Things to Do around Westwood This Weekend - December 17 - 19, 2021

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Below is a selection of easy to access, local events around Westwood to help you plan for your weekend while getting into the holiday spirit.

Friday, December 17th

Christmas by Candlelight, Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge. 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m.
Experience traditions of Christmas from days gone by. Activities include riding in a horse-drawn carryall, a tree-lighting ceremony, model train display, a 500 piece nativity scene, and demonstrations of classic Christmas projects such as baking, punching tin lanterns, and knitting Christmas stockings. Food and drink are available for purchase throughout the village. Tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for children from 4 to 17 years of age. Children under 4 are free. Advanced registration is required.

Saturday, December 18th

Winter Wonderland, Village Shoppes, 95 Washington Street, Canton. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Activities take place next to Sombrero’s Mexican Restaurant and include ice sculpture demonstrations, a meet and greet with an Ice Princess and Ice Queen, watercolor cookie painting, winter crafts, a photo opp and frees snow globe to the first 300 groups. Bring a pair of gently used or new mittens for the mitten tree. The mittens will be distributed to neighbors in need.

Drop-off Gift Making Event, The Painting Place for Fun, 380 Washington Street, Wellesley. Timeslots begin from 1o:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Choose a 1.5 or 3 hour timeslot for your child to create last minute holiday gifts or just to make something fun. With guides to help them, kids will choose from a selection of projects that includes painting pottery (mugs, bowls, plates and ornaments), plaster, mosaic, and canvas. The cost is $50 for the 1.5 hour session and $80 for the 3 hour session. Kids will be socially distanced and masked and frequent cleaning is planned. Register here.

Sunday, December 19

Westwood Ringers Live Christmas Concert, First Baptist Church, 808 High Street, Westwood. 4:00 p.m. The Westwood Ringers return to performing live after last year’s virtual concert. Instruments include five complete octaves of bells and five octaves of hand chimes. The free event is family-friendly. Masks are required inside and social distancing is encouraged. Here's a sampling of the music from an earlier performance:

Spirit of the Season: A Global Celebration of Baroque and Early Music, Online event. 7:00 p.m. EST. Watch the San Francisco Girls Chorus perform its annual holiday concert online, with Edwin Huizinga on violin. Selections will include early music choral works. Tickets for this performance on YouTube are free, but a donation of $25 per household is requested.  Register here.

Take a listen to the SFGC:

And here's Mr. Huizinga (with guitarist William Coulter):

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Through the Weekend

Sudbury Art Association Holiday Market, 437 Boston Post Road, Sudbury. Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visiting artist Bethany Shaw demonstrates her work in print/mixed media. Artists will display their works and offer and wares for sale. There will be woodworking, pottery, weaving, soap, sculpture, jewelry, sewing, fiber arts, silver and metal works, wax works, felting, watercolor, pastels, acrylics, oils, mix media and photography.

Enchanted Village, Jordan’s Furniture, 100 Stockwell Drive, Avon. Hours are Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Attractions include a free animated village to walk through, and tickets can be purchased for an innertube ride, indoor synthetic ice skating, reindeer games, a 4D theater experience of Polar Express, and Laser Imagination Theater which pairs music with special effects.

Image (cropped) by XTRAICE Synthetic Ice Rinks from Flickr.

Harvard Square Holiday Fair, 33 Dunster Street, Cambridge. Hours are Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This free admission, juried festival includes artists from the region and the world and describes itself as a high-energy, alternative marketplace with a party atmosphere.

Winter Skate at Patriot Place, 2 Patriot Place, Foxborough. Friday hours are 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Saturday hours are 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday hours are 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. This refrigerated outdoor rink is designed for recreational skating, non-contact hockey and figure skating. Shopping and dining are just steps away. Admission is $10 for adults, and $6 for children aged 12 and under and seniors. Skates can be rented for $5. Tickets can be reserved online here.

Festival of Trees, The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St., Wellesley. Hours are Friday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sip a cup of hot chocolate (included with ticket) while you explore the outdoor garden lights and Weezie’s Garden for Children. There is also Snow Village, a large display of model trains making their way through Boston, the North Pole, a Dickensian village and other locations. Advanced ticketing is required for a timed entry. Tickets are $18 for Mass Horticultural Society members and $23 for nonmembers, and $5 for youths aged 3 to 17.

ZooLights, Stone Zoo, 149 Pond Street, Stoneham. Sunday through Saturday, 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The annual winter wonderland of lights returns this year, with thousands of lights. View bald eagles, porcupine, lynx, a grey fox and reindeer at the zoo’s Yukon Creek, and kids can visit Santa in Santa’s Castle. Tickets are timed for admission every half hour. The cost is $12.95 per member or $25 for a member 4-pack and $13.95 per nonmember or $50 for a nonmember 4-pack.

Festival of Illumination Drive Thru, Southwick Zoo, 2 Southwick Street, Mendon. Hours are Friday & Saturday 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Over one million lights plus lanterns are on display for you to view as you drive through zoo grounds in your car. See the Grinch in Whooville, and end your visit with a tram ride to Santa’s Village where you will find hot toddies, smores, firepits, and live entertainment. For more information and to get tickets, click here.

The Nutcracker, The Norwood Theatre, 109 Central Street, Norwood. Showtimes are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Watching this ballet is a family-friendly, holiday tradition and seats are still available, although limited, especially on Sunday. Tickets are $33-$35 for adults and $30-$33 for seniors and children. Masks and proof of vaccination or a negative test are required. More information is available here.

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