A magical December

By Elizabeth Morse Read

There’s a lot more to December than just the holidays! Let your children – and the young-at-heart – experience the stories and songs and snowy adventures that only December brings. Celebrate with festive lights that dispel the long dark nights, and the cheery warmth of friends and family sharing time together on a cold winter’s day! And wrap up the year with fireworks and parties! Happy holidays!

Holiday fun for everyone!

Take the family on a guided Seal Watch Boat Ride from December through April with Save the Bay, leaving from Bowen’s Ferry Wharf in Newport (savebay.org/seals)!

Enjoy free family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights in New Bedford! The December 14 theme is “Starry Night” (ahanewbedford.org).

Line up on South Main Street in Fall River on December 2 for the 39th Annual Children’s Holiday Parade (vivafallriver.com)!

It’s time to sharpen the ice skates (or rent them) for indoor skating at Fall River’s Driscoll Arena (508-6793274), New Bedford’s Hetland Arena (508-999-9051), Taunton’s Aleixo Arena (508-824-4987) or Plymouth’s Armstrong Arena (508-746-8825) (fmcicesports.com)!

Learn about early American holiday traditions by taking an hour-long lantern-led walking tour of Newport (newporthistorytours.org)!

Mark your calendars for the weekslong annual Bristol Christmas Festival, with the Grand Illumination on December 2 (christmasbristolri.com)!

Take the kids to the Providence Performing Arts Center to see “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” through December 3 (ppacri.org)!

Mark your calendar for the annual “Old Time Holiday Fair” on December 9 in Fairhaven – food, Town Hall shops, sing-alongs (fairhaventours.com)

Celebrate “Christmas in the Village” on December 9 in Onset (onsetbay. org) or watch the Christmas Parade through downtown Wareham on December 3 (warehamvillage.org)!

Take the kids to “Disney on Ice” December 27-31 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence (formerly the Dunkin Donuts Center) (amicamutualpavilion.com)!

Bring the family to the wreathmaking workshops at Soule Homestead in Middleboro on December 2 (soulehomestead.org)!

Get ready for a fun-filled day iceskating or riding ice bumper cars at The Providence Rink in downtown Providence (theprovidencerink.com)!

Welcome the New Year on December 31 in New Bedford with “City Celebrates New Year’s Eve” – fireworks, ice sculptures, live music, street performers, dancing (ahanewbedford.org)!

Food, drink, and shopping

Plan ahead to immerse yourself in 17th-century crafts and artwork at the Plimoth-Pawtuxet Winter Fine Arts and Crafts Fair in Plymouth on December 2-3 (plimoth.org).

Don’t miss the European-style Christmas Market at the Christmas Wonderland and Festival of Lights at Edaville Railroad in Carver through January 1 (edaville.com)!

Mark your calendar for the Holiday Market at New Bedford’s First Unitarian Church on December 2 (destinationnewbedford.org)!

Taste your way through the historic district with New Bedford Food Tours on a 3-hour guided walking tour to sample local foods at five signature restaurants, a 2-hour “Art and Brunch” tour of the city, or a 3-hour “A Taste of Portugal” tour in Fall River (nbfoodtours.com)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth on December 2-3 for the annual Plymouth Holiday Market (memorialhall.com).

Mark your calendar for the European-Style Christmas Market at the Burnside Building December 9-10 during the Bristol Christmas Festival (christmasbristolri.com)!

Go on a Vineyard Voyage with the Providence Riverboat Company (providenceriverboat.com)

Find that special gift at the free Buy Black NB Pop-Up Holiday Market on December 2 at New Bedford’s Whaling Museum (buyblacknb.com)!

Keep checking the website so you can buy beautiful hand-crafted gifts at the annual “All That Glitters” holiday fair at Loon Lake Lodge in Lakeville in early December – great shopping, cash bar, live music (lakevilleartscouncilma.org).

Shop online for that special gift at “Artists for the Bay” through December 31 (savebay.org/art)!

Eat Fresh, Eat Local! Fill your baskets with local produce, pies and jams, dairy products and holiday decorations! To find a farm, vineyard or indoor farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, farmfreshri.org, or coastalfoodshed.org. To find food and wine events, go to farmcoast. com, coastalwinetrail.com, or ediblesouthshore.com.

