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Christmas in Portsmouth Where to find the holiday spirit (and great local shops) BY BARBARA RADCLIFFE ROGERS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY STILLMAN ROGERS
W
hy go to Portsmouth in December? The historic houses are all closed, the flowers aren’t painting Prescott Park in rainbow colors, cruise boats no longer tour the harbor or travel to the Isles of Shoals. So why go? Because nobody “does” Christmas like Portsmouth. Even with Covid-related limitations, Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth is
still a colorful, jovial time filled with holiday spirit, and we want to be a part of it. Strawbery Banke is always at the heart of a Portsmouth’s Christmas festivities. This year’s Candlelight Stroll will not include the interiors of the historic houses as it has in past years. Although we won’t be able to watch Mrs. Shapiro make potato latkes on her woodstove as she prepares for Hanukkah,
Market Street shops are aglow in welcoming festive décor for the holidays.
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nhmagazine.com | December 2021
or see the elaborate Victorian decorations in the Goodwins’ mansion, the stroll through the museum grounds will still be enlivened by costumed roleplayers sharing the pleasures and traditions of Christmases past. During this year’s Candlelight Stroll Under the Stars, the Puddle Dock neighborhood comes to life with lights and greens decorating the exteriors of the historic homes and shops. Hundreds of candle lanterns light the way as guests stroll through the lanes. Doorways are decorated with wreaths and swags of fresh greens and dried flowers preserved from the summer gardens. Costumed performers greet visitors with music and stories, and Ice Dance International’s vintage skaters perform during the evening at Puddle Dock Pond. (At other times in the winter, the pond is a venue for pond hockey, and is open for public skating.) The Candlelight Stroll Under the Stars is held on Saturday and Sunday evenings from December 4 through December 18. A few blocks away, Market Square and Market Street are aglow too. Windows of specialty shops, boutiques and galleries present such a panorama of eye candy that even the most dedicated non-shopper is lured inside at least one. Nearly every doorway in the two blocks of historic mercantile buildings leads into a fresh selection of fine handcrafts, works of art, creative toys, smart household utensils or stylish wearables. Tulips American Handcrafts sells mostly works made in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, with a preference for things out of the ordinary. You’ll find colorful painted birdhouses by Maggie Nuhic, and Betty Wish’s whimsical “Lobster Art” along with unique jewelry pieces and works in all mediums. Attrezzi Fine Kitchen Accessories and Wine Room makes our mouths water every time we step in. Look here for cocktail mixers, barrel-aged white balsamic, whipped chocolate honey, cheese knives, truffle-flavored olives, chocolate covered figs, crêpe skimmers, glögg mulling spices, Icelandic extra-bitter
