Past Traditions Return For This Weekend’s Christmas By The Sea Stroll

CHATHAM – Past traditions return to brighten this weekend’s Christmas By The Sea holiday stroll.

The annual town Christmas tree lighting, held in Kate Gould Park for the past several years, will return on Friday evening to Sears Park, the triangle at Main and Seaview streets. And the popular horse and carriage rides, absent for the past few years, will be back on Main Street for the evening stroll.

“Everyone’s really excited about that,” Jen Falvey, vice president of the Chatham Merchants Association and head of the stroll committee, said of the events’ return.

Activities are planned throughout the weekend, with many shops open late with open houses, festive refreshments and special sales.

The stroll begins on Friday evening with the Light Parade, which steps off at 5:30 p.m. at the community center. Participants will lead Santa, riding in a fire truck, to Sears Park. Main Street will be closed to traffic between the rotary and Cross Street during the lighting ceremony, which will include the Monomoy Regional Middle School Chorus singing carols and Scott Hamilton reading “The Night Before Christmas.” Hot chocolate will be provided courtesy of Chatham Bars Inn.

The 25-foot blue spruce tree was donated by Joe and Cathy LaRose of Harwich, who saw that the lighting would be moved back to Sears Park in an article in The Chronicle and volunteered a tree on their property (the LaRoses will donate a second matching tree for next year’s lighting). Their daughter, Trish, and granddaughter Ava will do the honors of throwing the switch to light up the tree, according to Janice Rogers, who serves on the stroll committee with Falvey and Taylor Brown. The tree was installed courtesy of Josh Jenkins of Nickerson Tree and Landscaping, and the town’s DPW crew strung it with lights. Chatham Elementary School students created 130 ornaments to decorate the tree.

“We feel it’s going to be much more accessible, to stand around the triangle and be real close,” Falvey said.

After the tree lighting, the annual stroll begins, with most downtown shops holding open houses, raffles and special sales, and of course refreshments galore.

“There will be lots of holiday cheer at the various shops on Main Street,” said Falvey, who owns Chatham Threadworks.

Santa will retire to his workshop — the chamber information booth — to meet with kids from 6:30 to 8 p.m., a brass band will wander Main Street and the horse and carriage rides will run from 6 to 9 p.m. at the town offices.

The rides are free, Falvey noted. “Just get in line.”

Events pick up again on Saturday beginning with Breakfast with Santa at Sea Her Shine at 1291 Main St. (next to Mac’s). There are two seatings at 8 and 10 a.m., and tickets are required. Tickets are also required for “Elf,” the popular holiday movie; doors at the Chatham Orpheum Theater open at 9:30 a.m., with the screening at 10. Santa will return to his workshop from 3 to 5 p.m., and shops will continue with their festive offerings.

A QR code in stroll ads in this edition as well as on posters connects to an updated listing of shop offerings. More information is available at sites.google.com/view/christmasbythesea/home.

Special Chatham stroll hats are also for sale at the Chatham Village Market and the Chatham Clothing Bar.

It seems the only thing left to chance is the weather, but Falvey isn’t worried.

“The best thing about the stroll is, if it’s really warm or really cold or windy, people just have a wonderful time,” she said. “It’s a special night for Chatham. The weather can’t dampen the mood for the stroll.”