All the world’s a stage

Catch a production of “Miracle on South Division Street” at the Marion Art Center Theatre on December 1-3, 8-9, 15-16 (marionartcenter.org).

Start your holiday season with a performance of “A Christmas Carol” at Trinity Rep in Providence through December 31 (trinityrep.com).

Mark your calendars for the special events and entertainment at the Providence Performing Arts Center and The VETS! There’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” through December 3, Lindsay

Stirling December 14, BalletRI “The Nutcracker” December 15-17, 20-24, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” December 19-23, 26-31, Joe Gatto December 29 (ppacri.org)!

Mark your calendars to catch a performance of “Scrooge: The Musical” December 7-17 at The Little Theatre in Fall River (littletheatre.net).

Head for The Alley Theatre in Middleboro for Strictly Sinatra December 2, Christmas Cabaret Drag Show December 9, The Highland Divas December 14, Blue Christmas December 16 (burtwoodschool.com).

Enjoy dinner and a performance of “Miracle on South Division Street” through December 31 at the Newport Playhouse (newportplayhouse.com).

South Coast sounds

Mark your calendar for the 13th annual New Bedford Jazz Fest on December 3 at the new Steeple Playhouse (home of Your Theatre), featuring the Southcoast Jazz Orchestra and the Joel LaRue Smith Trio (newbedfordjazzfest.com)!

Follow The Z On the Road! Don’t miss Amilton Tavares on December 14 at the Kilburn Mill Event Center in New Bedford or Paula Poundstone on December 2 at UMass/Dartmouth (zeiterion.org)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear the Vienna Boys Choir December 1, the Plymouth Holiday Market December 2-3, The Plymouth Phil’s Hometown Holiday Concert December 9-10, The Irish Tenors December 15 (memorialhall.com).

Find out who’s on stage at the District Center for the Art s in Taunton! Don’t miss Chicago Total Access December 2, Ultimate Christmas Variety Show December 10 (thedistrictcenterforarts.com)!

Check out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth! Don’t miss Harvest & Rust December 2, Divas with a Twist December 8, Morgan James December 9, Say Darling December 14, A Celtic Christmas December 15, Lunasa with Dave Curless December 16, Enter the Haggis December 29, Another Tequila Sunrise December 30 (spirecenter.org).

Head for The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River for great music! Don’t miss Rodney Crowell (rescheduled) December 1, Pokey LaFarge December 8, Quinn Sullivan December 30 (narrowscenter.com)!

Classical acts

Buy your tickets now for BalletRI’s (formerly Festival Ballet Providence) performance of “The Nutcracker” at The VETS in Providence December 15-24 (balletri.org)!

Mark your calendars now to hear the New Bedford Symphony’s Chamber Music performance of “Top Brass,” at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion on December 2 and at St. Peter’s Church in South Dartmouth on December 3 (nbsymphony.org/ chamber-series).

Buy your tickets early for the Holiday Pops Concert performed by the Fall River Symphony Orchestra on December 17 at BCC’s Jackson Theatre (fallriversymphonyorchestra. org)!

Mark your calendar for the New Bedford Ballet’s Performance of “A New England Nutcracker” December 9 at the Keith Jr. High School Auditorium (newbedfordballet.org). Buy your tickets early to see “The Newport Nutcracker at Rosecliff” through December 1 performed by the Newport Contemporary Ballet (formerly The Island Moving Company) (newportcontemporaryballet.org)! Mark your calendars now for the award-winning Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra’s performance of Handel’s “Messiah” Open Sing on December 3 at the Church of St. Sebastian in Providence (ricco.org).

Follow The Z On the Road! Don’t miss the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s “Holiday Pops” on December 10 at New Bedford High School’s Bronspiegel Auditorium (zeiterion.org)!

Listen to the Parker Quartet on December 10 at Westport’s Concerts at the Point (concertsatthepoint.org)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear The Plymouth Philharmonic’s “Hometown Holiday” December 9-10 (memorialhall.com).

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Handel’s “Messiah” with The Providence Singers on December 10 at The VETS (riphil.org).

Let there be lights!

Don’t miss the traditional “Lights On Festival” in Taunton – the Lighting of the Green on December 2 (facebook. com/lightingofthegreen)!

The Annual Festival of Lights at LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro is open through January 1 – more than 300,000 lights illuminating ten acres (lasaletteattleboroshrine.org)!

