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Connecticut

Selected events in Connecticut.

"The Lying Kind"

Hapless British Bobbies Blunt and Gobbel have one last duty to fulfill before they can finish their Christmas Eve shift: inform the sweet old couple at No. 58 of some terrible news. Yet Blunt and Gobbel didn’t join the force to ruin people’s lives. Once inside the house, their total ineptitude and humane inability to tell the truth leads to an endless -- and absolutely uproarious series of misunderstandings. Enjoy this modern-day farce by one of Britain’s most provocative playwrights. [DETAILS]

Gingerbread Village and Christmas Bazaar

Presenting a landscape composed of gingerbread people, creations and structures, including more than 50 buildings, horse and sleigh teams, ponds, boats, and sliders dressed for the holidays. Also featuring handmade baked goods, crafts, pewter, tree ornaments, Christmas decorations, and more on sale at the bazaar. [DETAILS]

A Christmas Story

Jean Shepherd’s stage production is a hilarious tale about being a kid during the Christmas season in 1940s Midwestern America. Nine-year-old Ralphie Parker wants one thing for Christmas – a genuine Red Ryder BB gun, but his mother, his teacher, and even Santa Claus himself have the same response: “You’ll shoot your eye out." [DETAILS]

Holiday Pops

The Pilgrim Festival Chorus joins the Plymouth Philharmonic orchestra to sing lively and lovely holiday favorites. [DETAILS]

Antique Stocking Stuffers Show & Sale

Featuring 70 dealers offering antique and estate jewelry, silver, and collectibles. To benefit Friends of the Civic Center. [DETAILS]

Connecticut Audubon Society's 13th Annual Winter Solstice

Festivities, folklore, songs, feasting, and ceremonies representin cultures around the world by the bonfire make for a great way to spend the shortest day of the year. [DETAILS]

Holiday Magic

Holiday crafts, a show at the planetarium, magic acts and demonstrations -- these are the perfect activities for when the kids are on Christmas vacation. [DETAILS]

First Night Hartford

Come enjoy the city’s ultimate New Year’s celebration featuring ten hours of extraordinary performances, including kids’ entertainers, activities, and fireworks. [DETAILS]

Massachusetts

Selected events in Massachusetts.

Crafts at the Castle

Explore New England’s original and most popular exhibition and sale of artisans-made, museum quality, American crafts. This event showcases 150 of the nation’s top artists working in ceramics, fiber, wood, metal, and stone. Organized and sponsored by Family Service of Greater Boston, the sale benefits programs for children, youths, and families struggling with emotional, psychological, and economic effects of poverty abuse, and neglect. [DETAILS]

Hyannis Harbor Lighting and Boat Parade

Come enjoy holiday decorations, hayrides, special activities, refreshments, a visit with Santa Claus, and the lighting of the Village Green. [DETAILS]

Holidays at the Pinehills

The public is welcome at this family event that celebrates the season with Santa, Victorian caroling, a tree lighting, and much more. Cookies, cider, and hot chocolate will also be served. [DETAILS]

Santa's Coming to Sleighbell Farm

Come enjoy a day of holiday fun at the farm. Visit with Santa in the antique sleigh and bring your camera for a special holiday photo; stop in the gift barn and watch the Santa Express train run through our Christmas village; take a hay-wagon ride through the fragrant fields of Christmas trees; and then stop at the tent and warm up with some hot cocoa or cider. [DETAILS]

SMFA December Sale

Explore the goods of the largest art sale of its kind in New England, showcasing original paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and more. This event features more than 4,0000 original works by internationally-known School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) alumni, faculty, students, and staff. Proceeds to benefit participating artists and SMFA student scholarships. [DETAILS]

"The Nutcracker"

Enjoy this classic performance during the magical season. Presented by Albany Berkshire Ballet. [DETAILS]

Holiday Pops

The Pilgrim Festival Chorus joins the Plymouth Philharmonic orchestra to sing lively and lovely holiday favorites. [DETAILS]

Christmas Revels

A traditional participatory musical-theater event with medieval music and song, mumming, and mayhem. [DETAILS]

Training Ground for Democracy

For his first major U.S. museum exhibition, Swiss artist Christoph Büchel will transform the football field-size gallery into an imagined American community. Part ghost town, part film lot, and part Guantanamo Bay detention center, this propped up neighborhood will be home to paranoia, media, and militarism. While the details are still to be revealed, the exhibition will be a landmark project for one of Switzerland’s most important artists working today. [DETAILS]

First Night Chatham

A family-oriented non-alcoholic celebration of the arts, the only such celebration on the Cape. Enjoy more than 60 performances and activities at more than 20 venues throughout the town. For the kids there’s a circus, horse drawn wagon rides, storytellers, face painting, model trains, magicians, and more. Adults will enjoy jazz, bluegrass, classical, and traditional music performances, plus drama, poetry, and opera selections as well. A lively parade, food vendors, and midnight fireworks at Oyster Pond round out the event. [DETAILS]

Maine

Selected events in Maine.

