Holiday events throughout the region Tree sales & lightings, visit with Santa, concerts, crafts & more

By Stacia Spaulding
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The holiday season has arrived. Are you in need of a Christmas tree or some hand-crafted gifts? Do the kids want to meet Santa? How about a relaxing evening filled with holiday music? The Telegraph has compiled a list of holiday events in the region. Our Calendar of Events contains additional information about several listings.

Do you have a Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or other winter celebratory event that you would like to publicize? Email your events — as editable text only  — to Events Editor Stacia at calendar@chestertelegraph.org. Include a festive image as a jpeg or pdf. 

We’ll update these events as they come in, so be sure to check back!

Tuesday, Nov. 28

• Art from Nature Workshop for Adults, 2 p.m. Wilder Memorial Library, 24 Lawrence Hill Road, Weston. Join art teacher Casey Junker Paine and create seasonal ornaments from natural materials. Click here for more information.
• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until all sold out. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.

Friday, Dec. 1

• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until all sold out. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.
• Springfield Garden Club’s Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the Springfield Plaza at the former Young’s Propane location between Family Dollar and Great Northern Liquidation. For sale will be handmade holiday arrangements, wreaths and other decorations. For more information, click here.
• Springfield’s Annual Downtown Holiday Program, 4 to 8 p.m. Beginning at Uplift Acrobatics, 39 Main St., with goodie bags for children; 5 p.m. Avant Vermont Dance performance at Woodbury Courtyard; 5:30 to 6 p.m. Springfield Community Band will perform; 6 p.m. at Springfield Co-op lot, Santa will make his grand entrance for the community tree lighting. For more information, click here.
• Londonderry Tractor Parade, Tree Lighting and Visit from Santa, 5:30 p.m. Mountain Marketplace, 5700 VT-100, Londonderry. Click here for more information.

Saturday, Dec. 2

• Christmas Bazaar, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Second Congregational Church, 2051 VT-11, Londonderry.
• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until sold out. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.
• St. Luke’s Christmas Market: Culinary Classics & Crafts to Go! 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Willard Hall at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main St. (Route 11 W), Chester. Click here for more information.
• Springfield Garden Club’s Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the Springfield Plaza at the former Young’s Propane location between Family Dollar and Great Northern Liquidation. For sale will be handmade holiday arrangements, wreaths and other decorations. For more information, click here.
• Christmas Tree Sale, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grafton Fire Department, 711 VT-121, Grafton. Proceeds benefit its Scholarship Fund.
• Holiday Open House, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gallery at the VAULT, 92 Main St., Springfield.
• Festival of Trees Lighting Ceremony, 5 p.m. Front porch of the Fullerton Inn, 40 The Common, On the Green in Chester.
• A Seraphic Fire Christmas concert, 7 p.m. Brick Meeting House, 2 Main St., Grafton. Admission fee. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

Sunday, Dec. 3

• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until sold out. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.

Friday, Dec. 8

• Nordic Harmoni, 7 p.m. Second Congregational Church, 2051 VT- 11, Londonderry. Performing traditional Swedish and American songs for the holiday season, Lucia Pageant and refreshments.