Buy your tickets early for the Christmas Wonderland and Festival of Lights at Edaville Railroad in Carver through December 31! Heated train rides illuminated by 17 million lights throughout the park (edaville. com)!

Bring the whole family to the 59th Annual Tree Lighting at Bowen’s Wharf in Newport on December 2 (bowenswharf.com)!

Buy your tickets online to stroll through the brilliantly illuminated Roger Williams Park Zoo for the Holiday Lights Spectacular through December 31 (rwpzoo.org)!

Heavenly voices

Let your family experience ”Christmas in Sign,” a free blacklight performance of holiday songs sung and signed by participants of The James L. Maher Center on December 9 at the Oceanpoint Christian Church in Middletown (mahercenter.org)!

Listen to “Christmas Joy” sung by the Pilgrim Festival Chorus December 1-3 at St. Bonaventure Parish in Plymouth (pilgrimfestivalchorus.org)!

Don’t miss the Newport Navy Choristers’ Christmas Concerts on December 3 at the First Baptist Church in Fall River and on December 8 at St. Barnabas Church in Portsmouth (newportnavychoristers.org).

Mark your calendar for the Tri-County Symphonic Band’s Children’s Christmas Concert at Tabor Academy in Marion on December 10 (tricountysymphonicband.org)!

Mark your calendar for the Tri-County Symphonic Band’s Children’s Christmas Concert at Tabor Academy in Marion on December 10 (tricountysymphonicband.org)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear the Vienna Boys Choir December 2 (memorialhall.com)!

Mark your December calendars for Christmas Concerts on Sunday afternoons at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford (musicatsaintanthonys.org)!

Head for Salve Regina University in Newport to hear classical and seasonal music with the Newport County Orchestra on December 1, with the Holiday Band Concert at the Casino Theatre on December 3 or the Holiday Choral Concert at Ochre Court on December 8 & 9 (salve.edu/ performances)!

Head for Salve Regina University in Newport to hear classical and seasonal music with the Newport County Orchestra on December 1, with the Holiday Band Concert at the Casino Theatre on December 3 or the Holiday Choral Concert at Ochre Court on December 8 & 9 (salve.edu/ performances)!

Experience the free 113th Annual Medieval Christmas Festival at St. George’s School in Middletown on December 12 (stgeorges.edu/ christmas).

Keep checking the South Coast Community Chorale’s website for the date and venue of their annual holiday concert (sccchorale.com)!

Mark your calendar for the annual Christmas Concert with Newport Classical on December 16 at Emmanuel Newport Church (emmanuelnewport.org).

Don’t miss the ever-popular Sippican Choral Society’s Christmas Concert on December 9 at Tabor Academy in Marion (sippicanchoralsociety.org).

Listen to Handel’s “Messiah” sung at Rosecliff Mansion on December performed by the Ensemble Altera and the Professional Choristers of the Choir School of Newport County (newportclassical.org).

Deck The halls

Visit the beautifully decorated whaling-era and Victorian homes in New Bedford on the annual Historic Holiday Tours December 9-10, led by the New Bedford Preservation Society (nbpreservationsociety.org)!

Be dazzled by the over-the-top splendor of the Gilded Age during “Holidays at the Newport Mansions” through January 1 (newportmansions.org)!

Begin your Sippican Womans Club Holiday Stroll on December 9 at Handy’s Tavern in Marion (sippicanwomansclub.org)!

Bundle up and enjoy the lights and Christmas decorations indoors and out at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org).

Visit the Victorian-era decorated halls of the Fall River Historical Museum (lizzieborden.org).

Take a free tour of “Christmas on County” on December 14 through the holiday-themed decorations of the whaling-era Rotch-Jones-Duff Museum in New Bedford – wear your ugliest holiday sweater or accessory (rjdmuseum.org)!

Enjoy a littel bit of the Irish

Head for the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth for A Celtic Christmas December 15 and Lunasa with Dave Curless December 16 (spirecenter. org).

Keep checking the website for the date of the Annual Christmas Open House in early December at the Museum of Newport Irish History –enjoy eggnog and Celtic caroling while strolling through the exhibits and gift shop (newportirishhistory.org)!

Head for The Alley Theatre in Middleboro to hear The Highland Divas December 14 (burtwoodschool.com).

Listen to The Irish Tenors December 15 at Memorial Hall in Plymouth (memorialhall.com)!