Things to do in Boston at Christmas time??????

My partner and I have decided to go to Boston for the Christmas period, was thinking NYC as that is known for its lovely christmas%26#39;s but been already this year so don%26#39;t fancy going again quite so soon.

So can anybody tell me what Boston is like at Christmas time and things to maybe do?????

We%26#39;ll be over for Christmas day which will be lovely :-)

Thank you!!!

Things to do in Boston at Christmas time??????

Boston is very nice around the holidays... especially if there is just the ';right'; amount of snow. The architecture lends itself to a ';Dickensian'; atmosphere, and places like Quincy Market, etc. go all out to enhance the spirit (get folks to part with $$$). ;-)

If you%26#39;re also around for New Year%26#39;s Eve, you%26#39;ll have the ';oportunity'; to attend the First Night events... sort of a winter ';Mardi Gras'; type of celebration with events ranging from parades to concerts to theatrical events... all accessible either free o0f charge, or by purchasing a ';pass';, in the form of a souvenir button which gets the wearer into a multitude of events throughout the city.

Also beautiful is Nantucket, which you could consider for a couple days.

Things to do in Boston at Christmas time??????

If you like traditions - Boston has a wonderful version of the nutcracker each year. There are also wonderful concerts at historic Trinity Church in Copley Square (where there will also be a huge tree).

Walk around the Back Bay or Beacon Hill to see beautiful, historic houses decked out tastefully for the holidays.

The Revels is another nice annual tradition, a concert series at Harvard.

Depending on how long you stay in the area there%26#39;s also two places that I know of that have enormous Xmas light displays...one is in Springfield at Forest Park and the other is inWestford at Nashoba Valley Ski area. Both are are a 1/2 to little over hour drive from Boston. Andthere%26#39;s also lazy man sledding at Nashoba (you slide down but they pull you back up). There%26#39;s a few other places that have lazy man sledding too, one being the Amesbury Sports Park.

Yes, Boston is all lit up for Christmas, and all the ';regular'; things to do are just as fun -- might be a little chilly, might not.

One Christmas-specific thing to check out might be the Boston Pops (orchestra) Holiday show. The Pops are never boring !

www.bso.org/listB/printschSeasons.jhtml鈥?/a>

Note that just after Xmas, there%26#39;s a special version too:

Holiday Pops with the Von Trapp Family Singers (as in the original ';Sound of Music'; family that migrated eventually to Vermont).

Hi Hays 84, it looks like we%26#39;ll be trading places - we%26#39;re heading to Herne to visit family plus a few days in London, over the holidays (12/21-1/2). Anyway, while I don%26#39;t live in Boston anymore, I still consider it my home town. The Boston Common is usually lit up around the holidays, nice for a stroll. Also, check out the stores in downtown crossing, I%26#39;m sure their appeal has faded or at least changed over the years, but the big store windows used to have great displays. As others have said, definitely check out the holiday music scene, the Pops, and even the local churches and perhaps the colleges if you%26#39;re there early enough. Hopefully you%26#39;ll see some, but not too much, snow to really make it magical.

Live Theater with a Christmas theme:

';White Christmas'; (the stage show) premiere - Wang Center

Nov 25 - December 31, 2005.

http://www.wangcenter.org (click on SHOWS)

';The Nutcracker'; - in about a month try:

http://www.artsboston.org/bostix.cfm

If you are renting a car, you might like to take a day trip to Cape Cod. Sandwich (a town just over the bridge) is quaint and lovely at Christmas. Heritage Museum and Gardens has a Christmas light display. A drive down Old Kings Highway - route 6A would be fun. Lots of period homes and antique/gift shops. Lunch or dinner at the Daniel Webster Inn, or Belfry House in seaside Sandwich is nice. Try the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce site or the Canal Region Chamber of Commerce site for more info.

If you are renting a car, you might like to take a day trip to Cape Cod. Sandwich (a town just over the bridge) is quaint and lovely at Christmas. Heritage Museum and Gardens has a Christmas light display. A drive down Old Kings Highway - route 6A would be fun. Lots of period homes and antique/gift shops. Lunch or dinner at the Daniel Webster Inn, or Belfry House in seaside Sandwich is nice. Try the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce site or the Canal Region Chamber of Commerce site for more info.

