Kennebunkport, Maine, decks itself out during the first week in December with receptions, art shows, historic house tours, walking tours, fish chowder suppers, tree lighting ceremonies, “antiques road shows”, lobster bakes, live nativities, crafts fairs, pancake suppers, caroling – many lovely holiday activities in a picture perfect setting. For a complete list of events (and it’s long, believe me!), log on to www.christmasprelude.com.
The newly reopened Pilgrim Hall Museum is sponsoring a Holiday House Tour of some of Plymouth’s most beautiful homes, decorated for the holidays. The preview party will be held Friday, December 4, from 6 – 8 pm, and the Tour will take place Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6.
Your visit may range from graceful private residences at The Pinehills to the historic homes of Leyden Street, all dressed up for the holidays. Feel the warmth of the holiday spirit while you help preserve the museum’s superb collection of extraordinary 17th century artifacts and support its educational programs. Your ticket includes a light lunch at Plymouth Country Club. Exact locations of houses on the tour are kept confidential until the day of the tour. You MUST pick up the booklet and map that will serve as your ticket (and which reveal the locations of the houses) AT PILGRIM HALL MUSEUM (75 Court Street, Plymouth, MA) between 9:30 and 4:30 on either Saturday, December 5 or Sunday, December 6. (The houses themselves will NOT open before 10:00 am). Tickets will NOT be sold at the houses or at Plymouth Country Club. Lunch at Plymouth Country Club is included with the ticket. Lunch will be served between 11:00 and 2:00 each day (ticket holders are entitled to ONE lunch).
Space is limited, so purchase your tickets early! A discount is also available with advance purchases.    The ticket price for the Preview Party and the Tour will be $40. Tickets are nonrefundable.
Pilgrim Hall Museum, America’s oldest museum, located at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, has recently completed a major expansion & renovation project, adding air-conditioning and a new entry.  The “new” museum also features an imaginative reinstallation of the permanent exhibitions of 17th century Pilgrim artifacts.
Celebrate the Pilgrims’ legacy in the restored grandeur of the Main Hall and then encounter the actual artifacts used and owned by the 17th century Plymouth Colonists, in a new and dramatic installation. Pilgrim Hall Museum is open daily from 9:30-4:30Â through December 30, 2009. For further details on the House Tour and the Museum, log on to www.pilgrimhall.org, or email pegbaker@pilgrimhall.org. You may also telephone 508-746-1620.
Strawbery Banke in nearby Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a beautiful place to be in the winter. Stroll through life in a simpler time as the history of American holiday traditions unfolds around you. Bring the whole family for a wholesome stroll through the sights, sounds, & smells of New England’s favorite holiday season. These candlelight strolls will take place each Saturday and Sunday during the first three weekends in December. Tickets are $20 for adults. Kids 5-17: $10. Kids 4 & under: FREE. Family rate: $40. For more information log on to www.strawberybanke.org.
The town of Stockbridge, made famous by Norman Rockwell’s painting of the village during the holidays, becomes a magical New England setting decorated with holiday wreaths and festive lights, as the town celebrates the 20th annual Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, December 5th and 6th.
Sponsored by the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce, the holiday celebration offers a full range of activities, with highlights including a holiday house tours, caroling, and a holiday concert.
Capping off the weekend is a recreation on Sunday of the scene depicted in Main Street at Christmas, complete with vintage automobiles parked in the spots occupied in the painting. The day’s activities include horse drawn rides, a visit from Santa, Roger the Jester, lunch at the Christmas Food Booth and much more.
The festivities celebrate Rockwell’s popular depiction of what for many is the quintessential small New England Town, with all the longing for a simpler time that it represents. Rockwell began painting the popular image in 1956, but did not complete it until December 1967.
The image and character of Stockbridge has changed little over the years, thanks to the great care and affection of its residents, and it is that special ambience which draws so many.
The Holiday House Tour takes place on Saturday from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Visit some of the area’s Historic Properties, B&B’s, and Inns. This self-guided tour is one of our most popular events. The years tour features The Former Rockwell House, The Campbell House, National Shrine of the Divine Mercy Residence, Orleton Farm Carriage House & Stables, Linwood House, the Stockbridge Country Inn and Merwin House. Tickets are $15.00 per person.
Children’s Holiday Story Time, from 11 – 11:30 am at the Stockbridge Library, is free, as is the Caroling Luminaria Walk from 6 – 7 pm. Meet in front of The Red Lion Inn, Main Street with your candle or flashlight and join the festive caroling followed by a Luminaria walk to the First Congregational Church.
