Discover Sparkling Holiday Traditions North of Boston

Focus on All Things New England! [New England Focus] Holiday Traditions Wrap up 2024 with spirited events and experiences. Sponsored by: [North of Boston]( and [Greater Merrimack Valley]( [Img - NOB logo]( [Img - Merrimack Valley]( [Winterlights at Stevens-Coolidge House] Photo caption: Make Winterlights at the Stevens-Coolidge House and Garden one of your kids’ earliest and fondest memories. Photo credit: Holly Perry In a region so rich with natural beauty and historic allure, the stage is already set for a festive holiday season. Add tree lightings, decorating contests, and Santa sightings, and you’ve got yourself a party. Sea Festival of Trees: See Santa—and ride a 1909 Looff-Mangels carousel—by the sea. This popular event features strolls through a maze of decorated Tannenbaums, indoor ice skating, character visits, and raffles at the event center (various dates, November 23–December 8). Proceeds benefit Salisbury Beach and its newly installed year-round carousel. [A child points at the lights] Photo Credit: Holly Perry Winterlights at Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens: Devotees of history and holiday merriment are sure to fancy the light installations at this early-20th-century estate, which was once the summer home of a diplomat who was descended from Thomas Jefferson and who was also a nephew of Isabella Stewart Gardner. Located in North Andover, the spectacle, spread across several gardens, is lit on various dates, November 29–January 4. [Winter Sparkles Just North of Boston]( Enjoy skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating this season and celebrate the magic of the holidays with Winter Lights on Cape Ann and The Marblehead Christmas Walk. [Plan Your Trip]( SPONSORED [Lowell City of Lights] Courtesy of Visit MA City of Lights: Three words: Holly Jolly Trolley. A ride on the wreathed vessel is one of many reasons to head to this annual fete (November 30) in Lowell. Enjoy photo ops with Santa, strolling carolers, culinary competitions, and a parade that ends at Lowell City Hall for the illumination of the building and its 180-foot clocktower. Winter Lights on Cape Ann: America’s oldest seaport of Gloucester and the neighboring towns of Essex, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport will be all aglow from Small Business Saturday (November 30) through January 1. Make it a merry mission to visit each main street, where over 100 participating storefronts will be decked out in lights. Stroll, shop, and vote for your faves in the decorating contest. An Old-Fashioned Christmas at Orchard House: Fans of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age novel Little Women—and its many film adaptations—will want to register early for this series, held weekends in December at the house museum in Concord. Feel like an Alcott (or March) as you wander festooned rooms and interact with characters to a backdrop of Victorian tunes. Winter Festival and Annual Tree Lighting: On December 7, Billerica’s town common becomes even more picturesque for the annual tree-lighting ceremony. With all the elements of a Christmas movie, the good cheer starts midafternoon with food, activities, and prizes. Just before twilight, all gather for the traditional sing-along before Santa makes his big scene and the tree is illuminated. Holiday Social: Party like it’s 1770 at the Wilmington Town Museum (December 8), housed in the Col. Joshua Harnden Tavern in Wilmington. All are invited to the property for an afternoon of music and food, with fresh wreaths and swags available for sale. Visitors are encouraged to dress for the era, so bring those tricorn hats and mobcaps. [Lobster Trap Tree Lit Up] Photo Credit: Angela Prout Lobster Trap Tree: “And if you ever saw it, you would even say it grows!” We’re talking about this conical construction, which gets completely rebuilt each year; 2023’s tree clocked in at 400 lobster traps! The annual Middle Street Walk is planned for Saturday, December 14, and the jolly, all-ages agenda includes the ceremonial lighting of the tree in Captain Solomon Jacobs Park in Gloucester. [300x250 ad]( [New England]( [TRAVEL]( [FOOD]( [LIVING]( [WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE TV]( [YANKEE MAGAZINE]( [SHOP]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( You received this email because you signed for updates from [NewEngland.com](. If you do not wish to receive our regular e-mail newsletters in the future, please [click here to manage your preferences or unsubscribe](. *Please do not reply to this e-mail* © 2024 Yankee Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. 1121 Main Street | P.O. Box 520 | Dublin, NH 03444 [Contact Us]( [View web version](