Saturday, Dec. 9

• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until sold out. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.
• Christmas Tree Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Next to the Grafton Inn, 92 Main St., Grafton. Proceeds benefit the Grafton Fire/Rescue Scholarship Fund. This is part of the all-day Christmas in Grafton celebration that takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the town. Other events include a Dog Parade, Santa’s Arrival at 11:30 a.m., Craft Fair & Homemade Treats, Live music with Spencer Lewis, Wagon Rides, Gingerbread House Extravaganza, Cookie Decorating & Children’s Crafts, Community Fire w/S’mores, Holiday Shopping, Sugar House Tours and THE BIG RAFFLE. Click here for more information.
• Holiday Fine Art and Craft Fair and Bake Sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. First Universalist Parish of Chester, 211 North St., Chester. Winners of the Chester Community Gardens’ Basket Raffle will be announced at 3:30 p.m. Click here for more information.
• Gift-Making Workshop for Children, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Wilder Memorial Library, 24 Lawrence Hill Road, Weston. Art teacher Casey Junker Paine will assist children in making a collection of special gifts for family and friends. The program is free of charge and is appropriate for children of all ages. All materials are provided. Click here for more information.
• Chester-Andover Senior Christmas Dinner, noon. Green Mountain Union High School, 716 VT-103, Chester. Reservations for dining in and takeout are recommended; call Pat Budnick at 802-376-6643 or Chester Town Hall at 802-875-2173. For more information, click here.
• Musical Open House with Spencer Lewis,  1 to 4 p.m. Grafton Brick Meeting House, 2 Main St., Grafton. Lewis will be playing solo guitar and violin and reprising songs from his Calling in the Winter album, which includes traditional Christmas songs and originals like Weaving World Peace.
• Holiday Sip ‘n Shop, 4 to 7 p.m. Smokeshire Design, 3630 VT-103 North, Chester. Complimentary beverages, gourmet bites and treats from Smokin’ Bowls and The Boujee Bean. Featuring the works of local jeweler Miranda Kae, potter Heidi Louise and fiber artist Jordana Jacobs. Chester’s Amy Mosher will have a special gallery showing and Bob Sydorowich will demonstrate his work with watercolors.
• Tree Lighting and Visit from Santa Claus, 4:20 p.m. The Chester Fire Department will escort Santa from Chester-Andover Elementary School to the Green to light the town Christmas tree at 4:30 p.m. Town Christmas Tree and community lights on the Green are illuminated. Santa will take a comfy seat by the fire in the Fullerton lobby to meet children. Free hot chocolate and Christmas cookies will be provided.
• The Fullerton Inn’s Family Friendly Holiday Buffet, 6 – 8 p.m. Reservations are recommended; 40 The Common, On the Green in Chester. $45 for adults; $20 under 12; 5 and under eat free. For reservations click here.
• Springfield Community Chorus concert, 7 p.m. Chester Baptist Church, 162 Main St.
• The Dance Factory’s ‘The Nutcracker,’ 7 p.m. Tickets are $14 for adults and $9 for children. Springfield High School, 303 South St., in Springfield. Click here for more information.

Sunday, Dec. 10

• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.
• The Dance Factory’s ‘The Nutcracker,’ 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 for adults and $9 for children. Springfield High School, 303 South St., in Springfield. Click here for more information.

Saturday, Dec. 16

• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.
• Santa Claus returns to Springfield from 10 a.m. to noon. You can visit him in his special house in the Springfield Co-op Lot, 6 Main St.
• Gift-Making Workshop for Children, 10:30 a.m. to noon. South Londonderry Free Library, 15 Old School Road, South Londonderry. Art teacher Casey Junker Paine will assist children in making a collection of special gifts for family and friends. The program is free of charge and is appropriate for children of all ages. All materials are provided. Click here for more information.
• Meatball Saturday Open House, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Erskine’s Grain & Garden, 54 Grain Store Road, Chester Depot. Wagon rides until 2 p.m., meatballs and snacks served until 3 p.m. Donations for wagon rides benefit Chester-Andover Family Center. Click here for more information.
• Santa Claus returns to Chester from 5 to 7 p.m. You can meet him at the Chester Information Booth, located in front of the Academy Building across from the Green on Main Street in Chester.
• The VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint Concert, 5 to 7 p.m. Grafton Community Church, 55 Main St., Grafton. Call 802-843-2447 to reserve a free ticket to this concert, which features a perfect blend of brass and voices with seasonal fun. The program includes two world premieres: The Christmas Truce for chorus by Saxtons River-based composer Carol Wood, inspired by the WWI Christmas ceasefires, and a brass composition by Leela McCann, a student in the U-32 School District and Music Composition Mentoring Program. The concert is rounded out by enchanting traditional carols, with timeless arrangements by Robert De Cormier.

Sunday, Dec. 17

• Christmas Tree Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until trees are sold out. Route 103 across from Marshall Road in Chester. Vermont balsam trees $45. To benefit the Chester Fire Department.
• A Dickens’ Christmas Carol Open House Studio, 3 to 5:30 p.m. Former Crow’s Corner Bakery, 73 Depot St., Proctorsville. There will be a variety of workshops, including wreath and ornament making, as well as hot chocolate tasting. Free and open to the public. Hosted by the Cavendish Historical Society and made possible by a grant from the Cavendish Community Fund and the support of the new owners of Crow’s. For more information, call 802-226-7807.

Friday, Dec. 22

• Holiday Concert, 5 to 6:15 p.m. Performances by Ida Mae Specker, Marc Edwards, Emily Burkland and Faith Wood. Peru Church, Main Street. All ages welcome; free admission.

Sunday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve

• Christmas Eve Service of Lessons, Carols and Candelight, 5:30 p.m. Second Congregational Church, 2051 VT Route 11, Londonderry. Watch live via the church’s website or YouTube.