6 Unusual Holiday Events to Break Traditions—Or Create a New One

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to tradition, but you can only shop at Christmas markets and walk around your tree so many times before it gets old.

This year we’re leaving the classics behind and looking at some holiday events that go under the radar. Some are a little further from the city center, others are taking place for the first time ever and others are just plain strange. But they’re all sure to provide a breath of fresh Steel City air this winter.

Watch the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum’s Christmas show

Ever wanted to see the entire railroad system between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland? You are a happy – and strangely specific – Yinzer.

In November, the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum opened its 36th annual Holiday Train Display. The museum is packed with model railroad memorabilia, as well as the 40-by-100-foot live model as the star attraction.

Unlike the Science Center’s miniature railway, which combines many of Pittsburgh’s famous locations in one exhibition, the Railway Museum is an almost exact model. Start near the point and follow the railroads as they wind along the Monongahela, passing J&L Steel Mill, McKeesport, Ohiopyle and other popular spots to the south. You can track trains as they complete their journeys according to a schedule set by museum members, and even peer through the windows of houses to catch a glimpse of flickering television screens.

The Gibsonia Museum is open Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some modified opening hours on public holidays can be viewed on the website. Admission is free, but the museum requests a donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12.

Plant trees in Allentown

In December, the closest you can get to having a green thumb is usually to grab your best saw and head to a local Christmas tree farm. Flip the script this year: The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is taking to the streets of Allentown to plant trees on Saturday, December 14th.

The event is part of the preserve’s Community Forestry program, which has planted 40,000 trees in Pittsburgh neighborhoods since 2008.

In addition to the actual planting, nonprofit staff such as Community Forestry Project Coordinator Alicia Wehrle will teach participants the different types of native trees and proper planting and care practices.

Sign up to volunteer on the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy website.

See Macaulay Culkin on screen and on stage

Here’s something that wasn’t on my 2024 Pittsburgh bingo card: Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin is coming to southwestern Pennsylvania to watch the 1990 Christmas movie with fans.

Culkin – now in his mid-40s – has been on a reunion tour commemorating the film since November 30 this year. The closest he will come to Pittsburgh is Wednesday, December 11th at Johnstown’s premier Summit Arena. The event begins with a screening of the first Home Alone film and ends with a moderated interview and question-and-answer session with the audience. Culkin will talk about his favorite memories from filming.

Tickets are available on the tour website.

Bootleg Reboots: Christmas Special

Are you looking for a classic film solution? You won’t find it here. Seven local improv comedians attempt a live-action version of “The Year Without Santa.” The kicker is, none of them saw it.

No obscene movie references on my part – I personally hope the remake deviates as much from the original as possible.

Bootleg Reboots will take the stage at the Arcade Comedy Theater on Friday, December 20th at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available on Arcade’s website.

Dine in the Old Economy Village

This year, enjoy kielbasa and sauerkraut, Waldorf salad and bacon-wrapped chicken livers for Christmas dinner at Old Economy Village.

The Harmony Society Historic Settlement in Ambridge hosts its annual Winter Festival, which is also the site’s primary fundraiser. Following appetizers and dinner, the Pittsburgh Opera will perform a collection of Christmas carols.

The dinner will take place on Thursday, December 12th from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets for the event are $100 per seat or $1,050 to reserve a 12-seat table. The Old Economy Village also hosts numerous other tours and events throughout the winter. Check out the events calendar on the website.

Life-sized nutcrackers in Steubenville

If you’re looking for a winter ride, take a trip to a fantastic, faraway land: Steubenville, Ohio. The city is home to the largest collection of life-sized nutcrackers in the world, with 215 lining the streets.

Artist Brodie Stutzman leads the project and carves most of the nutcrackers himself. They range from ordinary people to athletes and film icons to musicians. Dean Martin, for example, comes from the city and was immortalized in wood.

New this year is the first fully articulated, life-size nutcracker. If you’ve been holding onto a 2-foot-tall chestnut, now may be your only chance to crack it.

The city is technically two states away—the West Virginia panhandle lies between it and the Pennsylvania border—but is only about an hour and a half from downtown. The Nutcrackers will remain on view until Friday, January 10th.