What’s Happening This Holiday Season on Cape Cod?

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Driving down Route 6A last night, I was reintroduced to the magic of the holidays here. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, decorates their homes and yards to the “nines“. Yesterday I wrote about the lighted statues that line the businesses along the Old Kings Highway, but they are not the only ones worth noting. There is a property at the corner of Route 6A and Quaker Meeting House Road that truly goes over the top with decorations. Lights, figures, scenes, animals, crèches, you name it, it’s there. Delightfully tacky and yet heartwarming at the same time.

It’s a toss-up for me whether I prefer the traditional colored lights of my youth, or the more sophisticated and elegant blue and white theme that seems to be today’s dominant motif. Some homeowners go to town with the icicle lights, others with the netted hedgerow lights, and some with the whole-house outline effect. Then you have the blow-up Rudolphs and Santas that dance and sway in the breeze. I suppose the median age of the household determines how, when, and what to decorate, but the “if? seems a forgone conclusion here on Cape Cod.

Having just returned from an extended vacation abroad, the decorations seem more of a surprise this year than ever. We left just after Halloween when pumpkins and scarecrows were all the rage, missed the Thanksgiving sheaves of wheat and fruited displays and jumped right into Christmas lights, window candles, and mistletoe. So I have some catching up to do, to be sure.

I also have some catching up to do with what’s going on here on Cape Cod for the holidays. So I have been pouring over the newspaper inserts and monthly magazines to get the lowdown on the holiday scene. Here’s the round-up for the next couple of weeks, just in case you’ve been away like I have, or just not paying attention.

  • Nov. 30-Dec. 2: Falmouth Holidays-by-the-Sea Weekend; North Pole Express in Sandwich; Nantucket Christmas Stroll; Holidays at Highfield, Falmouth
  • Dec. 1: Harbor Lighting and Boat Parade/Hyannis Village Stroll
  • Dec. 2: Chatham Christmas-by-the-Sea; Yarmouthport Christmas Stroll
  • Dec. 5: Barnstable Village Holiday Stroll
  • Dec. 7-9: Annual Chatham Christmas Stroll
  • Dec. 8: 7th Annual Mashpee Chamber Christmas Parade
  • Dec. 8: Historic Bass River Holiday Cookie Stroll
  • Dec. 9: Holly Days Home Tour, Sandwich; Chatham Historic Inn Tour