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

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — There is no shortage of things to do in the Ridgewood area 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.

Tree lightings in Ridgewood are:

• Downtown For The Holidays — 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 2; at Bareburgers on 15 East Ridgewood Avenue
• Ben & Jerry's Tree Lighting — 5 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 9; at Ben & Jerry's Ridgewood on 104-106 Franklin Avenue

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 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 Ridgewood area may not be able to match those in size, but the heart behind them is just as big. A parade to catch in the area is:

• Holiday Parade — 4 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 4; at Fire Company 1 on 100 Miller Road in Mahwah

Holiday lighting displays are another holiday favorite. Some to catch in the Ridgewood area:

• Let It Glow, A Holiday Lantern Spectacular — now until Jan. 15, Thursdays and Sundays (4 to 8 p.m.) and Fridays and Saturdays (4 to 9 p.m.), and every day Dec. 26 through Jan. 1; at the Bergen County Zoo on 216 Forest Avenue in Paramus
• Orchard of Lights — now until Dec. 30, hours vary; at Demarest Farms on 244 Wierimus Road in Hillsdale