Local pick:L.L.Bean continental waist pack | $54.95 | This bag has enough space for all of the essentials, and it comes from a brand that knows how to endure New England weather.
A Colorful Christmas at Castle Hill | Saturday, Dec. 7 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Castle Hill on the Crane Estate | $15 | Each room in the 1920s mansion has been decorated in a different color scheme — stroll through while enjoying cookies, hot chocolate, and shopping.
“Cirque Dreams Holidaze” | Saturday, Dec. 7-Sunday, Dec. 8 | Times vary | Boch Center | $45+ | Dazzling lights, swelling music, and fantastical circus arts will leave you with sugarplums dancing in your head.
Winter Market | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Junior League of Boston | $10 | Shop for a cause — this holiday market featuring 17 local vendors benefits the Junior League of Boston.
Holiday Vintage Pop-Up Market | Saturday, Dec. 7-Sunday, Dec. 8 | 11 a.m. | Time Out Market Boston | Price of purchase | Explore 20+ vendors to unearth gems that would make perfect holiday gifts.
Holiday Sip & Shop at View Boston | 12-5 p.m. | View Boston | $10 | Boston Women’s Market will showcase products from 20 local, women-owned businesses at this holiday market with a gorgeous view.
Monday, Dec. 9
Crowdsourced Boston “Home Alone” World Premiere | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline | Free | Crowdsourced Boston Cinema — a group of local makers — screen their remake of the classic holiday flick.
Wednesday, Dec. 11
2024 Annual #ShopAAPI Holiday Market | 5-7:30 p.m. | The Boston Foundation | Price of purchase | Shop gifts, handcrafted art, and pop-up food while supporting local AAPI businesses.
Thursday, Dec. 12
BIRTH-TAY: Taylor Swift Dance Night| 9 p.m. | La Fabrica Central, Cambridge | $15+ | Ring in Taylor’s 35th birthday, and spend the night dancing to her hits.
Winter magic has arrived in The Fenway, an energetic Boston neighborhood. | Photos provided by The Fenway
Shake up the season with new and returning festive favorites in The Fenway. Magical holiday happenings include:
The Fenway Tree Farm | This is your one-stop shop for everything holiday greenery, including trees, wreaths, and garlands. Pro tip: Delivery is available via DoorDash.
The Fenway Chalet | The Fenway teamed up with Cisco Brewers to bring an outdoor beer garden to The Station, with proceeds benefiting Fenway Cares. Enjoy award-winning brews, wine, spirits, food trucks, live music, and more.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded $9.8 million to the City of Boston to build an equitable, climate-ready workforce. The funding will create training programs aimed at developing 1,200 green jobs in coastal + climate resilience occupations over four years, with a focus on municipal and public sectors.
Open
The Boston Common Frog Pond’s outdoor ice rink is now open for its 2024-2025 skating season. Admission costs $10 for skaters over 58 inches tall, and skate rentals start at $10. The seasonal attraction is open daily — check out the schedule and make your plans to glide in.
Coming Soon
New England’s popular Italian restaurant chain Bertucci’s is launching a spinoff — Bertucci’s Pronto — in downtown Boston in spring 2025. The 34-seat restaurant will be located in Boston’s Government Center and will offer brick oven pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and rolls for a quick dine-in bite or takeout. (Restaurant Business)
Concert
Road trip, anyone? Kendrick Lamar and SZA will be co-headlining their “Grand National Tour” next year, which includes a show on May 12, 2025 at Gillette Stadium. Tickets are now on sale. (Billboard)
Seasonal
Forget the sleigh, Santa’s coming to town on a festive Duck Boat. We hear that’s how Santa will arrive at Prudential Center’s Holiday Wonderland today, 12-3 p.m. — because, Boston. The free community event will include a hot cocoa bar, live performances, and meet-and-greet opportunities with the Celtics dancers.
Arts
Drop the beat.Boston Dance Studios (BDS) will host its inaugural Winter Popping Competition on Saturday, Dec. 14 — a bracket-style battle of our region’s top poppers. Tickets cost $15 and will support BDS’ $80,000 campaign to fund renovations that’ll allow the business to keep offering accessible dance training.
Fun Fact
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Holiday
Winter magic has arrived in The Fenway, bringing new and returning seasonal favorites to this vibrant neighborhood. Visitors can find perfect pines at Fenway Tree Farm, drink for a cause at The Fenway Chalet (a pop-up beer garden with Cisco Brewers), savor holiday flavors with The Fenway Foodies Club, and more.*
Theater
Experience the magic of Whoville during “How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” at the Boch Center, running Tuesday, Dec. 10-Monday, Dec. 23. Featuring beloved songs like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” this heartwarming show is perfect for all ages. Reserve tickets.*
Wellness
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Finance
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Shop
Looking for a last-minute gift? We found one that’s more than 60% off, can be delivered instantly + will last forever. That’s speaking our language. Shop the sale.*
Tech
Want to turn four-hour tasks into 15-minute wins? Download your free ChatGPT mastery guide for 100 battle-tested prompts you can copy/paste ASAP — no coding required. Plus, the guide explores how to use AI ethically at work.*
Home
How much could you borrow from your home? Get HELOC quotes now — calculate your payment.*
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Theater
Add to cal: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical”
Presented by The Boch Center
The New York Times called this show “100 times better than any bedtime story.” | Photo by Jeremy Daniel
Running Tuesday, Dec. 10 through Monday, Dec. 23 at the Boch Center, this lively musical features popular songs like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas.” Perfect for all ages, it’s a show bursting with holiday cheer and fun.
Ready to see Dr. Seuss’ heart-warming tale come to life?
Who’s counting down to the first snowy morning? | Photo via @drishtiaryaphotography
We know the question that’s on your mind, Bostonians — when is it going to get wicked cold?
Thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, we know what temperatures and precipitation trends to expect in our city for December, January, and February. While exact weather conditions typically can’t be predicted more than a week in advance, here’s a seasonal outlook to help you prepare for winter.
Reminder: The official first day of winter is on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Temperature
Think: warmer than we’re used to. This winter, Boston has a 40-50% chance of temperatures being higher than normal.
Precipitation
Our city is predicted to experience ordinary precipitation amounts for the season.
Drought
We’re keeping close watch on the drought across the state. As of mid-October 2024, Massachusetts — including the Boston area — was in “critical drought” due to precipitation at “an unprecedented low.” You can keep an eye on drought conditions via NOOA, too.
Here’s December’s deal
The average low temperature in December is 29.7° and the average high is 39.9°. December is one of the top three wettest months in our city (we really need that rain this year), and brings the least amount of sunshine, averaging just 4.7 hours per day.
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As expected, there are lots of holiday pop-up bars poppin’ around the Boston area this season. New to the scene is Stratus Winter Oasis, running at View Boston through Jan. 27, 2025.
The cozy bar is pouring six exclusive holiday cocktails including the Winter Warmer (warm mulled wine) and Candy Cane Forest (pistachio liqueur, mint, cherry). General admission costs $25, or you can try the Sip & Sights Experience for $38, which includes a signature cocktail.
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