December in New England: Best Events, Deals, and Reasons to Visit

Well, hello December! The last month of the year marches in right on the tail of the Thanksgiving turkey this year, and that means there’s a time crunch to pack in all of the merriment New England offers during the holiday season. Turkeys use their tails to steer and to brake, so let’s take a cue and vow to slow down and follow our hearts to some of the events and attractions we can only enjoy this time of year.

It might sound like I’ve been hitting the eggnog a bit early. No, but I’ll admit that’s tempting. I’ve already spotted Arethusa Farm’s 2025 collectible glass bottles of their sinfully rich nog in local markets. December in New England may not bring snow as reliably as it did in the past (although ski areas are making snow, and Maine’s Aroostook County usually has a fluffy coat on the ground by the end of the month), but it does bring all of the flickering fires, holiday light displays, Christmas cookies, and merry performances that make dark days bright.

Give yourself the gift of an advent calendar’s worth of joyful outings in December, and leave all of the cleaning, baking, shopping, wrapping, and card-sending to … elves? Your friends here at Yankee can help you with everything from holiday mocktails to New England-made gift ideas, so you can get out and celebrate at some of the 10 events I’m most excited about this month. But, first…

New This December in New England

Meet Boston’s new Boston Frostival positions the city as New England’s premier winter destination, with iconic and debut events scheduled throughout December and beyond. Among the new offerings: Boston Common holiday drone shows on Saturdays at 6 and 8 p.m. through December 20, a Holiday Lights Trail, and the Boston Frozen Fire Festival at The Anchor December 12-14.

Also new—Boston’s LEGO Discovery Center hosts the global debut of a festive and photogenic new event, Santa’s Brickmas Adventure. On view through January 3, 2026, and included with admission to the attraction, this interactive installation offers opportunities to build LEGO gingerbread houses, participate in an on-screen workshop, create LEGO hearts in support of the company’s efforts to give sets to kids in need, and see a holiday-themed Boston cityscape made of more than 1.5 million LEGO bricks.

10 Fun December Events in New England

Country Roads Holiday Tour | Daily through December 7, 2025 | Worcester County, MA

Be prepared to be charmed by the 21 independently owned shops and farms that unite each holiday season for this shopping odyssey. There are 22 incredible prizes including a grand-prize bundle of gift certificates worth $1,050. The only requirement to enter? You must have your Country Roads Holiday Tour stamp card stamped at all 21 stops.

Sparkling Lights at The Breakers | Select dates through December 28, 2025 | Newport, RI

You may have seen the Newport Mansions decorated for Christmas, but have you been to Sparkling Lights at The Breakers? For the sixth year, set out on a seaside walk illuminated by hundreds of thousands of colorful lights. There’s holiday music to fill you with good cheer as you stroll through a 60-foot tunnel of lights that evokes water fountains. Your ticket includes admission to The Breakers.

Winter Wonderland at Southwick’s Zoo | Friday-Sunday through December 28, 2025 | Mendon, MA

The first breathtaking glimpse of this family attraction dressed in more than 4 million lights never gets old. Winter Wonderland traditions include singing along with animatronic penguins and meeting the head elf himself at Santa’s Barn. There’s a thrilling nightly variety show, too, and you can warm up by a fire pit at Kringle Café with a hot toddy in one hand and a gingerbread cookie in the other.

Sea Festival of Trees | December 3-7 | Salisbury, MA

Blue Ocean Event Center becomes an indoor wonderland for this 13th annual holiday event. They had me at toy-testing station! But the Sea Festival of Trees also features indoor ice skating, character visits, and sparkling trees. It’s all to raise funds for the nonprofit Salisbury Beach Partnership and the Salisbury Beach Carousel and Pavilion, open during festival hours. A ride on one of the 47 handcrafted horses, camels, and giraffes that go-round the restored 1909 Looff-Mangels carousel is, of course, the best reason to go.

Christmas Stroll | December 5-7, 2025 | Nantucket, MA

Christmas Stroll Weekend on Nantucket turns the island’s snow-sprinkled cobblestone streets into a scene straight out of a holiday movie, complete with carolers, sparkling trees, and Santa Claus arriving by boat. Celebrating its 50th year, this coastal Christmas extravaganza is a shopper’s delight, too, with a downtown marketplace, craft shows, and storefronts decorated to the hilt.

