Places to eat after you've visited Christmas displays

YOU'VE BEEN here before. You and the kids are sitting on the cold, hard, cramped floor of Wanamaker's - er, Macy's - craning your necks to see the tree light up and the sugarplum fairies dance. So far today, you've been shopping, walking and waiting in long lines so the kids could see the big guy with the beard. Very soon, you're going to need to eat. Very, very soon.

'Tis the season to be . . . hungry.

We've got you covered. No matter if

you're making your annual cruise through Longwood Gardens' Festival of Fountains or simply shopping Center City's Christmas Village, there's a good place or two nearby with food that'll please your family and your budget - or, blow the budget. ('Tis the season for that, too.)

Our favorite animated, larger-than-life Lite-Brite has been a Philly holiday tradition since 1956. Today, the old John Wanamaker's light show feels nostalgically low-tech - and still gives us goose bumps. Meet us by the eagle, on the hour.

It's cool. It's casual. It's got big booths your family can slide into and a photo booth to distract the kids while you slurp a margarita and wait for nachos. Mexican eatery El Vez (121 S. 13th St., 215-928-9800, elvezrestaurant.com) serves lunch and dinner daily, right around the corner.

A hop across Market Street and a skip east, open-daily Reading Terminal Market's (12th and Arch streets, 215-922-2317, readingterminalmarket.org) has decked its halls, set up its trains and rechristened its beer garden. Snag seats at the Dutch Eating Place counter for apple dumplings and fries, then check gift-basket-buying off your list with a stop at the Pennsylvania General Store.

Macy's Grand Court, 1300 Market St., free, 215-241-9000, macys.com.

Popular, pointy-faced, often caroling, usually Dickens-inspired Byers' Choice dolls surely occupy least one window/corner/mantel at your mom's/grandmom's/aunt's house this time of year. The company's Montco factory has a museum with thousands of those dolls, Christmas crèches from around the world - and endless opportunities to add to your relatives' collections.

Great Aunt Gladys or cousin Dorothy will love breakfast, lunch or high tea at the precious Talking Teacup (301 W. Butler Ave., Chalfont, 215-997-8441, thetalkingteacup.com, closed Mondays). Have the scones. Or the tea sandwiches. They're darling.

Borghi's to-die-for burgers are a couple of miles down Route 202 (4 N. Main St., 215-997-1188, borghis.com). The restaurant's in the old Chalfont Inn, circa 1761, so at least it feels old, like your great aunt. Open for dinner, too.

Byers' Choice, 4355 County Line Road, Chalfont, 215-822-6700, byerschoice.com.

Comcast's light show for a new generation might be the only thing the cable giant gives viewers for free. The 2,100-square-foot, 15-minute Holiday Spectacular video starts on the hour in the lobby of Philly's tallest building. This year's updated version features scenes from "The Nutcracker" and the nearby countryside - snow-covered, of course.

One level below the lobby, Comcast's fancified food court (closed Sundays) vends slices, cheesesteaks, burritos, sushi and, thanks to the just-opened Percy Street Barbecue kiosk (215-964-9014, percystreet.com) some done-right boneless ribs, pulled pork, brisket and homemade pies for less than $10 apiece.

Then again, all that money you saved not paying for the show could fund gingery winter cocktails and kiddie-friendly noshes at the swank Swann Lounge at the Four Seasons (One Logan Square, 215-963-1500, fourseasons.com/philadelphia). The four-star hotel's famed children's tea is sold out for the rest of the year, but chicken strips and chocolate chip cookies by the fireplace feels pretty fancy, anyways.

Comcast Center Holiday Spectacular, 1701 JFK Boulevard, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., except 5 p.m. weekdays, when workers are trying to scoot.

Since City Hall is otherwise, er, occupied, this year's German-esque Christmas Village hosts a few dozen vendors of nesting dolls, handmade scarves, bohemian jewelry and power windows and siding (confusing, but true) across the street at LOVE Park. Mayor Nutter lights the village tannenbaum next Wednesday at 7 p.m.

No need to leave the village to load up on a mulled wine (a/k/a glühwein), German beer, brats, sauerkraut, roast pork sandwiches and potato pancakes. South Street's popular Brauhaus Schmitz and Chaddsford Winery are food-tent neighbors, open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Also en village: Liza's Crepes and Waffles. Just like in Paris. Or Germany. Whatever. They're made to order with Nutella and whipped cream.

Christmas Village, LOVE Park, 15th Street and JFK Boulevard, through Dec. 24, philachristmas.com.

