Train to Wonderland

It doesn’t matter what corner of the Valley you live in, there’s holiday fun accessible this weekend, with choices ranging from miniature train rides through a forest of camellias and Christmas trees, pinata parties, outdoor ice skating and Hanukkah treasure hunts to inner-tubing down hills of artificial snow.

Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge, site of the largest camellia forest in North America, has installed a miniature “enchanted railroad” that continues today, Saturday and Sunday. The gardens will also feature decorated Christmas trees, a bazaar with food, handmade crafts and toys, a Santa who will pose for pictures, an antique doll display, storytelling and, on Saturday, pinata parties for children.

Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; adults $5, seniors / students $3, children ages 5-12 $1; information (818) 952-4401.

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On Sunday, the Skirball Cultural Center in the Sepulveda Pass is hosting a daylong Hanukkah family festival culminating in a traditional candle-lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m.

Activities begin at 11 a.m. and include theatrical performances by Mac and the Bees, a family sing-along, art workshops, a dreidel spin (a very low-tech version of roulette) and a Hanukkah-lamp treasure hunt.

Also, at 6:30 p.m., KCRW-FM will broadcast live a performance of “Jewish Stories From the Old World to the New” with Leonard Nimoy appearing as host. Admission to this presentation, suitable for ages 10 and older, is $15.

“Hanukkah Family Festival,” 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. (at Mulholland Drive); free for children younger than 12, students / seniors $6, adults $8; information (310) 440-4636.

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On Sunday, as a special treat for kids who have never seen snow, the city of Calabasas will hire a snow-making machine in the morning to create 30 tons of the white stuff at Gates Canyon Park. Get out that inner tube you were using in the pool this summer and try it on these chilly slopes. Santa will also be there and can be photographed in his (almost) natural habitat.

“Snow, Snow, Snow” annual frolic on artificial snow, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Gates Canyon Park, 25801 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Calabasas; $3 per child, adults and children younger than 2 free; information (818) 880-6461.

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And, if you are willing to drive over the hill to downtown Los Angeles, there’s a rare treat of an outdoor ice-skating rink in sunny Southern California.

The rink in Pershing Square is open seven days a week until Jan. 3. The skating is organized by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.

“Open Air Ice Skating,” 50-by-80-foot rink, noon-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun.; Pershing Square, 5th and Olive, information (213) 847-4970. $5 admission, $2 skate rental.