The Best New England Christmas Events: Lights, Fairs, Trees and Shopping

Join the editors of Yankee magazine for a real New England Christmas experience in our Yankee New England Holiday Collection!

In one Maine town, something special happens each winter. It happens, not surprisingly, as Christmas approaches. It starts with names, lists of people young and old — families, children, seniors who have fallen on hard times during the last year. The names come quietly, discreetly, from church pastors or teachers, maybe from a neighbor. Some call it a list of the “less fortunate.” In There’s an Angel in Rangeley, we share the tale of the Giving Tree, an organization that epitomizes the giving spirit of the whole town. In another Maine village, the darkest season begins with a celebration of light. New Sweden began as a grand experiment when a former U.S. consul in Sweden brought 51 men, women, and children from Sweden to settle in northern Maine. He convinced the Maine legislature to provide 100 acres and a log cabin to each family as a way of boosting the state’s sagging population. And on December 13, this unique community celebrates Lucia Day—the day of light and the start of the Swedish Christmas season. By the time the first buses arrive at school, swirling snow has joined the mist. In the school kitchen, cinnamon buns sit cooling on countertops. The children passing by on their way to their classrooms are noisy and restless; they drop off baskets of thin ginger cookies called pepparkakor, traditional food for the occasion. In A Visit to New Sweden, Maine we visit and discover one of last outposts of traditional Swedish culture. But what if your faith doesn’t include Christmas as a celebration? Naomi Shulman ponders this in a touching essay titled A Blue-and-White Christmas. She recalls the moment she understood herself as an outsider, when during a Christmas concert, her teacher thrust a menorah into her lap. She loved Hanukkah—eight days of presents, crispy fried latkes, playing dreidel for chocolate gelt — what wasn’t to like? But still, it felt ironic to call Hanukkah the Festival of Lights when hers was the one undecorated house on the street. Follow her touching story to learn how she came to embrace Christmas through family. In our Yankee New England Holiday Collection you’ll discover 5 Classic Christmas Stories from the Yankee Magazine Archives, which comes as part of your Yankee All-Access Charter Membership, you’ll also find two more stories and find out what it’s like to be the on the other side of Santa’s beard. Then you’ll take a walk through nostalgic Christmas memories with our longtime editor-in-chief, Judson D. Hale.

Catch the Christmas spirit, by checking out our Yankee New England Holiday Collection!

Whether it’s shopping, sharing, lights, or long nights by the fireplace, the Yankee New England Holiday Collection gives you a look at all the ways to celebrate the season. With your Yankee All-Access Charter Membership, you have full access to everything in the Yankee New England Holiday Collection, including:

• Where the magic of Christmas illuminates the night, in 5 Best Holiday Light Displays in New England
• The best spots for finding unique, handmade gifts for everyone on your list, in Best Holiday Craft Fairs in New England
• Where you can get away from it all, in The Best 5 B&Bs for the Holidays
• An insider’s tour of a stately city in its most festive season, in Christmas in Boston: Where to Stay, Eat, Shop & Celebrate the Season

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