Charles Hotel
Annual Tree Lighting
November 30th
The Charles Hotel, in partnership with the Harvard Square Business Association, is delighted to announce its annual Tree Lighting Celebration on Saturday, November 30 from 4pm – 7pm. Experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of the season as the upper-level courtyard of the Charles is transformed into a holiday wonderland for all ages!
Noir
Maccabee Bar Pop-Up
December 2nd – January 1st
Celebrate Hanukkah in style at the return of Maccabee Bar, the festive, Hanukkah-themed pop-up at Noir Bar! Enjoy seasonal bites like crispy latkes and house-made sufganiyot, paired with holiday-inspired cocktails in a welcoming, cheerful atmosphere. Open during regular Noir hours through January 1st. Walk-ins welcome, reservations encouraged.
Harvard Square Giving Tree
December 7th
1pm – 3pm
The Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA), members and friends are generously donating hats, gloves, socks, mittens, t-shirts, and scarves. These items will be placed in water-tight zipper bags along with candy canes, chocolates and treats and will be hung on the Annual Holiday Giving Tree, located on Brattle Plaza in front of Bluestone Lane at 27 Brattle Street. Please bring your own items similarly packaged, or come and help us place ours. People are encouraged to take what they need.
To celebrate the installation of the Giving Tree on December 7 at 2:00 pm, The Boys of the St. Paul’s Choir School will perform joyous hymns and songs. These young boys have performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein on the legendary stage of Carnegie Hall, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for Pope Francis, and countless Boston Red Sox and Celtics games. Consisting of singers who are both artistically and technically highly developed, it may be surprising to discover that the boys range from grades 3 through 8.
Complimentary treats for those attending and for passersby will be served by HSBA staff.
The Harvard Square Business Association is collecting donations in support of the Giving Tree. All proceeds will be used to purchase items, including clothing and gift cards for food.
To make a donation, please contact Bill Manley.
Charles Hotel
Charles Square Outdoor Winter Holiday Market
December 14
Get into the holiday spirit at our Winter Holiday Market! Shop local vendors offering unique gifts on The Charles Hotel’s outdoor lower courtyard. Join us on Saturday, December 14th for a festive afternoon of shopping plus seasonal drinks at One Reason Garden Bar or Noir Bar. Don’t miss out on this seasonal event in the heart of Cambridge!
Mt. Auburn Cemetery
SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light
December 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21
SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light is an annual event at Mount Auburn Cemetery that includes an outdoor journey through large-scale light and sound artworks, and an indoor experience with live music and candle lighting. Guests are invited to walk through the light-filled landscape, explore the Winter Solstice atmosphere, and to reflect on moments of change as the year ends and a new cycle begins. Connect to a landscape of exceptional beauty, consider an intention for the new year, or commemorate the memory of a loved one. Let the Solstice light your way as you encounter the unique spirit of Mount Auburn.
Presented by the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery | Created by MASARY
Passim
Sol y Canto
December 7th
Join Sol y Canto and friends for a bilingual/bicultural holiday sing-along celebration. If you’ve ever been in Latin America during the holidays, you know it’s a time for family, friends and parties! Sol y Canto brings that tradition to Passim on Saturday, December 7 with a parranda (party)! Rosi, Brian and other members of Sol y Canto will be joined by special guests to invoke the spirit of the Puerto Rican “asalto navideño” (“Christmas Assault”), when the singers drop by your house unannounced to create a party out of thin air, bringing holiday joy to everyone. Sing along to classics from the U.S., Puerto Rico and Latin America (don’t worry – we’ll teach you the words).
Tony Trischka’s Holiday Show
December 11th
Tony Trischka hosts a banjo-driven celebration of the season where he turns his considerable melodic inventiveness loose on Bluegrass and Americana music for the holidays.
A diverse, highly textural seasonal collection, Trischka also revels in songs long forgotten and little known. Truly a sumptuous feast for the ears presented as only Tony Trischka can.