The Pennsylvania Ballet's yearly retelling of a story of a little girl's crazy (but not in a "Black Swan" way) dream is an end-of-year mandate. "The Nutcracker's" highlights include a Christmas tree that grows, a kitchen tool that fences, candies that dance and children who live beneath the skirts of a dancer in drag. It's a beautiful exhibition, to be sure, and even more beautiful at the sparkly Academy of Music.

You're running late. You're also running low on cash. Run to the food court at the Bellevue (200 S. Broad St., below ground, bellevuegourmetfoodcourt.com, closed Sundays) for a sandwich from Bain's or falafel from Boutros, and you just might also run into some of the Ballet's dancers grabbing a between-performance meal.

Christmas comes once a year. So does the $8 hot chocolate at the Ritz-Carlton's 10 Arts Lounge (10 S. Broad St., 215-523-8221, 10Arts.com). Served daily, noon to 5 p.m., the liquid Valrhona delight is one indulgence worth the splurge.

"The Nutcracker," Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999, Dec. 10-31, $20-$140, paballet.org.

Look at - don't eat! - Longwood Gardens' gingerbread display, wherein the du Ponts' gorgeous digs are re-created beneath towering trees in iced baked goods. In the spirit of the season, the famed Delco garden also fills its Music Room with candy (see above instructions), makes its fountains dance to carols, and turns its model trains all Christmas-y. One tip: Buy tickets in advance; they're timed, and tend to sell out.

Want more gardens? Just up the pike, Terrain at Styer's Garden Café 914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, 610-459-2400, ext. 5, terrainathome.com, lunch daily, dinner Wednesday-Saturday) offers off-the-farm nibbles and bread baked in flowerpots! Inside a rustic-chic greenhouse, where you can buy the plants you're eating near.

The hardest reservation to get in America (they have only one table, and book it a year in advance) has a pretty easy-to-score lunch. Stop by Talula's Table (102 W. State St., Kennett Square, 610-444-8255, talulastable.com), take look in the case and order the best soup-and-sandwich you've had, ever.

"A Longwood Gardens Christmas," 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, adults $18-$25, seniors $15-$22, students $8-$11, 610-388-1000, longwoodgardens.org.

It's a bit of a haul, for sure, but what's Christmas without a road trip? J. Seward Johnson Jr.'s (as in Johnson & Johnson) open-to-the-public Grounds for Sculpture makes 42 lush, art-studded acres in Hamilton Township, N.J., all winter wonderland-y with trees that twinkle, crafts for sale, Saturday horse-drawn, carriages, holiday concerts, extended weekend hours and more. Don't you wish you were the heir to a fortune built on baby powder and Band-Aids?

On-site, the fancy yet unfortunately named Rat's (16 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, N.J., 609-584-7800, closed Sunday nights and Mondays) serves serious French fare, like foie gras and smoked duck breast with poached quince, and serious French wine to go along for the ride.

On the other end of the spectrum, Trenton's venerable pair of rival pizzerias named De Lorenzo's (1007 Hamilton Ave., 609-393-2952, and 530 Hudson St., 609-695-9534) are both worth the trip into the nearby Jersey capital. The Hamilton Avenue location is bigger, more modern. The one on Hudson is in a rowhouse that's so old, there's no restroom for patrons. Both have thin crusts and cash-only policies.

Winter Wonders at Grounds for Sculpture, 126 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, N.J. Adults $12, seniors $10, students $8, 609-586-0616, groundsforsculpture.org. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Ah, Christmas on the Brandywine. The holly trees. The evergreens. The tiny critter ornaments made from pinecones and leaves. A mile-plus of O-gauge model trains (even Thomas!). And just-added, big-enough-to-step-into, halls-decked dollhouse. While you're there, pop into a gallery to peep some of the Wyeths' work - for culture's sake.

Practically across the street, the cozy, stonewalled Bistro at Brandywine (1623 Baltimore Pike, 610-388-8090, bistroonthebrandywine.com) is known for its mussels, pizza, burgers and, on Friday nights, half-priced bottles of vino. Time your visit accordingly.

Country diner Hank's Place (Route 1 and 100, 610-388-7061, Chadds Ford, hanks-place.net) was good enough for iconic American painter Andrew Wyeth and his muse Helga Testorf. Breakfast all day, every day includes on-the-cheap homemade biscuits, French toast and corned beef and hash, dinner means tuna melts or baked ham with apples.

Brandywine River Museum, 1 Hoffman's Mill Road, $10, $6 students and seniors, free under 6. 610-388-2700, www.brandywinemuseum.org.