Hi Hays84,

You%26#39;re both going to be very busy in Boston, I don%26#39;t know if you%26#39;ll want to leave the City, I%26#39;ve suggested something here that you might not have time for because there%26#39;s a LOT to see and do right in town! There%26#39;s nothing like ';Christmas in the City'; especially in Boston. In fact? My celebrating begins Dec. 10th weekend in town myself! I can%26#39;t wait!

As the previous posters stated, Beacon Hill will be all lit up at night, the Public Gardens and the Boston Common will have all the lights on the trees, it%26#39;s part of visiting the city that you just have to see! Walking along Charles St., and strolling through Beacon Hill and the area around the State House will be really neat checking it all out! Some times in December in New England at night; for some reason the cold doesn%26#39;t bother you at all!

If you get the chance while strolling through the area? Walk over to the Four Seasons Hotel and go to the Bristol Lounge right on the first floor of the Hotel, you can%26#39;t miss it. The Hotel is located at 200 Boylston St. just across from the Public Gardens. Thursday to Sunday they have a classical piano player and also Light Jazz, it%26#39;s a fun place to go especially during the Holiday season. This lounge won the Best of Boston award for having the Best Martini recently! I%26#39;ve never gotten a drink here believe it or not, only tea, a lot of people go there just for a cup of tea and there famous desserts! Take your pick, whatever your heart desires, it%26#39;s your special time away, so you decide!

There%26#39;s a very interesting Art Gallery located at 238 Newbury St. and they%26#39;re having an Art Exhibition which started already on Nov. 12th and it ends Dec 31st. so you%26#39;re in luck to go to it! It%26#39;s the Art of Michael Theise at the Vose Galleries of Boston. It%26#39;s one of America%26#39;s oldest family owned art galleries located right in Boston. I%26#39;ve been inside this place a few times, it%26#39;s so so neat! They have 18th, 19th and early 20th century American Art. I think if you%26#39;re going to browse the shops along Newbury St. while you%26#39;re here? Try to stop in to see this Exhibition. I really think you%26#39;ll like it.

One of Boston%26#39;s most important historical landmarks is the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, it%26#39;s the cities largest Theater and it would be really good if you could see it while you%26#39;re in Boston. It%26#39;s modelled after the Paris Opera Comique and it was restored so beautifully! It%26#39;s located at 270 Tremont St. right in the heart of the Theater District. If you get the chance take a look at it. May be you could check out a show while you%26#39;re in Boston during that week? That could be a possiblity for you both. Another beautiful building that was recently renovated is the Boston Opera House located on Washington St. near Downtown Crossing. It%26#39;s incredible how it looks now! It%26#39;s really amazing to see how beautiful it is and how it was saved!

The Quincy Market area will be all lit up with beautiful Holiday lights and holly everywhere. It%26#39;s really fun to walk through there right down to the Harbor area where you%26#39;ll see Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, which is located between Mercantile St and Long Wharf. It%26#39;ll be very picturesque during your visit, so take your camera.

You really won%26#39;t need a car while you%26#39;re visiting the city, you could just walk and check out the Freedom Trail all along this whole area. When you do? Make sure you go over to see the USS Constitution in Charlestown because that%26#39;s all lit up during the Christmas holiday season with all kinds of lights!

If you wanted to rent a car one day which I think you%26#39;re going to be too busy to myself! Whatever! If you want to, you know you could always go Antique Shopping. One thing about New England and Boston? You can get to a few other states in a day and still have time for tea at the Bristol! I%26#39;m serious too! I%26#39;ve squeezed a lot in here just for one day and you can too! Just get up early and you%26#39;ll see how this can all be accomplished!

You could rent a car one day and go up to Southern Maine. It%26#39;s less than 2 hours from Boston. You could travel all along the coastal rte 1 in southern NH and Maine. You could make reservations at the ';White Barn Inn'; in Kennebunkport, ME. it won a AAA five Diamond award for 11 years! There%26#39;s one of only 3 restaurants in New England to earn this distinction. It%26#39;s positively incredible for a get away and dinner some night! Think about it...as the website states ';A visit will stay in your memory forever'; www.whitebarninn.com and it%26#39;s located at 37 Beach Avenue in Kennebunkport, ME.

I think I%26#39;ve done enough damage for one or two posts for the night! Think about these suggestions! I%26#39;m sure other people will be adding to it, so keep checking back for some great ideas. You%26#39;re both going to love the Christmas Holiday Season in Boston! It%26#39;s a great idea coming over for it. Have a wonderful time and Happy Holidays!

I always wanted to go to England for the Christmas Holiday Season, I bet that would be fun too!

NOMO01