Wintery Songs in Eleventy Part Harmony
December 16th, 17th, 18th
Wintery Songs in Eleventy Part Harmony is a loose collaboration of Boston-based musicians organized by veteran singer/songwriter Jennifer Kimball, who celebrate the holiday season with their delightful annual program of sacred, secular and wintery pop music rearranged, reharmonized, and often just plain turned on its head. Wielding fiddles, cellos, ukes, guitars and glockenspiels, this ensemble re-envisions the sounds of the season by reharmonizing classic songs, reinterpreting pop tunes, composing new songs for the season and bringing unknown pop gems to the lexicon of holiday-ish music.
From Sinatra to Tchaikovsky, Isaac Watts to Ana Egge, this beautifully eclectic mix of sacred and secular music inspires a reinvention of the holiday experience; one where minor keys are as familiar as major, the church has transformed into a club where all are welcome and the season’s darkness is as deep as it’s festive lights are welcoming.
2024 Wintery Songs Singers —
Jenna Moynihan: fiddle
Mariel Vandersteel: fiddle
Kat Wallace: fiddle
Casey Murray: cello
Rose Polenzani: guitar, glockenspiel
Jennifer Kimball: guitar, uke, glockenspiel
Áine Minogue
December 23rd
As traditional Irish music and dance continue to enjoy phenomenal success both in the United States and in Ireland, Áine Minogue has worked to explore their themes and to understand their very essence. Her voice, though uniquely her own, also reflects the lyricism and richness to be found in Irish music, mythology, and poetry.
Born and raised in Borrisokane, County Tipperary, Áine comes from a large musical family and an environment in which she was encouraged to pursue expertise in a number of different instruments. This broad knowledge of Irish traditional music has underpinned her success in arranging and composing her own music.
She has a dozen solo recordings on several labels including RCA Victor/BMG and has been nominated for FIMA awards for her work as a record producer. Her TV production work on “A Winter’s Journey” earned her a New England EMMY ® nomination.
Ellis Paul New Year’s Eve Shows
December 29th, 30th, 31st
Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless. Born and raised in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship and in the evenings became a fixture on the city’s open mic circuit. After winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition, he caught the ear of folk luminary Bill Morrissey, who produced his indie album Say Something in 1993. This led to a seven-album contract with Rounder Records and the 1994 album, Stories.
St. Paul’s Choir School
December 8th & 15th
Saint Paul’s Church
A well-known holiday tradition in Harvard Square, The Boys and Scholars of St. Paul’s Choir will perform a concert of seasonal Christmas music on December 8 and 15 at 3:00 pm in St. Paul’s Parish. With a choir of over fifty singers composed of boys from St. Paul’s Choir School and professional singers from the greater Boston area, the audience will be treated to an unforgettable experience in one of Boston’s finest acoustic settings.
The program will feature works from a variety of time periods, countries, and instrumentations, accompanied by the Back Bay Brass, percussion, organ, and harp. In addition to traditional favorites, including Theodore Marier’s beloved setting of “Silent Night,” the musical selections will include timeless choral Christmas standards such as Britten’s “Hymn to the Virgin,” Pearsall’s “In dulci jubilo,” and Victoria’s eight-part “Ave Maria”.
El Jefe’s Taqueria
7th Annual Ben Abercrombie Day
December 10th
Please join the Harvard Varsity Club and El Jefe’s Taqueria for the seventh-annual Ben Abercrombie Day. For 20 straight hours, 100% of every penny from every in-person sale, online orders, delivery orders, and online gift card sales will be donated to The Abercrombie Endowment Fund.
4 ways you can participate in the 7th Abercrombie Day at El Jefe’s Taqueria and contribute to the Abercrombie Fund:
1. Come in to El Jefe’s (Harvard Square)
2. Order online for pickup or order delivery
3. Purchase a gift card
4. Make a gift online
Over $200,00 has been raised for the Abercrombie Fund since this day was established in 2017. The support from the community continues to provide the funding for many important activities for Ben, including:
● Air medical transport between Ben’s home in Alabama and Boston so Ben can safely travel to Harvard for school semesters and back home for school breaks
● Ben’s physical therapy at Journey Forward in Boston while Ben is at school
● The purchase of key accessible equipment, like the stand up wheelchair that Ben uses most of the time
American Repertory Theater
December 12th – January 4th
Trailblazing tap dancer and choreographer Ayodele Casel and longtime collaborator and director Torya Beard (Chasing Magic, Funny Girl) return to A.R.T. this holiday season to share the joyful, resilient, and liberating spirit of tap. The electric new play weaves together dance, narrative, and song to reveal the power of reclaiming language, culture, and one’s own identity. This world-premiere production traces Ayodele’s life from her roots in The Bronx and Puerto Rico, while celebrating the extraordinary and often-overlooked women tap dancers who paved the way.
