Holidays - 2007

A guide to holiday celebrations in Massachusetts - from Boston Common to Main Street in Stockbridge. Included are Christmas-tree lightings, Thanksgiving Day gatherings, fairs and musical productions. Check back for updates.

Tree Lightings | Concerts and Shows | Holiday Fairs
Other Holiday Events | Thanksgiving | New Year's Eve

Tree Lightings and Santa Appearances

Faneuil Hall Tree Lighting
Nov. 17, 5 pm
Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston
The annual tree lighting at the historic market center.

Essex Holiday Festival
Nov. 29-Dec. 1
Downtown Essex
The Memory Tree lighting is held on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., and then Santa comes to town the next evening, followed by the Toy Land Parade.

Boston Common Tree Lighting
Nov. 29
Boston Common
Mayor Menino will throw the switch for the event, which includes festivities and family fun and includes performances by the Boston Children's Chorus. Every year the tree is given to Boston by Nova Scotia in thanks for assistance Boston provided after the December 6, 1917, explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbor.

Christmas Stroll Weekend
Nov. 30-Dec. 2
Nantucket
Santa and Mrs. Clause arrive on Saturday on a Coast Guard vessel and are driven in a horse-drawn carriage down Main Street. There are also craft shows, holiday house tours and carolers dressed in period costumes. The Christmas Stroll weekend is part of a month-long Nantucket Noel celebration.

Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas
Nov. 30-Dec. 2
Stockbridge downtown
The Western Massachusetts town that was featured in the Norman Rockwell painting "Main Street at Christmas" reenacts the scene every year. Weekend activities include concerts, fairs and holiday house tours. The reenactment is scheduled for Sunday, noon to 2 p.m.

Christmas in Rockport
Dec. 1
Downtown Rockport
Santa arrives by boat at 3:45 p.m. for the annual tree lighting in the North Shore town.

Concerts and Shows

Boston Ballet, The Nutcracker
Nov. 29-Dec. 29
Opera House, Boston
Watching the Boston Ballet reenact a magical Christmas Eve for a young German girl who does battle against the Mouse King is a treasured Boston tradition.

Holiday Fairs

Cape Ann Holiday Gift and Trade Show
Nov. 3-4
Gloucester House Restaurant, Gloucester
Includes a fashion show, ice sculpting and judging of the wreaths. Admission is $5.

Harvard Square Holiday Crafts Fair
Dec. 1-23, various days
First Parish Unitarian Church, Cambridge
You'll find a mix of goods from local craftspeople, along with items imported from other countries.

Other Holiday Events

Berkshire Museum's Festival of Trees
Nov. 17-Dec. 31
The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield
The theme of this year's Festival of Trees is "On the Move." Trees are decorated by community groups to celebrate planes, trains, skates and other items related to transportation.

24th Annual Christmas in Salem
Dec. 1-2
Salem
See Salem's opulent mansions festively decorated for the holiday season.

Seaside Village Open House
Dec. 8-9
Rockport
The event includes hayrides on Saturday and shopping events at Rockport's galleries and shops.

Rockport Annual Christmas Pageant
Dec. 22
Rockport
A torchlit reenactment of the Nativity. Starts at 5 p.m. at Dock Square and Main Street.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Feast in Old Sturbridge Village
Nov. 22
Old Sturbridge Village
Experience a 19th-century feast re-created for modern day visitors.

Big Balloon Parade
Nov. 23
Springfield
The city of Springfield, home of the legendary Dr. Seuss, welcomes Santa on the day after Thanksgiving with a parade of giant balloons up to 75 feet high, including a "Cat in the Hat" balloon.

New Year's Eve

First Night
Dec. 31
Boston
First Night includes ice sculptures, fireworks and a Mardi Gras style procession.

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