The Holiday Concert begins at 7:30.
Celebrate the magic of the season with a joyful holiday musical program held at the First Congregational Church. Featuring the Berkshire Lyric Chorus, the Blafield Children’s Chorus; Gisella Montanez, Special Guest Soloist; Jack Brown, Artistic Director and Joseph Rose, Accompanist. Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door.
Sunday’s big event runs from 12 noon to 2:00 pm.
See Main Street as Norman Rockwell did when he painted the famous Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas. Main Street becomes a magical New England village with over 50 antique cars parked along the street (weather permitting) and a full range of festive activities to delight the child in everyone. Enjoy Holiday Music, The Londontown Carolers, Roger the Jester and lunch at the Christmas Food Booth. Children may create holiday fun at Santa’s workshop sponsored by the Norman Rockwell Museum. Complete the day with a visit from Santa. Commemorative Buttons offering admittance to Sunday’s Main St. activities are $5.00 per person. Children under 12 free.
Horse drawn rides will also be available for an additional nominal fee. To purchase tickets in advance to any or all of these events, log on to www.stockbridgechamber.org and print the order form and mail it in to The Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 224, Stockbridge, MA 01262, or, on the week of the event, tickets may be purchased at The Red Lion Inn, 30 Main Street, Stockbridge.
Catholic Charities Laboure Center will hold a South Boston Christmas House Tour of five homes decorated for the holidays beginning Saturday, December 5, from 4 – 6 pm, and continuing Sunday, December 6, from noon – 4 pm. The Saturday Twilight Tour will conclude with a reception immediately after at The Terrace Room of UMASS Boston Campus Center. The cost for this benefit evening is $75. The Daytime Tour on Sunday will be self guided, or you may take an available trolley, and will cost $25 per ticket if purchased in advance, or $30 for a ticket purchased on the day of the tour. Parking is available at Castle Island, and you may start the tour at Castle Island or at the Laboure Center, 275 West Broadway. You may also visit The Shoppe at Laboure for a bit of Christmas shopping. For more information, contact Judy Swanson at jswanson@ccab.org, or by telephone at 617-464-8503. Tickets may be ordered on line at www.ccab.org.
Founded in 1971, Christmas in Newport began as a two-week festival that celebrated the noncommercial traditions of the holiday season. Now in its 39th year, the annual program boasts multiple activities for nearly each day of the December calendar.
In a community collaboration among residents, businesses and the city, only clear bulbs illuminate the scenic harbor and wharves, the restored colonials of the Point and Historic Hill sections, and the Victorian splendor of Bellevue Avenue.The lights are meant to simulate candlelight, and are the brainchild of Christmas in Newport founder Ruth Myers, who wished to recapture the candlelit holidays of bygone days. With a volunteer base numbering 1500, the non-profit organization, Christmas in Newport, raises thousands of dollars for charity each year. In keeping with the true spirit of the season, any event listed in the annual program must be free of charge or must benefit a non-profit institution or charity.
For more information about Christmas in Newport, call our hot line at (401) 849-6454, or visit the web site at http://www.christmasinnewport.org/ (courtesy of Pirata Media) A 30-minute video highlighting many of our December activities is available for a fee from Video Image Productions at (401) 847-3229. For a listing of accommodations in the Newport area, please write the Gateway Information Center at 23 America’s Cup Avenue or call (800) 326-6030.
Join a self-proclaimed lover of trees (and forester) on a guided tour of the grounds at the Doyle Estate and Pierce Park on Saturday, November 28, from 10:00 am – 12 noon. You will be introduced to the over fifty species of trees which call the estate home. This is a free event, sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations, and you may sign up by calling 978-840-4446, x 1900, or emailing central@ttor.org. Driving directions to Leominster are available at www.thetrustees.org.
At the turn of the 20th century, Harry W. Pierce assembled a grand estate featuring a 29-room stucco mansion, stable, horse paddocks, a pond, and an extensive system of bridle paths. Today, this estate is the Doyle Reservation, with Pierce Park and the Doyle Conservation Center at its heart.
Pierce Park is made up of 10 of the original landscaped grounds from the estate (most of the trees and shrubs are from the estate’s original design and plantings). Doyle Conservation Center, a LEED Gold-Certified “green†building, serves as one of The Trustees of Reservations’ regional offices. Pierce Park is a link in the Monoosnoc Trail. More trails are planned.
