Christmas in New England — Getting Lost Together

Christmas in New England is a magical time. With so many different activities and places to visit it can feel a little overwhelming. I have compiled a list of the Christmas activities my family and I have enjoyed over the years, along with activties on our todo list.

Holiday Parade in Manchester NH. This fun holiday parade is a must see in NH. This year it will be on December 3, 2022. The parade starts out with a Santa Shuffle race where runners dress in holiday costumes and run down Elm Street. After the race the parade starts at 4pm. Find a spot on Elm Street to enjoy the show.

Cut Your Own Christmas Tree is a popular holiday activity in New England. There are many Christmas Tree Farms, but our favorite is Windswept Mountains View Christmas Tree Farm in Richmond, NH. This Christmas Tree Farm is located on the side of a hill and once you walk to the top you get sweeping views of the Monadnock Region. They also have a wide variety of Christmas Trees, some species I had never heard of.

Enchanted Village at Jordan’s Located in Avon, MA this holiday favorite is fun for all ages. With games, an indoor tube slide, indoor skating rink and 4-D Polar Express adventure this is a fun place to spend a magical afternoon.

Gift of Lights at NH Motor Speedway located in Loudon, NH this has been a family tradition for several years. Bring a group and drive the 2.5 miles around the motor speedway admiring the various holiday lights.

Holidays at Newport Mansions: Our first visit to the Newport Mansions was the weekend after Thanksgiving and I am so glad this was our first visit. We visited The Breakers and the Elm’s. The Christmas decorations in both mansions were beautiful. If you can just do one mansion I would do The Breakers. There are three you can visit, but we opted for two. At night they have an outdoor light show, which is an additional cost.

Holiday Light Spectacular at Roger Williams Zoo in Providence RI. With over 3 million lights this light show is amazing. Tickets are required in advance. Walk around the zoo and enjoy a variety of Christmas light displays. Even though we were in the zoo we only saw a couple of the animals. It took a little over an hour to see all the lights. Highly recommend checking out this spectacular light show.

House on Intervale Drive in Wilton, NH is a Christmas wonderland. This private home allows guests to wander the property and enjoy the decorations this family has put a lot of time and effort into.

LaBelle Lights at LaBelle Winery located in Derry, NH this is a newer holiday event that friends and us has started making a tradition. Opening in 2021 they have turned their golf course course in a winter wonderland that you walk through. Tickets are required, but once you purchase them you can use them any day. This year we have our tickets secure and have made reservations for dinner at Americus. If you don’t want to get dinner there is a Tasting Room and Labelle Market available.

Night Lights at Tower Hill Garden located in Boylston, MA. This is one of my favorite gardens to visit in the spring and summer months. The last few years they have added a holiday light show that is just beautiful. They decorate their gardens with a variety of lights creating a beautiful winter wonderland.

Nutcracker Play this has been a tradition since I was a young child. Almost every year my mom took me to the Nutcracker Play and I have continued this tradition with my daughter. We usually go to the Palace Theater in Manchester for the show. Several other theaters in New England run this play as well.

Santas Village is a popular New Hampshire amusement park in Jefferson. Many think it is just a summer destination, but they are open through New Years Eve. What’s more magical then visiting Santa’s Village at Christmas time.

Snowport Holiday Market: Located in the Seaport of Boston is this fun holiday market. Park in one of the Seaport garages and walk down to the market where you can shop local artists, enjoy a variety of food trucks and drinks. There is also a variety of shops and restaurants in the area if you want to explore further. If you are not a fan of crowds I highly recommend going in the off times, like during the week. We went on a Friday night and it was so busy we could barely walk around.

Strawberry Bank If you are looking for an old fashion Christmas you need to visit Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth, NH. The village is transformed into Christmas of the past.

Winter Wonders at Sandy Hill Farm located in Elliot, Maine is an amazing light display with well over one million lights to walk around and explore.

Yankee Candle in Deerfield MA is an indoor winter wonderland. Yes this is a candle store, but it is so much more. There is a Bavarian Christmas village and a Nutcracker Castle both fun to explore. I remember being so impressed with the Christmas village and how big it was. No matter the time of year, it feels like Christmas year round at Yankee Candle.