Christmas Spectacular | December 6, 2025 | South Paris, ME

Young’s Greenhouse invites families to its second Christmas Spectacular, a free event featuring light displays, photos with Santa, shopping, gingerbread house and ornament decorating for kids, and pop-up workshops for grownups (a small fee applies). Most activities, except caroling, take place inside the nursery’s warm, cozy greenhouses. You’ll also be able to pick out a Christmas tree or other fresh balsam decoration.

Wassail Weekend | December 12-14, 2025 | Woodstock, VT

The town of Woodstock provides a Currier & Ives perfect backdrop for this 41st annual Wassail Weekend featuring horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday crafts, performances, and Victorian Christmas traditions. Don’t miss the iconic parade, which steps off Saturday, December 13, at 2 p.m.

Inn to Inn Cookie Tour | December 13-14, 2025 | White Mountains Region, NH

Was there ever a quest as scrumptious as this? Set out to visit the 11 beautifully decorated Country Inns in the White Mountains, sampling their specialty treats and collecting recipes along the way. Booking an Inn to Inn Cookie Tour lodging package at one of the participating properties guarantees you two tickets. A limited number of single tickets will be sold beginning December 1 at noon Eastern.

Love Farms Grand Opening and Winterfest | December 20-21, 2025 | West Dennis, MA

It’s not every weekend you get to celebrate not only the impending holidays but the start of something truly special on Cape Cod. Love Farms is a new year-round market and farm-to-table restaurant by Pelham Hospitality destined to host gatherings large and small in the years ahead, and you’re invited to their grand opening as they kick off Winterfest. There’ll be firepits and live music outdoors on both Saturday and Sunday, breakfast and lunch will be served, and you’ll be walking in an organic wonderland with a hot bevvy in your hand as you take a deep breath before the end-of-the-year chaos.

First Night Boston 2026 | December 31, 2025 | Boston, MA

A free night of performances and activities to welcome in the new year? Add in two spectacular fireworks displays, and it’s a no-brainer to be in Boston for the 50th annual First Night. The city held the first arts-fueled celebration of this kind in the country back in 1976, and First Night Boston remains a wonderful tradition that has inspired other similar New Year’s Eve celebrations. Here in New England, you can also attend First Night events in Hartford, Portsmouth, Chatham, Northampton, and St. Johnsbury.

December’s Best Travel Deals in New England

Kennebunkport Resort Collection Holiday Cyber Sale | Kennebunkport, ME

Think ahead to 2026 vacation days! Book online by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, December 8, 2025, and you’ll save up to 40% off your next stay at one of Kennebunkport Resort Collection‘s 10 fine hotel properties in Maine. Missed this deal? Keep an eye out for their annual gift card sale on December 10 and 11.

Find Diamonds Under Your Hotel Pillow | Boston, MA

Book a room at Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport for one of the 12 nights leading up to Christmas, and you may find the surprise of your life under your pillow. Each evening, one lucky guest will discover a pair of 1-carat lab-grown diamond earrings set in 14K white gold, from online jeweler Angara. It’ll be a tough act for Santa Claus to follow if you’re a lucky winner. The Deck the Halls with Diamonds package can be reserved online for any night December 13-24.

Yankee Out & About in December

Set a reminder for Friday, December 12, at 9 p.m. Eastern, and tune in for a Weekends with Yankee Editors’ Choice Marathon featuring 10 back-to-back episodes of our popular public television series. We’ve just wrapped filming for the show’s tenth season, set to air in 2026. Find your local station or stream online at CreateTV.com.

Kim Knox Beckius

Kim Knox Beckius is Yankee's travel & branded content editor. A longtime freelance writer/photographer and Yankee contributing editor based in Connecticut, she has explored every corner of the region while writing six books on travel in the Northeast and contributing updates to New England guidebooks published by Fodor's, Frommer's, and Michelin. For more than 20 years, Kim served as New England Travel Expert for TripSavvy (formerly About.com). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and is frequently called on by the media to discuss New England travel and events. She is likely the only person who has hugged both Art Garfunkel and a baby moose.

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