Frankly, we’re reporting on this event because the alliteration is magnificent. Wassail Weekend is Woodstock’s gift to Vermont and to you, if you’ll join for the weekend. Voted one of Vermont’s Top Ten Winter events, the term has its roots in medieval England referring to the Norse, “ves heill” meaning “to drink to the health”. Ale brewed with spiced apples and sugar was the warm drink given to the singers who went door to door during the Solstice. Christmas became interwoven with celebrations during the darkest time of the year. For the past twenty-four years, Wassail Weekend in Woodstock has welcomed people from near and far to celebrate in unique ways. Journalists have highlighted this special event finding it a unique way to enjoy Vermont during a special time of year. See Country Living Article. Throughout the Christmas Season, Billings Farm & Museum is decorated and offers the perfect opportunity to see what the holidays were like in Vermont in the 19th Century complete with wagon or sleigh rides around the farm. The highlight of the weekend is a unique Wassail Parade through the center of Woodstock with over fifty horses and riders dressed in holiday costumes and period dress from the early 19th Century. The Green Mountain Horse Association welcomes riders from all over with wagons, surreys and sometimes sleighs, if weather permits. Mr. Claus himself usually puts in an appearance and then heads on to our Little Theater where he greets the children at the magical “Christmas Visions”. Troupes of singers parade the streets, and our arts council, The YOH Players offer entertainment at the Wassail Feast on Friday night hosted by the Woodstock Inn & Resort. Pentangle offers a historic house tour of 5 or so of Woodstock’s notable historic homes. In the evenings, talented professionals guide local actors in a Christmas musical at the Town Hall.
There is usually a reading of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” at noon at the Norman Williams Library. An open house at the Woodstock Historical Society on Friday night offers historic music through the beautifully decorated Dana House.
Shops are often open late, the streets are decorated with white lights and usually Mother Nature provides a dusting of snow (or possibly a few feet). Rarely can you experience the holidays in such a picture-perfect place. Click here to see Vermont Life Video’s two minute film of the joy of Wassail! Make your reservations ahead of time to be sure to enjoy all the weekend has to offer. 2009 schedule of events.
The 2009 Legacy Tour, sponsored by Historic Salem, Inc., steps back in history, featuring 18th and 19th century homes in the Salem Common Neighborhood. A Candlelight Tour will begin Friday, December 4, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. On Saturday, December 5, the tour will be open from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm, and on Sunday, December 6, from 11:30 am – 4:30 pm. There is a Snow Date: Saturday, December 12, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.
It’s Historic Salem’s 65th anniversary, and Christmas in Salem’s 30th holiday house tour. What better way to mark these milestones than with a Christmas house tour that includes historically significant sites on or near this year’s route, which is centered around the Salem Common neighborhood.
Christmas in Salem will indeed be bigger and better than ever, starting with this website to let you know all about tour features in advance. And there’s lots to share, including information about other holiday events taking place in Salem. Christmas in Salem is more than a house tour…it’s an entire month of fabulous holiday fun. For questions and more information, call 978-745-0799, or email info@HistoricSalem.org. Photo below of Salem Common courtesy of Trip Mason Photography.
Twelve 18th and 19th century homes all decorated for the holidays, all within easy walking distance
Historic “legacy†sites you’ll pass…and several you can visit
PLUS
Free Trolley Service • Restaurant and Shopping Discounts • Special Museum Offers • Concerts • Lectures • Theatre and Movie Tie-ins • Wine Tasting • Holiday Decorating Boutique
Celebrate Ravenswood and get some exercise on this guided four mile long hike discovering swamp ecology in this rugged yet beautiful habitat. You’ll get a closer look at Ravenswood’s geological features on Saturday, November 21, from 1 – 3:30 pm. Sponsored by the Trustees of Reservations, free to members, $5.00 non-members. For more information and driving information email needucation@ttor.org.
Ravenswood Park offers 600 acres for solitude and quiet contemplation of nature. Whether you prefer to surround yourself with snow-covered hemlocks, experience spring emerging in a burst of color and aroma, or escape the summer’s heat – you’ll find a refuge here. The park is a testament to one man’s conservationist philosophy, and to all those who have cared for this special place.
With 10 miles of carriage paths and trails that meander through the park, you can find plenty of room to picnic, bird watch, walk, cross-country ski, and simply appreciate the outdoors. Children love the Ledge Hill Trail – a 2-mile round-trip walk among magical-looking, fern-covered boulders. You don’t want to miss trekking to the overlook to Gloucester Harbor or traversing the boardwalk through the Great Magnolia Swamp, home to native sweetbay magnolias (Magnolia virginiana).
