Boston Holiday Favorites

Posted bybeyondthemilestravelblogPosted inBoston, MATags:, , , , , , , , , ,

Updated December 2021

Welcome to another holiday post, this one from my home city of Boston!

Boston is a beautiful city during the holiday season. Here are my favorite things to see in Boston during the holidays.

Faneuil Hall: Looking for somewhere to do some shopping, grab something to eat and see one of the largest trees in the United States, then Faneuil Hall is THE place to be in Boston.

At Faneuil Hall you will find popular retail stores like Coach, Sephora and Urban Outfitters as well as numerous pushcarts selling Boston souvenirs and unique one of kind gifts. A must visit, is the Christmas in Boston store with multiple floors of holiday ornaments and decor.

There are many restaurants available for a sit down meal and multiple options in the food hall, a great place to try some local seafood, pizza and baked goods.

Faneuil Hall Christmas tree and holiday decorations

But the star of Faneuil Hall during the holidays is the Christmas tree. At 65 feet tall, it’s the largest tree in the city and also one of the largest in the country. Definitely visit the tree at night to check out Blink. Blink is a holiday light show where the lights on the tree dance along to holiday music. It runs every half hour starting at 4:30pm each night and is a must see! Sadly, there will not be a tree at Faneuil Hall in 2021. Thankfully I have this video to get a bit of a taste of Blink this year.

Downtown Crossing: A major shopping area, Downtown Crossing, is a must visit during the holiday season. Here you will find stores like Macy’s, Old Navy, Primark, DSW, Home Goods and Marshalls to name a few. Other than shopping, you can get in the Christmas spirit by seeing the Macy’s Christmas tree or listening the carolers walking the streets. Definitely a festive atmosphere!

Macy’s Christmas Tree and Carolers in Downtown Crossing

Boston Common: While the Boston Common Christmas tree may not be as large as the one in Faneuil Hall, it certainly has a great story behind it.

There has been a tree on the common since 1941, but since 1971 it’s been gifted to the City of Boston by the people of Nova Scotia each year. Nova Scotia donates the tree as a thank you for Boston’s help during the Halifax Explosion in 1917. In December 1917, there was an explosion that destroyed much of the city of Halifax. Boston sent a relief train up to Halifax to help their first responders. And even though the relief train was delayed due to blizzard conditions, they were one of the first cities to respond and were considered a life saver. Not only is there a tree lighting ceremony here in Boston, there is also a tree cutting ceremony in Nova Scotia each year.

But the tree is not the only thing to check out in the Boston Common during the holiday season. There is also the popular outdoor ice rink, Frog Pond. Every year, there is a line to get into this popular Boston attraction as it’s such a beautiful place to lace up your skates. As with many other things, it is closed this year due to covid.

  • Boston Common Tree
  • Frog Pond

Seaport Boston: One of Boston’s newer neighborhoods is the Seaport. The past couple of years they have added more and more seasonal activities to this area. Nicknamed Snowport during the holiday season, this year they are offering a tree lot, Christmas tree, holiday decorations, curling lessons and an all-new holiday market in 2021 featuring local businesses.

  • Seaport Common Tree
  • Curling

New Years Eve Ice Sculptures: The holiday season ends over New Years and what better way to end the season than to check out the numerous ice sculptures throughout the city. If you go early enough, you can see the artist sculpting away at the ice. It is so amazing to actually watch them at work, I could only dream of being that talented.

The ice sculptures have mainly been located in the Boston Common and Copley Square, but the past few years, the Seaport has joined in the fun with a ice sculpture trail of their own.

Seaport Ice Sculptures

As someone who loves sea life, the ice sculptures outside of the Aquarium are usually my favorite.

Aquarium Ice Sculptures
Boston Common Ice Sculptures

Copley Square is definitely where the largest and most impressive ice sculptures are located. This is also were the big First Night festivities take place each New Years. If you want to miss the crowds, I definitely recommend checking these ones out on New Years Day instead.

What are some of your favorite holiday locations and activities in your home city?

Holiday lights in Christopher Columbus Park in the North End

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32 thoughts on “Boston Holiday Favorites”

  6. I love Boston (my Dad’s hometown), but I’ve never had the chance to visit during the Christmas season, so I appreciate your guided tour—and especially this year, since Christmas in LA promises to be 65 degrees, sunny and lacking in seasonal festivity. Those amazing ice sculptures look like reason enough to visit during the holidays; like you, I can’t imagine where that kind of talent comes from. Thanks so much for sharing and happy holidays, giant Faneuil Hall tree or no!

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  13. Pingback: Boston’s Holiday Market at Snowport – Beyond The Miles Travel Blog

  22. Love that you wrote this post for your hometown. I wanted to write one for mine but maybe next year. I love that you don’t have to travel to still get in the Christmas spirit. I would love to visit Boston for Christmas to see family and it might be next year.

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