New School of Music
Winter Sing-Along
December 12th
Join us on Thursday, December 12 for NSM’s Winter Sing-Along: an evening of song, community, and cheer. Pianist and NSM instructor Joe Reid will lead us in festive tunes as we celebrate the upcoming season. It promises to be a feel-good event for all ages! ALL are welcome.
Doors open and singing begins at 6:00pm. Guests may drop in anytime between 6:00 – 7:30pm. Cider and snacks will be served, too. Questions? Send us a note: info@newschoolofmusic.org
We look forward to singing with you!
Harvard Square Shopover Weekend
Harvard Square Shopover Weekend
December 13th – 15th
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and there is no better place to spend it than historic Harvard Square. With so much to see and do, come for the weekend!
Hotels! Shopping! Dining! Ticketed Events! Outdoor family-friendly free events! Come Friday and stay for the weekend. Shop until you drop! Dine on the run or sit down for a luxurious dinner. When you’ve shopped and eaten your way through the Square, take some time to enjoy a show, concert, movie or a play.
The Brattle Theatre
December 13th – 16th
Director: Frank Capra Run Time: 130 min. Format: 4K DCP Release Year: 1946
Starring: Donna Reed, Henry Travers, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore
Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a forlorn small-town banker who, while considering suicide, meets Clarence (Travers), an angel in training. Clarence shows George what life would be like if he had never been born, and through this George is able to realize how valuable one person’s life can be. Forget about watching this classic film at home on TV, we’re showing it the way it was meant to be seen: on the Big Screen on real-live 35mm film! IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE will screen on 35mm Fri, Dec 13 at 3:30 only; all other screenings are 4K DCP
Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts
2024 Holiday Black Business Pop-Up
December 13-15
One Brattle Square (formerly Webster Bank)
Hosted by the Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network, in partnership with the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts, and Cambridge Local First, invites you to the 3rd Annual Passport to Black Business Holiday Pop-up!
Friday, Dec. 13 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Saturday, Dec. 14, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sunday, Dec. 15, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Admission: Free! RSVP here
Celebrate the season and support local black-owned businesses. Explore unique, hand-crafted gifts, soaps, sauces, bags, jewelry, and more from 19 amazing vendors over three festive days! Don’t miss this opportunity to find one-of-a-kind holiday treasures while supporting black-owned businesses. Vendors include: Osei Beauty, KQs BUTTAs L.L.C, Ninawa Zero Waste Clothes, Love Balungi LLC, Maxine Lorenzo Designs, IK Ecojewelry, Akakpo & Co., Jahzara Fashion House, Nussli118, Elcee Jay Creations and more!
Sponsors include Beacon Capital Partners, City of Cambridge, Cambridge Savings Bank, and the Harvard Square Business Association.
