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 2024 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 seasonal flavors, flickering fires, holiday light displays, and cozy vibes 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 cookie recipes to New England 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 Month in New England

Connecticut has launched the nation’s first Christmas Movie Trail, featuring locations statewide where 22 Hallmark Channel, Netflix, and Lifetime holiday heartwarmers have been filmed. I was at the Silas W. Robbins House in Wethersfield—shooting location for Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane—for the launch of this fun new way to explore the state, and if you’re looking for an inn that is decorated to the hilt for the holidays, this is it. Download the map, dress in your cutest holiday sweater, and you might even make your own love connection in Connecticut this December. I believe!

And in the category of things that make you go hmmm… New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling has introduced House of Tamworth Spruce & Goose, a whiskey flavored with real roasted goose, spruce-tree tips, and plums. Need a reason beyond wild curiosity to buy a bottle? The distillery has pledged to plant one new native white spruce sapling for every bottle sold to help replenish New Hampshire’s lowland spruce fir forests.

10 Fun December Events in New England

Country Roads Holiday Tour | Daily through December 8, 2024 | Worcester County, MA

Be prepared to be charmed by the 18 independently owned shops and farms that unite each holiday season for this shopping odyssey. There are 19 incredible prizes including a grand-prize bundle of gift certificates worth $900. The only requirement to enter? You must have your Country Roads Holiday Tour stamp card stamped at all 18 stops.

Sparkling Lights at The Breakers | Select dates through December 29, 2024 | Newport, RI

You may have seen the Newport Mansion decorated for Christmas, but have you been to Sparkling Lights at The Breakers? For the fifth 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 new 60-foot tunnel of lights that evokes water fountains. Warming fire pits await on the back terrace, and your ticket includes mansion admission.

Winter Wonderland at Southwick’s Zoo | Thursday-Sunday through December 29 | 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 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 | Salisbury, MA

Blue Ocean Event Center becomes an indoor wonderland for this 12th 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 non-profit Salisbury Beach Partnership and the Salisbury Beach Carousel and Pavilion, now open year round. 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.

Herb House-Lowering Watch Party | December 3, 2024 | Sabbathday Lake, ME

OK, architecture and history fans. How many chances will you have in your life to see a 200-year-old, Shaker-built structure lowered onto a new concrete foundation? I can answer that: One. Be there at 8:30 a.m. for Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village’s Herb House-Lowering Watch Party, a spectacle five years in the making. Bring your own chairs and warm blankets. Hot coffee and light refreshments will be available. Stabilization of this historic structure paves the way for the creation of a new culinary arts classroom and incubator kitchen, a traditional arts classroom, and a community gathering room. The Shakers’ ongoing herb business will also be operated from the building once again.

Christmas Spectacular | December 7, 2024 | South Paris, ME

Young’s Greenhouse invites families to its first Christmas Spectacular featuring light displays, photos with Santa, shopping, gingerbread house and cookie 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.

12 Chefs of Christmas Dining Series | December 8, 15, and 22 | Cambridge, MA

A cavalcade of top culinary talent is coming to Geppetto this December. Reserve a seat for one of three special dinners, each featuring four chefs. Or book all three for the complete 12 Chefs of Christmas experience. You’re in for multi-course menus featuring star chefs’ signature flavors and festive holiday interpretations.

Wassail Weekend | December 13-15, 2024 | Woodstock, VT

The town of Woodstock provides a Currier & Ives perfect backdrop for this 40th annual Wassail Weekend featuring horse-drawn wagon or sleigh rides, story times, performances, and Victorian Christmas traditions. Don’t miss the iconic parade, which steps off Saturday, December 14, at 2 p.m.

Inn to Inn Cookie Tour | December 14-15, 2024 | White Mountains Region, NH

Was there ever a quest as scrumptious as this? Set out to visit the eight beautifully decorated Country Inns of 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 2.

First Night Boston 2025 | December 31, 2024 | 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 as we say how ya doin’ to 2025. 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

Book online by December 4, and you’ll save 40% off your next stay at one of Kennebunkport Resort Collection‘s nine fine hotel properties in Maine. Missed this deal? Keep an eye out for their annual gift card sale on December 9 and 10.

The Ivy League Field Trip at Hanover Inn | Hanover, NH

The Hanover Inn looks out at Dartmouth, one of New England’s most prestigious colleges, and when you stay any night Sunday through Thursday, your room key now opens the door to student discounts at a number of participating museums, performance venues, and on-campus lectures and events. Plan your Ivy League Field Trip, and keep your brain from hibernating this winter.

Yankee Out & About in December

As you’re traveling or even just running errands this month, tune into the Explain Boston to Me podcast and hear our senior food editor and Weekends with Yankee host Amy Traverso talk about the history of Boston’s iconic baked beans and why their prominence is in jeopardy.

If you’re a dog lover, join me for the annual Canine Christmas Doggie Slumber Party at The Wilburton in Manchester, Vermont, the weekend of December 6-8. It’ll be a reunion with the three “elves” who decorate this historic mansion each year. I shared these womens’ touching story and all of the madcap fun of dogs in PJs and the annual holiday tractor parade in this Yankee feature: The Merriest Inn of All.