Old-Fashioned Christmas

Enjoy fun family events throughout the entire month in this cozy Maine town, featuring festive window displays, tree-lighting ceremonies, caroling, competitions and prizes, decorations, and other special holiday events. [DETAILS]

Harbor Lights Festival

Watch as Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by boat; shop the holiday crafts fair; take a horse drawn wagon ride; raise your voice in a chorus of carols; enjoy some quality lap-time with Santa; and see the town come alive with the lighting of the town tree, the live nativity, and the dazzling lighted boat parade. [DETAILS]

Christmas Prelude Trolley

During Kennebunkport's popular Christmas Prelude weekends, the Seashore Trolley Museum is open for special holiday streetcar rides. Plus enjoy refreshments in the Visitor’s Center and browsing through The Museum Store which will be open for holiday shopping. Weather permitting. [DETAILS]

Christmas by the Sea

A weekend celebration including tree-lighting ceremonies, caroling, a chowder festival, a beach bonfire, a bake sale, entertainment, shopping, Santa, and more. Sponsored by the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce. [DETAILS]

Christmas at Moosehead

Stroll around town during the annual inn walk and enjoy special shopping sales and deals. As the sky turns to dark, watch as the town shines bright during the tree lighting ceremony. To finish off the day, enjoy the music of the Christmas concert. [DETAILS]

Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration

Basketry is believed to be the oldest human craft. For thousands of years, native Maine elders have handed down basket-making traditions. At this show and demonstrational event event, buy direct from Micmac, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot artisans. Pack baskets, bowls, and boxes are created from brown ash splints and sweet grasses. Look for birch bark, quill work, and jewelry, too. Traditional foods served up by the Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club -- such as hull corn soup, fry bread, and blueberry desserts -- as well as traditional music and demonstrations will round out the event. Be sure to wander through the museum's anthropological holdings, including a Penobscot exhibit and a pre-Columbian gallery. [DETAILS]

Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos

Featuring his series of 80 black-and-white, prints published in 1799, that satirize the foibles of late 18th-century Spanish society and humanity in general. [DETAILS]

New Year's Eve Portland

Featuring a parade, performances by Maine artists, and fireworks at midnight. [DETAILS]

New Hampshire

Selected events in New Hampshire.

Holiday Parade

Featuing illuminated floats, marching bands, and hundreds of participants who will make their way through the streets. [DETAILS]

Holiday Craft Festival at the ROCK!

Rockingham Park Racetrack comes alive with holiday cheer as more than 150 professional craftsmen offer a variety of wares, plus music and food. [DETAILS]

Santa Trains

Hop onboard the train and venture out into the winter landscape along the Pemigewassett River from Lincoln to Woodstock, NH during this one-hour and twenty-minute ride. Relax in the warm cars with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and cookies for a delicious snack for sale. As an extra treat for the kids, Santa will come around and visit each child with a gift in-hand. [DETAILS]

Candlelight Stroll

Take in the festive decorations of the stately historic homes while you walk the lanes of the museum, aglow with hundreds of luminaria. Bring the whole family to experience American mid-winter traditions past and present and to bask in the alluring scents and sounds of the holiday season. [DETAILS]

"Miracle on 34th Street"

Enjoy this classic tale of imagination and make-believe, that tells the story of Doris Walker, her daughter Susan, and the Kris Kringle of Macy’s department store. [DETAILS]

Holiday Inn to Inn Cookie Tour

Explore 17 award-winning inns on this self-guided tour covering the White Mountain region from Harts Location to Tamworth and everywhere in between. Sampling sweet and savory holiday treats while observing tips on holiday decorating from expert innkeepers. This year, homemade candy will be added to the repertoire of cookies offered by expert innkeepers and bakers for a true sweet treat. A complimentary Christmas cookie cookbook is also included, featuring the recipes from the wonderful cookies and candy you'll sample on the tour. [DETAILS]

Torchlight Parade

Watch as skiers shoot down the mountain wielding blazing torches during this magical light show. Other highlights include s'mores by the fireplace, live entertainment, and games for every age. [DETAILS]

First Night Wolfeboro

Enjoy an alcohol-free celebration with live music and entertainment, ice sculpting, cookie decorating, and face painting. [DETAILS]

Rhode Island

Selected events in Rhode Island.