Cambridge Center for Adult Education
Beginning Jewelry: Sterling Silver Pendant with Bezel-Set Stone *In-Person*
December 13th
5:30-9:30pm
Make your holiday gifts this season in Beginning Jewelry-Making. In this class, students can learn to create a sterling silver pendant with a bezel-set cabochon stone. You will develop your fabrication skills, including drilling, sawing, piercing, filing, multiple soldering techniques, making jump rings, satin finishing, and setting the stone. All materials will be provided: sterling silver sheet and wire, copper (for practice), cabochon stone, saw blades, solder, and sandpaper. A materials fee of $40 is payable to the instructor on the day of the class. Instructor: Laurie Savage
Cost $100
Feast of The Seven Fishes *In-Person*
December 17th
6-9pm
Join us for a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner and learn how to prepare dishes for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. The tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve began because of the Roman Catholic custom of abstaining from meat the day before certain holidays. In this hands-on class, we’ll prepare smoked trout pate, salad with poached lemon salmon, mussels cooked in wine, pasta puttanesca, and a seafood stew with at least three fishes. We’ll talk about how to prepare ingredients and make dishes ahead of time so that you can spend time enjoying the feast with no muss, no fuss. Cost $110 (includes all food materials and fees)
Harvard Square Holiday Fair
December 13th – 15th
December 20th – 22nd
One of the oldest and most popular fairs in the Boston area. Held in Harvard Square for 6 days with free admission. Juried, with a mix of craftspeople from the region and world traveling importers. A great selection of beautiful, original, affordable gifts. Talking with the artist gives us a connection to what we are buying. A high energy marketplace with a great soundtrack. See old friends and make new ones. Located at 1426 Massachusetts Avenue
Santa Claus Jazz Band
Santa Claus Jazz Band and Treats
December 14th
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Outside of the Black Holiday Business Pop-Up, One Brattle Square
December 21st
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Outside of Harvard Square Holiday Fair, 1426 Massachusetts Ave
Join the Harvard Square Business Association as we present the Santa Claus Jazz Band. Bask in the glow of the sights, smells and sounds of the season! Plenty of hot chocolate and cookies will be available to give you that extra energy boost as you holiday shop!
Revels
Midwinter Revels: The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman
A Celtic and Cabo Verdean Celebration of the Solstice
Sanders Theatre
Friday, December 13 – 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 14 – 3:00 PM
Sunday, December 15 – 1:00 PM
Sunday, December 15 – 5:30 PM
Thursday, December 19 – 7:00 PM
Friday, December 20 – 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 21 – 3:00 PM
Saturday, December 21 – 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 22 – 1:00 PM
Sunday, December 22 – 5:30 PM
Monday, December 23 – 3:00 PM
Thursday, December 26 – 1:00 PM
Thursday, December 26 – 5:30 PM
Friday, December 27 – 3:00 PM
Saturday, December 28 – 1:00 PM
In a small fishing village off the shores of Galway Bay, a community gathers in the local pub to celebrate the season. A child enters looking for a package that may have been delivered for his mother, who comes from another coastal town – in Cabo Verde. Songs and dances are shared, and the pub dissolves into a portal for fantasy with a transformative retelling of the Selkie story, a Celtic myth about living between two worlds. Irish songs, jigs, and reels share the stage with dance, drumming, and traditional songs from Cabo Verde. In the Revels tradition, new community is catalyzed, and with it, hopes for a new year.
The performance length is about 2.5 hours, including intermission.
Regattabar
A Holiday Evening with Penni Layne: WARM IN DECEMBER album release
December 13th
Vocal jazz and classic holiday songs performed by Penni Layne accompanied by some of Boston’s most sought after instrumentalists.
The Players:
Penni Layne – Vocals
Larry Jackson – Bass
Ryan Claunch – Piano
Steve Bankuti – Drums
Bijon Watson – Special guest – Trumpet
Saying Goodbye to 2024 with Dwight and Nicole
December 31
Scullers Jazz Club
December 13th
Come out and enjoy Elan Trotman’s holiday show, “Christmas in Rio,”
Billboard Topping Contemporary Jazz Saxophonist Elan Trotman returns to the Scullers Stage with a special Holiday-themed Show titled “Christmas in Rio.”
Saxophonist Elan Trotman, has quickly become one of jazz’s most thrilling and emotive performers as he continues to stand out and push boundaries as a composer, performer, teacher and recording artist. Trotman’s playing, though inspired by Grover Washington, Jr., Kirk Whalum and Najee, displays his own fresh ideas and distinctive tone. So much so that the New England Urban Music Awards, and The Barbados Music Awards both named him Jazz Artist of The Year on multiple occasions.
