Get into the community spirit at one of these festive downtown New England Christmas celebrations.
By Yankee Editors
Oct 28 2021
Nantucket Noel is a monthlong island holiday celebration.
Photo Credit : Carl TremblayThis favorite fall-foliage town transforms into a Christmas-card scene on the second weekend of December, when Wassail Weekend gets under way. Expect the downtown to be filled with the sights and sounds of the season, from twinkling light displays to the jingling bells of horses pulling wagons or—if nature has provided enough of the white stuff—sleighs.
With extra glow provided by its 40th anniversary, Christmas Prelude brightens the first two weeks of December with outdoor markets, parades, the Holiday Trail of Lights, and the illumination of a massive Christmas tree in Dock Square. Look for Santa to show up—via lobster boat!
Candlelight strolls at Strawbery Banke, a gingerbread house contest, family ice skating, shopping, live shows, and seeing the historic downtown dressed to the nines are among the many ways to get your jollies at Portsmouth’s monthlong Vintage Christmas.
The centerpiece of the long-running Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, held the first weekend in December, is like no other in New England: Dozens of antique cars park along the main drag to help re-create Norman Rockwell’s famous 1967 painting, Home for Christmas. Other diversions include holiday home tours, Victorian carolers, and a visit from Santa. [Update: This event was canceled for 2021 after the November/December issue went to press.]
All December long, expect the holiday spirit to be turned up to 11 in this storied seaport—amid seasonal shopping, dining, and strolling—as Christmas in Newport comes back after a muted 50th anniversary in 2020.