3 New England Towns to Visit Before Christmas

Towns across New England look like scenes from Christmas cards, especially as they’re covered in this year’s early snows. Steets and shops glow with lights, and special holiday events range from Santa visits and parades to skating parties and sleigh rides. It’s also a good time to visit historic homes, many decorated in the holiday style of their period.

Brattleboro, Vermont

This year sees big doings in this small city close to I-91 with the town’s first-ever Festival of Miniatures. During the entire month of December, more than 80 shop windows throughout the downtown area display miniature scenes, doll houses, miniature terrarium gardens and working model trains. A pop-up artisans market fills a Main Street building, and events include puppet shows and tastings of small treats (think mini bagels). A highlight is a restored Victorian dollhouse furnished in miniature works by 100 artisans.

Woodstock, Vermont
Wassail Weekend (Dec. 12–14) is the winter highlight of this mid-state town. Expect three days filled with old-fashioned merriment, carriage rides, a parade, a Messiah Sing and crafts shows for one-of-a kind Christmas gifts. If you’d rather enjoy Woodstock’s Victorian ambiance, art galleries and crafts boutiques without the crowds the weekend brings, the town is at its most beautiful throughout December when streets and shops are decorated for the season. Take a sleigh or wagon ride at Billings Farm or at Kedron Valley Stable in South Woodstock.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire
This small seaport city seems like two different places, with quiet lanes of the restored museum village of Strawbery Banke just a few blocks from the bustling shops of Market Street and Congress Street. Join a Candlelight Stroll to explore the village and visit period houses decked in seasonal greens and dried flowers. Listen to carols, fife and drum groups, and other musicians, and hear stories of the people who once lived here, told by costumed interpreters.

Stop at Cider Shed for a cup of hot cider and watch Vintage Christmas Skaters perform on the pond. Strolls are scheduled for Dec. 12–14 and 19–21; new this year is a Daylight Stroll Dec. 14, 2–4 p.m. Reserve ahead. After a day of shopping and an evening stroll, finish the day with drinks or dinner in an igloo. Rooftop at The Envio transforms the rooftop with snow-dusted décor, soft candlelight and private heated igloos with an après-ski theme.