Whether it’s a seeing The Nutcracker, touring historic New England homes, cruising past a sea of twinkling lights, or whipping up traditional wassail, here are some of our picks for the best New England Christmas traditions!
Horse-drawn sleigh rides are a favorite holiday activity at Old Sturbridge Village.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Holiday traditions are the things we look forward to the most each season — the things we did as children, picked up from friends and family, or started on our own. It doesn’t matter how big the tradition or how long we’ve been doing it, we just know the season isn’t the same without them. And like most good things in life, there’s always room for more! Looking for a new holiday season tradition? Here are our picks for some of the Best New England Christmas Season Traditions, guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit and make your days merry.
Horse-drawn sleigh rides are a favorite holiday activity at Old Sturbridge Village. Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
BEST NEW ENGLAND CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Artistic New England Christmas Traditions
For many of us, no holiday season is complete without donning a bit of finery and heading into the city for a special holiday performance. Whether it’s the toe-tapping Boston Pops, the rousing Halleluiah chorus of Handel’s Messiah, the leaps and pirouettes of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, or the humbug-turned-merry tale of Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – the stage beckons during the Christmas season with something for everyone. Productions take place all over New England, so if you can’t make it to one of the “big shows,” check the pages of your local newspaper for performances in your own community.
Whether it’s piling into the car with a steaming travel mug of hot chocolate to cruise the holiday lights in your own community, or heading out to a larger “destination holiday light spot,” the glow of twinkling lights is one of the earliest and easiest ways to get into the holiday spirit. If you want to venture beyond home for maximum wattage, check out:
Victoria Mansion in Portland, Maine. Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Historic New England Christmas Traditions
In a region as ripe with history as New England, leaping into the Christmas past is easy. Head to one of the region’s living history museums for special holiday programs, or tour a historic house or two for examples of Christmas decor and style from different eras of New England history.
Of course, no holiday season is complete without a few handmade items, either food from the kitchen or crafts from the kitchen table! Our Yankee food and craft bloggers have a few ideas to get you started.
What did we miss? Share your family’s own holiday traditions in the comments section — you may inspire someone else, or learn something new to add to your own Christmas calendar!
This post was first published in 2012 and has been updated.
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
