staff

Dec 18, 2020, 6:09 PM

Updated 1,394 days ago

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With sparkling lights, Santa Claus, and shopping, get filled up with holiday spirit on this week’s Road Trip: Close to Home.
At the Cross County Center in Yonkers, browse more than 80 businesses at the outdoor mall and you’re bound to find perfect gifts for your loved ones! 
Plus, don’t forget to snap a photo at the center’s new Christmas tree! It’s more than 40 feet tall and you can walk right through it! 
But what’s holiday fun without a stop at the North Pole. You can make a visit to Santa’s very own workshop and even safely take a picture with him — 6 feet apart. “You can make a reservation and pre-pay for your photos…that way you can cut down on the line a little bit,” says Liz Pollack, marketing senior manager at Cross County Center.
Then, warm up with a fresh meal at a local food truck. From Leila’s Crepe Station to Abeetz Mobile Wood Fired Pizza, these trucks will take your taste buds to a new level with Westchester’s finest. 
Next, we’re heading to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla to light up the early night sky at Westchester’s Winter Wonderland. “With a reservation, guests will see hundreds of thousands of lights, drive through an animated tunnel, through magical woods, see one of a kind artistic features through 1.2 miles of Kensico Dam Plaza,” says Joe Stout, executive director of the Westchester Parks Foundation.
It’ll take about a half hour to drive through. So sit back, bump up your radio and wave to your favorite holiday characters while exploring a dazzling display of lights right from the safety of your own car.