Looking for holiday family fun that isn't expensive? Here are free or cheap things to do

At many places, you have to pay to get pictures with Santa. And extravagant drive-through holiday lights displays can set you back more than you would think. While families want to enjoy festive experiences with their kids in December, they can be out of some people's financial reach, especially at a time of year when buying more toys, more food and more treats also seem like necessities.

Here are some festive family-friendly things to do around Milwaukee this season that are either free or relatively inexpensive.

See holiday lights at Candy Cane Lane, downtown or in your own neighborhood

There are plenty of places you have to pay to see the lights, but there are even more that you can see for free. Add in thermoses of hot chocolate and a few homemade cookies — and those cool cardboard glasses that let you see holographic images of candy canes, stars and Santa faces — and you have a ready-made holiday tradition.

Candy Cane Lane: Every year, several homeowners in West Allis decorate their houses, yards and trees with holiday displays, from the understated to the elegant to the all-out extravagant. There's no admission fee to enjoy the lights, although there is a collection point on 95th Street between Manitoba and Oklahoma Avenues for the MACC Fund, which sponsors the event.

Where: the residential neighborhood between 92nd and 96th Streets and Montana and Oklahoma Avenues in West Allis

When: Nov. 24-Dec. 25; 6-9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 6-10 p.m. Fridays, 5-10 p.m. Saturdays and 5-9 p.m. Sundays

Downtown Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival: This year's downtown festivities include holiday lights and giant ornament sculptures along Wisconsin Avenue, the city's holiday tree outside Fiserv Forum, dozens of trees decorated by local schoolchildren in Cathedral Square Park, animated, illuminated North Pole characters in Pere Marquette Park and setups for holiday photo opps at Zeidler Union Square.

While you're making your tour of the downtown parks, drop off your child's letter to Santa in Santa's Mailbox at Cathedral Square Park between Nov. 7 and Dec. 17, and your child will receive a reply in the mail from Santa himself.

If you'd rather have someone else be in charge of the driving, Jingle Bus tours of the downtown lights displays are available for $5 per person Nov. 17-Dec. 30 (except for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve).

Where: Multiple places in downtown Milwaukee, including along Wisconsin Avenue, Cathedral Square Park, Zeidler Union Square and Pere Marquette Park

When: Nov. 16-Jan. 1

Other neighborhoods: Of course, you can always decide to take a family drive through Milwaukee-area neighborhoods on any night in December, and you're bound to come across some pretty cool lights displays. This year, the Journal Sentinel is making it easier for you with a holiday lights map.

Stroll in a festive town like Cedarburg or Lake Geneva

Sometimes feeling festive at the holidays is all about the vibes, and your family can immerse themselves in that wintry aesthetic by strolling and window-shopping in a retail area that's decked out for the holidays.

Downtown Cedarburg: The stores in downtown Cedarburg are decorated, and there are multiple free family activities going on over the holiday season, including free trolley rides and luminaries lining Washington Avenue on Friday evenings from Nov. 17 through Dec. 23.

Santa's Workshop: As you're strolling along Cedarburg's Washington Avenue, you'll come across a small building decorated to look like a gingerbread house. That's Santa's workshop, which is perfect for family photos and gazing through the windows when Santa's not there. And when Santa is there, kids can visit him for free. If you hope to score a Santa visit for your kids, it's recommended you get there 15 minutes before the workshop opens as Santa's helpers will be taking reservations for time slots, and those slots can fill up fast. Santa will be in his workshop on Fridays from 5-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (with the exception of Dec. 8) from Nov. 24 through Dec. 23, as well as Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 4-7 p.m.

Lake Geneva: Just like in Cedarburg, you can stroll the streets of downtown Lake Geneva, seeing the beautifully decorated stores. And you can also do some festive family activities for free.

Santa will visit downtown Lake Geneva locations on Thursdays in December from 5-7 p.m. where kids can visit with him for free, and you can take photos. Here's where he'll be visiting.

• Dec. 7: Geneva Lakes Art Foundation Gallery 223, 223 Broad St.
• Dec. 14: Lake Geneva Public Library, 918 W. Main St.
• Dec. 21: Magpie's Den & Pen, 642 W. Main St.

The Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, at 7036 Grand Geneva Way, will have a Gingerbread House Walk on their upper level, where visitors can marvel at the creations people have created as part of the resort's gingerbread house competition. The walk will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Nov. 19 through Dec. 31. The houses are free to view, although donations will be accepted for the United Way of Walworth County.

See a holiday movie

Movies are notoriously not cheap, especially if you're taking a whole family, but if you want a family movie outing, this is the time of year to do it, with cheaper tickets for classic holiday movies.

At the Rivoli in downtown Cedarburg, you can see holiday classics — from "Elf" to "White Christmas" to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" — for $4 per ticket. And you have the added bonus of soaking in the holiday vibes of downtown Cedarburg.

Where: W62 N567 Washington Ave., Cedarburg

When: various showings from Dec. 1-Dec. 23

Marcus Theatres will also show holiday classics this season, with tickets starting at $6 — although some tickets are more expensive so it may take some searching to find the most affordable option. Holiday movies include "A Christmas Story," "It's a Wonderful Life" and both the 2000 and 2018 adaptations of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Marcus also has a Season's Screenings passport, which allows a person to see four of the holiday titles for a total of $20.

Where: Multiple Marcus Theatres throughout Wisconsin

When: various showings from Nov. 26-Dec. 21

Free days at the Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee museums

Lots of Milwaukee family destinations have holiday attractions — like a forest of holiday trees at the zoo, historically appropriate decorations at the Milwaukee Public Museum's Streets of Old Milwaukee and a holiday snow globe display at the Domes.

Here's when your family can get free admission to see the festive sights (with the caveat that you will still have to pay for parking, concessions and and any activities, rides or events that aren't included in general admission).

The Milwaukee County Zoo has free daytime admission on Dec. 2 for Family Free Day and Dec. 26-30 for Frosty Free Week. If you go, check out the zoo's Fantastic Forest in the entrance, where there will be a display of 70 holiday trees decorated by local youth groups.

The Milwaukee Public Museum has free admission on Dec. 7 for Kohl's Thank you Thursday. If you go, check out the popular Streets of Old Milwaukee and European Village exhibits, which will be decorated for the holidays.

Betty Brinn Children's Museum has free admission on Dec. 21 for its Community Access Day. If you go, check out Tot Time at 10:30 a.m. and Story Time at 1 p.m.

Holiday crafts and activities at your public library

Of course, holiday crafts are always great at-home activities at this time of year, but if you want to make an outing of it (as well as have someone else be in charge of setup and cleanup), your local library is likely to have holiday story times and craft times. Here are some examples at Milwaukee Public Library locations.

• Kids 12 and younger can build their own gingerbread houses after listening to a story and singing a song at Capitol Library, 3969 N. 74th St., on Dec. 11 between 5 and 6 p.m.
• Kids and teens 10 and older can make holiday cards which will be donated to Children's Hospital and nursing homes at Villard Square Library, 5190 N. 35th St., on Dec. 12 between 4 and 5:30 p.m.
• Kids can learn about Winter Solstice and make candles at Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave., on Dec. 16 between 10:30 and 11:15 a.m.
• The whole family can decorate cookies at Mitchell Street Library, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St., on Dec. 21 from 3 to 5 p.m.