HOLIDAY SWINGIN’ – A KAT EDMONSON CHRISTMAS
December 14th
Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer “with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop” (The New York Times). Kat will perform swingin’ Yuletide favorites such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “O Christmas Tree,” and “Let It Snow” as well as some of her original repertoire as part of her festive show, Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas.
December 20th
RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH ANDRE WARD
December 31st
Tickets available here.
Arrow Street Arts and Moonbox Productions
Through December 15th
by Larissa FastHorse
Directed by Tara Moses
Isn’t it time we rethink Thanksgiving? That’s the question on the table when four politically correct performers get together to create a new take on the traditional holiday pageant. Good intentions turn into outright tension as the group struggles to re-envision history, all without ruffling any feathers.
Rambunctious, wild, and fearless, The Thanksgiving Play serves up history and humor with a steaming side dish of uniquely American hypocrisy. Are you ready to eat your words?
Blue Heron
Christmas in 15th-Century France & Burgundy
December 20th & 21st
One of Blue Heron’s most beloved programs, presented for the first time since 2018. Music for Christmas and New Year’s by Guillaume Du Fay, Nicolas Grenon, Johannes Ciconia, Johannes Regis, Jacob Obrecht, Antoine Brumel, Josquin Desprez, Adrian Willaert, and others. Featuring a chancel lit by candles, according to Blue Heron tradition. Run time: approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission
First Parish Cambridge
The Comedy Studio
December 24th
Dan Crohn hosts the chosen few for a night of comedy and food on Christmas Eve! Come Join us for a night of Christmas Eve laughter with Chinese food provided by The Hong Kong.
Commonwealth Wine School
All the Bubbles! Sparkling Wines and the Party Treats that Love Them
December 27th
6:30pm-8pm
As we wrap up the holidays, everyone prepares for one last hurrah – New Year’s Eve. That final celebration that ushers in a new year with cheer and excitement. What better way to celebrate than with a glass of bubbles?
We’re pulling out all the stops for this incredible end-of-the-year tasting. Join our own educator and author (and bubbles enthusiast), Adam Centamore, for an elevated evening exploring the glorious world of sparkling wines and party treats. You’ll try a variety of bubbles from around the globe, paired with foods that are right at home on your next celebratory table. Think gougères, smoked salmon, chocolates brought straight from Italy’s chocolate capital, Torino…it’s sure to be an evening worthy of cheering in the new year!
**We will make every effort to accommodate food allergies and/or dietary restrictions, but, due to the fact that we work with small producers from around the globe, we are unable to guarantee or protect from cross contamination**
$115 In Person
Location: Commonwealth Wine School
Instructor: Adam Centamore
The Sinclair
NYE: The Glitter Boys “animalistic”
December 31st
Bring your wild side to The Sinclair this New Year’s Eve as The Glitter Boys become ANIMALISTIC! This year’s theme is primal glamour and will feature dynamic acts from local performers that will light your inner flame. A flame that wont be tamed!
Theres only one way to be at the top of the food chain, Glitter Babies… get your tickets early and avoid the feeding frenzy.
SOURCE
Partnering with The Sinclair this NYE. Offering 10% off diner’s check with proof of ticket for The Sinclair’s NYE Bash.
City of Cambridge
While serving food at the Tuesday Night Meals Program at First Parish in December 2013, current Vice-Mayor Marc McGovern spoke with an unhoused woman who was in desperate need of warm blankets or a sleeping bag. That night the Winter Warmth Drive was born. Each year, with the help of First Parish, The Harvard Square Business Association and Cambridge residents, we raise over $20,000 to purchase hundreds of sleeping bags that we distribute to the unhoused community in Cambridge. These bags have been called, “life saving” and the community has now come to rely on them. We are asking for your help in raising those funds this year. To contribute to this important project, click here.
Cambridge Police Department
Cambridge Fire Department
Toys for Tots
The Cambridge Fire Department, in partnership with the Marine Corps Reserve, are hosting their annual Toys for Tots campaign. If you would like to participate, please bring your unwrapped toys or books at the drop boxes located at any fire house in the city or at the Charles Hotel by December 16th. Thanks, in advance, for your generosity!