Hey, it’s the first day of December! A month filled with holiday happenings, friend gatherings, and eggnog. Of course, that also means holiday shopping, card sending, and food hangovers – dang, I think I’m already behind! I’m still coming off my Thanksgiving food coma, don’t have a picture for the holiday card, and haven’t gone up to the attic for the decorations. I think I may need a kickstart to get me into the spirit; luckily, there are a lot of great activities starting this weekend that will do just that.
We kick off the season locally on Sunday, with the tree lighting in Concord Center at 5:15 p.m. I do love this event: walking up and down Main Street, visiting shops, eating cookies and sipping hot chocolate, imagining what I’ll do when I win the doll house in the raffle. I like it even more when it’s a mild night, like they’re predicting, and I’m not freezing my tootsies off.
The parade starts at 4:45 p.m., with a host of characters including Frosty the Snowman (gosh, now I do hope it’s cold enough!), Louisa May Alcott, and the big guy himself, Santa, who’ll be arriving by fire engine. Of course, he’ll be a little busy at that point, lighting the tree and all, but you can see him before the parade at different venues around town: he’ll be at the Toy Shop from 1 to 3, and Coldwell Banker after that. And Dunkin Donuts will have coffee and hot chocolate, so if it IS cold, you can warm up.
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Even if you’re not into the whole Santa thing, this event is fun for just running into the people you know around town but don’t always get to see, all wrapped up in a festive atmosphere. It’s sponsored by our Chamber of Commerce, which is also sponsoring a holiday shopping night next Thursday, Dec. 8, from 5-8 p.m. For a full description of both of these events, check out the Chamber’s website.
But wait, there’s more.
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You don’t have to wander around Main Street to get into the holiday spirit: there are several other ways to do that, all happening this weekend. The Concord Orchestra has their family concert, Pinocchio, on Sunday, Dec. 4 over at 51 Walden. There are two performances, at 2 and 4 p.m., and both are narrated by the very talented Joyce Kulhawik. For info on tickets, check out their website here.
For me, getting the decorations out of the attic is the biggest obstacle to getting the house ready for the holidays. Apparently not everyone has that problem, and the Concord Museum has capitalized on this by organizing a . From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, you can get inspired by the very beautiful, and very different, homes on this tour. For full details, check out the museum’s website here.
If you’re looking to do some holiday shopping, or if you just like artsy things yourself, Emerson Umbrella is having their Winter Market this weekend, Friday from 1-6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. You can wander on over there before the parade. There are an amazing number of talented artists there; I like to go just to ooh and ah over all the beautiful handcrafted items I could never make myself, but wish I could. Plus, it’s a nice way to support local artists.
And Orchard House, childhood home of the lovely and talented Louisa May Alcott, begins their Annual Holiday Program: “A Little Women Christmas at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House.” They’ll have costumed characters recreating scenes and doing a living history thing; it should be a whole lot of fun. It runs for the next three weekends, starting this Saturday; for full details, check out their website here and click on December.
Now if all that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, well, there’s just no pleasing you.
Do you have something you would like to share? Contact me at stefanieac@comcast.net or Maureen at mcb23@comcast.net, and we will be happy to help you spread the good news.