Festival of Lights

The charm of this historic Colonial village comes alive its transformed into a winter wonderland. Enjoy a window-decorating contest, hayrides, music, and live entertainment. [DETAILS]

Christmas in Newport

Celebrate the season in this city that glitters with twinkling white lights. This month-long festival features more than 75 events. Enjoy concerts, dances, tours, tree-lighting ceremonies and special events for the kids. [DETAILS]

Gingerbread Fest

Professional bakers present their best gingerbread houses, castles, and cottages to the kids, while the kids add their own sugary touches. But it’s not all just a feast for the eyes; at this fun event the kids get a chance to create their own masterpieces, whether they make a decoration with ginger-scented clay or a delicious gingerbread cookie. Larger gingerbread works will be donated to local women’s and children’s shelters. [DETAILS]

Winter Wonderland

Enjoy 350 decorated Christmas trees, hay rides, free visits with Santa, train rides, a talking snow man, a miniature village, lighted displays, a food court, and entertainment at this holiday event. Trees and village will be lit every night for the chance to drive through during the week. Call for weather and closing updates. [DETAILS]

Foundry Artists Holiday Show & Sale

Shop sales tax free for jewelry, glass, paintings, textiles, handmade scrapbooks, jams, spa products, furniture, and more offered by at least 60 artists. Also enjoy the opening reception and place your bid during the silent auction. Proceeds to benefit the Pawtucket Armory Association. [DETAILS]

Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Band

Enjoy a variety of pieces -- both classic and contemporary -- performed by winds and percussion. [DETAILS]

Christmas Pops

Festive decorations and jubilant voices singing traditional and contemporary carols will usher in the holiday season. Performed by the Chorus of Westerly and the Boston Festival Orchestra, conducted by George Kent. [DETAILS]

First Night Newport

Enjoy dancing, live music, entertainment, children's activities, and fireworks to ring in the New Year. [DETAILS]

Vermont

Selected events in Vermont.

Beyond the Unicorn Christmas Craft Fair

More than 85 craftsmen from New England and New York will gather. Lunch and continental breakfast will be available. [DETAILS]

The Nutcracker

Presented by Vermont Ballet Theater. Performances held Dec. 2 at the Dibden Center for the Arts, Johnson State College (College Hill Rd., Johnson) and Dec. 8-10 at the Memorial Auditorium (250 Main St., Burlington). [DETAILS]

Christmas at Billings Farm

Visit the authentically decorated farmhouse (with preparations underway for the holiday meal) and the working dairy farm. Enjoy traditional holiday programs and activities, including making historic ornaments. Horse-drawn sleigh rides will be offered (Dec. 26-Jan. 1), and there will be traditional music in the parlor on selected days. [DETAILS]

Winter Tales 2006

The Vermont Stage Company presents heartwarming stories for the season. [DETAILS]

Coolidge Christmas Open House

Enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas in one of Vermont’s most charming villages. This holiday event features traditional decorations, old-time music, crafts demonstrations, wagon or sleigh rides, and winter exhibits at the Aldrich House, Plymouth Cheese Factory, and 1924 Summer White House office. [DETAILS]

Christmas Eve Sleigh Ride

Experience the nostalgia of yesteryear with your family and friends and take a sleigh ride journey into the woods to an old log cabin for a warm up by the wood fire. Enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate and Christmas carols at the piano. Weather permitting. [DETAILS]

Die Fledermaus

Enjoy an operetta by Johann Strauss, a.k.a. The Waltz King. This professionally costumed, choreographed, and staged production features a guest conductor from San Diego Opera, internationally-acclaimed guest artists, and surprise celebrity appearances. Don’t miss out on this quintessential holiday experience that you’ll be sure to treasure and remember always. [DETAILS]

First Night Montpelier

Commemorate the New Year in Vermont's capital city during this major arts festival featuring performers, artists, a parade, fireworks, children's workshops, a balloon drop, and food. [DETAILS]

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