Christmas, Hanukkah Events In Melrose: Parades, Tree Lightings, More

MELROSE, MA — There is no shortage of things to do in Melrose to get the winter holiday season off to a rollicking good start.

Christmas and Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, intersect this year, with Hanukkah running Dec. 18-26. Christmas, of course, is on Dec. 25, but you don’t have to wait to start taking in all the sights and sounds of the holidays.

Melrose will kick off upcoming festivities with a large slate of programming at its Home for the Holidays event on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and Dec. 3.

Back for another year, Home for the Holidays will include a tree lighting and a visit from Santa on Friday night. Saturday will see a jam packed schedule of events serviced by a series of trolleys running in loop routes around town.

Christmas parades — often complete with Santa Claus, festively decorated floats and marching bands — are a holiday tradition, both nationally and locally.

Several big parades are taking place at the national level this year, including the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade in Baltimore City, Maryland; the Target Holidazzle Parade in Minneapolis; and the Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, California.

Parades in the Melrose area may not be able to match those in size, but the heart behind them is just as big. Additional parades, lightings and other holiday events to catch here at home include:

• Malden Menorah Lighting
• Burlington Tree Lighting
• Stoneham Holiday Tree Lighting
• Wakefield Santa Tour
• Reading Menorah Lighting
• Woburn Menorah Lighting

Larger holiday lighting displays are another holiday favorite. Some to catch in Massachusetts are:

• Zoo Lights at the Stone Zoo (Stoneham)
• Boston Common Lights (Boston)

Do you have a suggestion for an event that you feel should be added to this list? Email [email protected]