Making the holiday season more merry

While Boston is basking in 9 hours of sunlight on this shortest day of the year, I'm making do with 4 in Belgium. If you need your Winter spirits raised, like I do, there's nothing better than getting out to do some singing and shopping in the snow.


Roslindale Holiday Wander Thursday 5-8PM

Lots of shops are offering deals and treats as the shops stay open late so you can get your gift-buying done. Some highlights: Moroccan tasting at the Birch Street House & Garden, free churros at El Chavo and refreshments at the Thrift Shop


Beacon Hill Christmas Concert Saturday 7:30PM

Bell ringers start at Louisburg Square and go house to house ringing bells while the audience goes along with them singing. The website describes this as a quiet, gentle event, though with a bunch of bells, I wonder how quiet they can be?



As always, more events on the calendar at Beantown On the Cheap. Until 2012 - Cheers!

Two Christmas Events and a Soccer Match

While it gets darker and darker earlier and earlier, at least you can light up the night with these events. And just to throw a curveball, one really good looking soccer watching party this weekend.

Beacon Hill Holiday Stroll

Thursday 6-9 PM

Beacon Hill already has that quite perfect colonial Christmas feel. Combine that with Victorian carolers, brass bands, buggy rides and you've got quite a holiday feast. Shops will be luring you in with free drinks and food. So just go straight here from the office for a free dinner.

Ice Chimes on the Greenway

Thursday 6-7 PM

Now that the highway is gone, there's been tons of great public art going on on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. (Anyone catch the hammock?) Now they're unveiling Ice Chimes which apparently will make rain and snow stick to it, forming icicles. As icicles grow, they will cause the chimes to sound. Interesting, but have any icicles formed yet? Websites say there's a reception and a nightcap at Vintage Lounge afterwards. While the art is free, I have a feeling the nightcap is not.

Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona

Saturday 3:30-6PM

Hey soccer fans out there! Twice a year Madrid plays Barcelona and this is nothing true football fans want to miss - El Clasico. Join the MIT Spanish Club to watch the game at the Thirsty Ear Pub on the MIT campus. Looks open to us regular folk. Free treats like Jamon serrano and queso. Buy your own drinks, unless there are some happy drunk FC Barcelona fans that you can get to buy you a round when they win.

As always, these events and more on the Beantown on the Cheap Calendar, just scroll to the bottom of the site.

Holiday Overload!

I feel like I'm experiencing it a bit already. Especially given that I got all my Christmas presents on Thanksgiving and am spending the next month in Belgium, which basically just exists in a perpetual Christmas state in December. Are you not filled up yet? Take advantage of these upcoming events to put you in the spirit.

Downtown Crossing Holiday Market Everyday 11-7

My favorite place to nip out of work and get a fresh-baked pretzel or coffee. Also a great place to get last minute shopping done from local artisans. Usually there's music too, and sometimes even Santa.

Christmas Tree Lightings Thursday 6PM

So in this weird tradition, the Mayor rides around on a trolley with a bunch of Christmas characters and basically tries to light every single neighborhood's tree. It usually is less than flawless, given Boston traffic. It all starts TONIGHT on the Common with music, lots of tv stations, performance by an Olympic skater and pyrotechnics. See the website for other lightings.

JP Holiday Events Thursday 6-8 and Saturday 11-5

Tonight, Jamaica Plain's First Thursday events continue with a holiday theme. Music and free food at stores all along Centre and South. Best place to score freebies and hear a tune is certainly City Feed - featuring Peak Organic Beer tasting and a band with a fiddle. On Saturday it's a

doubly merry day with the Loring Greenough Open House from 12-4 and the Holiday Fair at First Church across the street. Loring Greenough house is pretty cool and last year's free cookies and refreshments were awesome. Reportedly there will be the Boston City Singers and a joyful caroling mob at the First Church.

All that should get your holiday spirits up, but check out the calendar at the bottom of beantownonthecheap for a full listing of events.