Ten Holiday Classics on the South Coast

by Elizabeth Morse Read

You may never get a chance to watch the iconic Rockettes perform in New York City, or listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing in Salt Lake City, but you can certainly fulfill some of your holiday wishes right here on the South Coast! Share the magic of the season with your family, friend, and neighbors this year – here are our top 10 holiday experiences you can choose from!

1 Give a very special thanks!

What better way for your family to enjoy and learn about Thanksgiving than to celebrate it in Plymouth, where it all began? Enjoy an authentic New England Harvest Feast at Plimoth & Patuxet Museum (formerly Plimoth Plantation). Make a reservation for a savory journey to the past, with authentic 17th-century recipes, accompanied by centuries-old psalms and songs – and the ticket price includes two-day museum admission (plimoth.org).

2 Let there be light!

Banish the darkness of winter by attending some of the South Coast’s favorite holiday celebrations! You can check out WaterFire in Providence for free on either November 6 or December 4 (waterfire.org). Or you can celebrate the reopening of the Edaville Railroad in Carver at the Christmas Festival of Lights – take your children on a heated train ride illuminated by 17 million lights throughout the park, Thursday-Sundays, November 13 to January 1 (edaville.com). Or else bundle up and enjoy larger-thanlife dazzling displays illuminated by 1.5 million lights as you stroll through the Holiday Lights Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence on select dates between November 26 to January 2 (rwpzoo.org/holidaylights).

3 Historic Homes for the Holidays!

Experience the splendor and opulence of Christmases past by visiting the Newport mansions (newportmansions.org) or the many other elegantly-decorated historic homes on the South Coast! Enjoy a free guided tour on December 9 inside the Rotch-Jones-Duff Mansion in New Bedford, as well as a lecture about holiday traditions of 19th-century New England (ahanewbedford.org). Or else visit the winter wonderland at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org), the Victorian-era Fall River Historical Society Museum (lizzieborden.org), or candle-lit tours through beautifully decorated whalingera homes in New Bedford on December 11 (nbpreservationsociety.org).

4 Listen to heavenly voices!

Don’t miss the Vienna Boys Choir in either Plymouth and Providence this year! Listen to the angelic voices of the world’s foremost children’s choral group, performing “Christmas in Vienna,” a collection of Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces and holiday favorites at Plymouth Memorial Hall on December 3, and at McVinney Auditorium in Providence on December 5 (viennaboyschoir.org). Or listen to a truly inspiring performance of the ultimate Christmas classic, Handel’s “Messiah,” performed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and the Providence Singers on December 12 at the VETS – and don’t forget to stand and join in when the Hallelujah Chorus is sung!) (riphil.org). Or you can experience Christmas music and pageantry from the past, when St. George’s School in Middletown presents its free candlelight concert of hand bell choir, lessons, and carols on December 10, and the 110th Medieval Christmas Pageant on December 14 (stgeorges.edu/ christmas).

5 It takes a (holiday) village!

Harken back to a time when church halls and town squares were the center of social life – group sings, ice cream socials, bake sales, music recitals, and holiday craft fairs! Relive the excitement and all-handson-deck holiday preparations of yesteryear! Spread out the holiday celebrations through November and December during the 35th Bristol Christmas Festival, complete with a European-style Christmas market, storytelling, tree-lighting, shopping, and loads of family-centered activities (christmasbristolri.com or facebook.

6 Holiday pops!

Spend an hour with your children at the annual holiday musical extravaganza at the Zeiterion in New Bedford on December 11. The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, along with the Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestra and Showstoppers, will perform all the holiday favorites at the children’s matinee and evening performance in the beautifully decorated theatre – with plenty of surprises for the children at the matinee performance (nbsymphony.org).

7 Fairy tale dancers!

Let the children experience a magical performance of “The Nutcracker!” They’ll be delighted to see brightly costumed toy soldiers and sugar-plums dancing across the stage, along with dozens of child performers, in this dream-like recreation of an old holiday tale. Festival Ballet Providence will perform this Christmas classic December 17-24 at the VETS in Providence, with all new set designs, costumes, and choreography (festivalballetprovidence.org).

8 It’s a wonderful life!

Don’t miss “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” a unique adaptation of the wildly popular holiday movie, performed as a 1940s radio broadcast December 3-12 at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, performed by the Americana Theatre (americanatheatre.org)!

9 A children’s opera!

If you get teary-eyed whenever you hear “The Little Drummer Boy” being sung by a child, or if you love hearing stories about the Three Wise Men, then you must see “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” a one-act children’s opera, originally written for television, December 2-12 at The Little Theatre’s Firebarn in Fall River (littletheatre.net).

10 Merry Christmas, everyone!

Make your family a promise to finally gather together to watch “A Christmas Carol” performed by Trinity Rep in Providence this year! And, as a sign of the times, what could possibly be better than introducing your children to a live performance of Dickens’ beloved Christmas story on stage November 4 to January 2? Having the option to livestream a performance from December 6 to January 6 (trinityrep.com)!