It may be chilly out, but that doesn’t stop those with serious holiday spirit from celebrating the season with Christmas parades, winter markets, tree lightings, visits with Santa and more.
Throughout the Northeast — which can feel remarkably like the North Pole once that snow starts coming down! — are many charming downtowns that go all-out for the holidays by hosting town-wide events, reports the Bridgewater Courier News, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.
Ready to get in the Christmas spirit? Pack up the sled — err, car — and head to these Northeast towns that know how to celebrate one of our favorite times of the year with style.
Armonk, New York
Starting on Dec. 1, Armonk will recognize its holiday history by hosting nationally-known Frosty Day. That’s the day when the hamlet celebrates the song “Frosty The Snowman,” which was written in 1950 by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson, the latter of whom lived in Armonk at the time it was penned.
The 10th annual celebration will include kids’ activities such as face painting, train rides, cookie and ornament decorating; the only holiday-themed parade in the area with 40 local groups and organizations inviting Frosty home, and a tree lighting ceremony and sing-a-long at the gazebo in Wampus Brook Park.
Friends of Frosty Inc., a nonprofit group of local volunteers formed to oversee the day’s events, also encourage visitors to Armonk to contribute to its “Help Frosty Help Others” campaign by donating winter jackets, hats, mittens and scarves as part of its Winter Warmth project. Clothing bins can be found around town during the Frosty Day festivities.
What’s known as “Christmas City” isn’t anywhere near the North Pole — instead, it’s Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which was established on Christmas Eve in 1741. Each year, thousands of travelers trek to its National Historic Landmark District for the holiday festivities.
Historic Bethlehem hosts an array of holiday tours including Trees of Historic Bethlehem, to see gilded Christmas trees from around the world across six historic sites; Christmas City Stroll, about Bethlehem’s beginning, architecture and history; and Bethlehem by Night, where the city is lit with Christmas lights. Visitors also can take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the area’s downtown.
Plus, Bethlehem is also home to Christkindlmarkt, a 27-year-old Christmas market recognized as one of the best American holiday markets by Travel + Leisure. Shoppers can explore three heated tents filled with more than 150 artisans from across the nation offering handmade German nutcrackers, artwork and photography, organic food products and more as Christmas music plays. Ice carving and glassblowing demonstrations, kids’ crafts and food and bar vendors add to the cheer.
A tree-lighting ceremony is on tap for Dec. 6 and Hospitality Nights will be held on Washington Street Mall Dec. 12 to 13. Merchants will open their doors and offer shoppers refreshments while they browse.
In addition, through the end of December, Congress Hall will hold a Winter Wonderland celebration which includes rides on the Congress Hall Express and Carousel, arts and crafts for kids and a Vendor Village featuring 18 specialty artisans.
