ALL WEEKEND LONG…
December 6-9: Grab a seat at the Barrette Center for the Arts in WRJ for a precocious performance of Matilda the Musical, presented by Northern Stage.
December 6-9: Shop all things local at the 46th Annual Christmas Show & Sale at the Upper Valley Plaza in Lebanon.
December 7-8: It’s a jubilee of live music, great eats, sleigh rides, Santa’s workshop, and more at the 2018 Vermont Holiday Festival at Killington.
December 7-9: The grand event we’ve all been waiting for, Wassail Weekend, is finally here! Get ready for non-stop magic, featuring:
- The Wassail Weekend Parade
- Wassail Weekend at Billings Farm featuring Christmas décor and activities
- A Wassail Open House at the Woodstock History Center
- The film, The Holiday playing at Pentangle Arts’ Town Hall Theatre
- The Annual Holiday House Tour presented by Pentangle Arts
- A silent auction, food and artisan market, and museum tour at the Woodstock History Center
- Còig – Celtic Holiday Concert at Pentangle Arts
- Book signing at Yankee Bookshop for the children's story, Huck's Way Home, by Kristina Rodanas
- The film, Home Alone playing at Pentangle Arts’ Town Hall Theatre
- The annual Community Messiah Sing
- The film, Love, Actually playing at Pentangle Arts’ Town Hall Theatre
- And more! Click here for the full schedule, including breakfast with Santa, holiday markets, storytelling, craft-making, and musical performances
December 8-9: All aboard! Head to Hartford for Polar Express Train Rides that’ll get you chugging through the holiday season.
December 8-9: Your furry friends want to join in on the fun, too! Celebrate together at the Annual Pet Holiday Photo Shoot and Fundraiser hosted by West Lebanon Feed & Supply.
December 8-9: Decorate the DIY way with hands-on workshops at the Gardeners’ Supply in Lebanon.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6…
9:30 AM: Make it a morning of music with a jam session at ArtisTree's Hayloft. This casual event is free and open to all, so go ahead and bring a friend or two!
4 – 7 PM: It's a Members Open House at Billings Farm & Museum! At this fabulous holiday event, pass-holders get exclusive access to live music, a barn construction tour, artisan meet-and-greet, dairy tastings, DIY hot chocolate, and more!
6 – 7 PM: BYOBG – bring your own board game, that is – for a night of fun at the Woodstock Elementary School’s PTO Family Game Night!
6 – 8 PM: Want to learn more about Cannabis sativa as an herbal medicine? Clover Gift Shop is offering the workshop, Cannabis 101: Herbal Therapeutics & Medicine Making – an exploration of herbal actions and applications of the cannabis plant, including pharmacology, herbal energetics, historical uses, modern applications, dosing, and safety considerations. You’ll even make your own hemp-infused topical to take home! Registration required.
6 – 9 PM: Join LGBTQ peers and allies for a night OUT in the Valley! Happening at the Skinny Pancake in Hanover.
7:30 PM: For a quiet night, head to the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre for a showing of the holiday classic, Christmas in Connecticut, playing at Pentangle Arts’ Town Hall Theatre.
8 – 11 PM: Or if you’re looking for a laugh, check out the Comedy Club at the Engine Room featuring Tricia Auld for a showcase of local comedic talent!
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7…
Click here for a Wassail Weekend Schedule of activities.
Step out of the cold from 10 AM - 5 PM at the first ever Wassail Weekend Artisan Market at 23 Elm Street!
Or head to the farm from 10 AM - 4 PM for Christmas the old-fashioned way at Billings Farm & Museum.
Then at 4 PM, gather round for Storytelling by Scott Davidson at Norman Williams Public Library.
From 5 - 7 PM, it's a Wassail Open House at the Woodstock History Center, featuring special holiday displays, hot cider, seasonal treats, a silent auction, Celtic music, and more! Admission is free for all!
Or if you're out in WRJ from 5 – 7 PM, you can admire the works of two local photographers during an Artists’ Reception with Northern Stage: Kata Sasvari and Kathy Lowe. Happening in the Roesch Family Lobby in the Barrette Center for the Arts.
5:30 – 8:30 PM: Then, kick your gift game up a notch with the workshop, Do It Yourself: Holiday Gifts - Chocolate Truffle Assortment, hosted by Co-op Food Stores in Lebanon, NH!
6 PM: Hear local storyteller Michael Caduto recount the magical holiday tale, The Gift of Christmas Cookies, in a family-friendly staged reading at ArtisTree that’s free and open to all.
6 – 9 PM: Celebrate light and hope with Congregation Shir Shalom during their Chanukah Celebration featuring Shabbat candle lightings, storytelling, songs, dreidel games, and a potluck dinner where all are welcome.
6 – 9 PM: Travel the ages through holiday melodies – from carols to Celtic instrumentals – at Hat Full of Rain Holiday Songfest at Bentley’s Restaurant, featuring fiddle, mandolin, and guitar.
7 – 9 PM: Celebrate the season with an evening of music, theatre, dance, and film for a good cause! Attend the FaLaLa Holiday Revue 2018 at the Briggs Opera House in WRJ for performances by Raq-On Dance Studio, Upper Valley Music Center, Valley Improv, White River Ballet Academy, and three short films by Vermont filmmakers – L’Abduction, Ingredients, and Vermont Is. Tickets available online and at the door. Benefits Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity.
At 7:30 PM, get festive with a showing of the film, The Holiday, playing at Pentangle Arts.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8…
Click here for a Wassail Weekend Schedule of activities - including the Saturday parade!
