Mall Fatigued? Some Other Post-Xmas Ideas

NO recycle pickup this week: Just trash goes to the curb this week. Because of the Christmas holiday, trash collection is delayed one day for the rest of the week.

Providence Children’s Museum Block Party: Kids mix and match the massive collection of colorful building materials at the Providence Children’s Museum. Stack imaginative blocks of all shapes and sizes to create towering structures, construct room-sized block cities and more. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Christmas at Blithewold: Blithwold Mansion in Bristol features special holiday-themed tours Thursdays in December – today is the last one. The rooms are individually designed and decorated by teams of talented volunteers, each room illustrating some variation of the chosen theme. Join our experienced tour guides to explore not only the history of the house and the family but how family stories interweave with the decorations and ornaments and ribbons and greenery. As a feature of the tours, participants will be able to learn more about some of the items from our special collections, on display only during the holiday season. Registration in advance is preferred. Walk-ins are taken on a first come, first served basis. 11:30 a.m.

On Friday ...

Public Stargazing at Frosty Drew Observatory: Every Friday night (weather permitting) Frosty Dew Observatory in Charlestown opens its dome and telescopes to the public free of charge. It usually opens around 6 p.m. during the months surrounding the winter solstice. If you have never seen the rings of Saturn, Jupiter's moons, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy or many of the wonders the night sky has to offer, come out and see. Frosty Drew Observatory, 62 Park Lane, Charlestown. (401) 364-9508, http://frostydrew.org.

On Saturday …

‘Blue’  Christmas service: For many, Christmas is not a “holly, jolly” time, but a season of sadness, grief, even despair. Those feelings will be recognized and raised them up to God in a “Blue Christmas” service at St. Luke’s, 99 Church St., Saturday at 4 p.m.