Holidays in the Hub
December 8, 2006
As the song says, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”. The holidays are upon us, but there’s no need to head all the way to the North Pole for some Christmas cheer. Instead, travel into Boston, where there will be seasonal sights and events throughout the month of December.
Perhaps the loveliest part of Boston at Christmastime is Beacon Hill. The black wrought iron street lanterns dotting the streets are wrapped by well-heeled residents with garlands of laurel leaves and finished with a bright red velvet bow at the top. Doorways and windows are decked out as well, with swags of fir, juniper, and other greenery dotted with cranberries, ribbons, and shiny ornaments. If you’re looking for some mistletoe or evergreen wreaths for your own holiday party, you’ll find both at the quaint Deluca’s Market on Charles Street.
The traditions of caroling on Christmas Eve and setting candles in windows supposedly originated in nearby Louisburg Square. December in Beacon Hill is the closest thing you’ll find to an old-fashioned, English Christmas in Boston.
Boston Common also features plenty of holiday decorations. A nativity scene sits near the Park Street Church side of the green. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch the church bells pealing out Christmas carols at night. The flower stand nearby is currently selling little English holly plants as well, the perfect size for a dorm room.
On November 30, the city held its 65th annual Official Holiday Tree Lighting. Over 80 trees throughout the Common and Public Garden are now strung with lights. The lights encircling the trees on the Commonwealth Ave. Mall were lit as well. The ceremony had been scheduled for the week before Thanksgiving, but a crane attempting to lift up the “Boston Tree” kept sinking in the mud. The citizens of Nova Scotia, Canada present this Christmas tree to the city of Boston every year. The tradition began in 1971, as a thank you to Boston for speedily sending supplies, doctors, and nurses after two ships carrying munitions in Halifax Harbor in December 1917 crashed into each other, resulting in a deadly explosion. The harvested tree usually comes from the yard of a private landowner, and must be a white or red spruce, or a balsam fir. To be chosen, it also must be about 45 to 50 feet tall, healthy, well formed, and easily accessed. Once cut down, the tree travels over 750 miles on a flatbed truck to Boston. This year’s tree is a white spruce from the front yard of a New Ross, Nova Scotia family.
Boston Common is also home to the Frog Pond, a wading pool in summer and public ice skating rink in winter. Frozen from late November until the middle of March, the rink is open most days from 10 a.m. until 9 or 10 p.m. (check bostoncommonfrogpond.org for exact hours). On a crisp afternoon, the laughter of skaters and the sound of freshly sharpened skates slicing the frozen surface mingle with the Christmas songs streaming from the speakers. Admission is $4, skate rentals are $8, and lockers are available for $1. There’s also a snack bar, if you need to sit out a few go-arounds to warm up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate.
Just up the street from the Common is Downtown Crossing. Nets adorned with six-pointed stars made of Christmas lights are strung high up between buildings, giving the impression of bright stars floating mid-air at night. The metal outdoor awning of Macy’s features a gigantic Christmas tree, sparkling with lights and topped with a star. The tree used to adorn the awning of Filene’s across the street before the chain was bought out by Macy’s. Some of the windows of the latter feature holiday scenes as well (though, sadly, not as many as in past years). If you think you’re never too old for pictures with Santa, head over to Filene’s Basement on the weekends between 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. for pictures with Kris Kringle.
The Old South Meeting House just up the street will feature Christmas concerts and a reenactment. On Sunday, December 10 at 5:30 p.m., visitors can participate (as protesters) in a reenactment on the 233rd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Back in the colonial days, the original protesters gathered at the Old South Meeting House to rally against the tax on tea and plan their revenge (disguised as Mohawk Indians). Admission is $5, or free, if you come dressed in colonial attire. On Thursday, December 15, the meetinghouse will host a Holiday Chorale concert from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Another concert, by the Apollo Club of Boston, featuring Christmas music and Broadway tunes will run on Thursday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
If all the Christmas music makes you want to decorate, head over to Faneuil Hall for supplies. The flower store near Faneuil Hall itself (the building) sells small Christmas trees, wreaths, and swag, as well as mistletoe. If the cold weather (and a dusting of snow) is already making you crave a bit of spring, the store also sells potted paperwhite (narcissus) bulbs that will bloom after a few weeks of watering. There’s also a Christmas Dove store in the North Market building, displaying a wide array of ornaments and strands of Christmas lights in just about every color.
For more Christmas music, check out the wide assortment of holiday performances. For a winter solstice celebration featuring the folklore, dances, and songs of Germany and the Swiss Alps, head to the Sanders Theatre in Cambridge for the Revels, running from December 15th to the 30th. Another European-themed performance will be held on Saturday December 23rd, when “Noel, Noel! A French Christmas” takes place at the Immaculate Conception Church on Huntington Ave. at 8 p.m. Near Boston Common, Tremont Street Temple currently houses the “Black Nativity,” written by poet Langston Hughes and combining elements of the Bible, poetry, and vernacular language. Performances occur from December 1- 17. Moreover, throughout December, the former Wang Theatre is home to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, featuring the famed Rockettes.
One of the more well-known Christmastime pieces, Handel’s Messiah, will be performed in two locations. Boston Baroque, a Grammy-nominated group, will sing it throughout the month at the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall on Huntington Ave. The choir at the Richardsonian Romanesque Trinity Church in Copley Square will perform it once, on December 10 at 3:00 p.m. (well worth attending simply for the church’s beautiful interior). Additionally, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will hold their “Holiday Pops” concerts at Symphony Hall from December 11 until the 26. The most famous holiday production in Boston, however, is still The Nutcracker. The much-beloved story of Clara and her wooden toy that comes to life is performed by the Boston Ballet at the Opera House on Washington Street. For ticket specials, thanks to Mayor Menino, to these and other holiday performances, check out the right hand sidebar on cityofboston.gov. The BosTix booth near Faneuil Hall also features vastly discounted last-minute tickets to concerts, plays, and other shows daily.
The Museum of Fine Arts has a wide array of holiday happenings as well. On Saturday, December 23 from 12 p.m. to 1, the Sharf Info Center will give a gallery tour of “The Poets Tell of Christmas”. Until December 10, the MFA will hold its annual December sale. Over 4,000 items crafted by Museum School graduates, faculty, students, and affiliated artists will be on sale. Part of the profits go towards scholarships for current students. On the weekends, the MFA also features Victorian carolers, holiday tea times, Nutcracker players, the Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble, and more. Check mfa.org/calendar for exact events and times.
For local Jumbos or those unable to go home for the holidays, Avalon on Lansdowne Street will host one of six Matzo Ball parties on Christmas Eve. Hosted by the Society of Young Jewish Professionals, the ball has been named by USA Today as the “Nation’s #1 Holiday Party”. Tickets and information are available on matzoball.org.
The holidays are also a time to remember the less fortunate. Salvation Army bell-ringers are stationed throughout the city. Toys for Tots will be collecting new, unwrapped toys at North Station, South Station, and other locations. Globe Santa, run by the Boston Globe, uses donations to answer written requests for help by needy local families (globesanta.org). As Burl Ives sings, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, and you need look no further than Boston for many ways to celebrate and enjoy it.