From 8 - 11 AM, enjoy a hot breakfast with Santa at the Little Theater / $8 Adult, $4 children 12 and under. Allergen-friendly options available!
9 – 11 AM: Meet old Kris Kringle at Damon Hall during the event, Ho Ho Hartland!
Or pick from two holiday markets:
- 9 AM – 1 PM: Holiday Market - Norwich Farmers Market at Tracy Hall
- 9 AM – 3 PM: Artisan Fair in support of 19 Days of Norwich and Beyond at the Marion W. Cross School
From 9:30 AM - 2 PM, see how locals have decked their halls during the 17th Annual Holiday House Tour! Tickets available through Pentangle Arts (802) 457-3981 / $45.
Then, beginning at 10 AM, Wassail Weekend adventures abound:
- 10 AM - 12 PM: Historic St. James Church open for tours and music
- 10 AM – 3 PM: Open House at Farmhouse Pottery
- 10 AM - 4 PM: Christmas at Billings Farm & Museum / $4-$16
- 10 AM - 4 PM: Craft Fair at the Masonic Lodge
- 10 AM - 5 PM: Woodstock Wassail Weekend Artisan Market at 23 Elm Street
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Break a sweat before brunch at the Hartland Wellness Center! Join in on their Boot Camp & Brunch event for a workout and a delicious meal on the house.
To keep on Wassailing, walk through Woodstock's beautifully bedecked town to access two wonderful activities:
- 11 AM - 3 PM: Wassail Cafe on the Green, serving mac & cheese, chili, Wassail and more
- 11 AM - 4 PM: Silent Auction and Wassail at the Woodstock History Center (suggested donation), including a food court with hearty soups, corn bread and more; artisans with their crafts, and a silent auction that ends at 2 PM.
11 AM – 3 PM: Or if you're out of town, head to the 4th Annual Chowder Fest & Silent Auction for food and fun! Get your fill of corn and clam chowder, fresh rolls, and homemade sugar cookies while you bid on fabulous local wares and services at the White River Junction United Methodist Church.
11 AM – 4 PM: Create whimsical balancing toys and examine your own body’s incredible balancing act at Circus Science, coming to the Montshire Museum.
Then, we're half-way through the day and the Wassail Weekend fun won't quit! Continue the festivities with these immersive activities right in the cozy confines of Woodstock's library:
- 12 PM & 1 PM: Reading of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Ham Gillett at the Norman Williams Public Library
- 1 PM: Craft-making activity for children and adults at the Norman Williams Public Library
1 – 3 PM: Visualize it now: you’ll have a paintbrush in one hand and a drink in another at the Killington Base Camp Outfitter’s Paint and Sip event, where you’ll be instructed to craft your own moonlit winter scene.
It's the Wassail Weekend featured event at 2 PM: THE 34TH ANNUAL WASSAIL PARADE, coordinated by High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program and the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce! Best viewed on the village green. Then, keep the holiday spirit flowing with:
- 3 PM: Yule Log and Memory Tree Lighting Carole Sing / Free
- 3 PM: The Ten-A capella group at the Historic Congregational Church / Limited Seating, Free / Donation welcome
- 3 PM: A capella Concert at the Norman Williams Public Library
- 4 PM: Preschool Crafts in the Abbott Room at the Norman Williams Public Library
- 4 PM: Lighting of the Luminaries by the Woodstock Rotary Club
4 – 6 PM: Step inside between the Wassail Weekend action at a Holiday Wine & Cheese Reception at Collective: The Art of Craft! Here, you’ll enjoy wine and light hors d'oeuvres while you browse a varied selection of locally handcrafted items.
4 – 8 PM: Or if you find yourself in Killington, check out Ted Arbo's 32nd Annual Holiday Toy Party at The Foundry at Summit Pond, complete with a raffle and auction! And don’t forget to bring a wrapped present for a child in need.
Back in Woodstock, the fun continues with:
- 5:30 PM: Woodstock Inn Wassail Celebration Feast
- 7:30 PM: Eugene Friesen cello concert at North Chapel Universalist Society/ $15
- 8 PM: CÒIG: A Celtic Holiday Concert at Pentangle Arts
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9…
Click here for a Wassail Weekend Schedule of activities.
Finish up Wassail Weekend in a blaze of local culture and fun:
- 10 AM - 2 PM: Craft Fair at the Masonic Lodge
- 10 AM - 4 PM: Woodstock Wassail Weekend Artisan Market at 23 Elm Street
- 10 AM - 4 PM: Christmas at Billings Farm / $4-$16
- 11 AM – 12 PM: Book signing at Yankee Bookshop for the Billings Farm-inspired children's story, Huck's Way Home, by Kristina Rodanas
- 3 PM: The film, Home Alone, playing at Pentangle Arts
- 4 PM: Pentangle Arts' 35th Annual Messiah Sing at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church / Suggested donation $10
- 7:30 PM: The film, Love, Actually, playing at Pentangle Arts
Or if you find yourself out of town:
- 1:30 PM: Only a few tickets remain for Clara’s Dream: A Nutcracker Story, performed by City Center Ballet at the Lebanon Opera House! Reserve your seats now for a performance that’s as sweet as a sugar plum. UPDATE: SOLD OUT
- 2 – 4 PM: Celebrate this holiday season at the Windsor Mansion Inn’s open house, brimming with light refreshments, tours, storytelling, and even a special gift.
