Plenty Of Opportunities For Middletown Residents To See Holiday Lights

MIDDLETOWN, CT — With Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa festivities filling the December calendar, the problem may be deciding which events in and near Middletown to attend.

Outside these religious and cultural celebrations, there are plenty of holiday light shows, parades, fairs and festivals to attend in and near Middletown.

Here's a sampling within a reasonable distance:

• Bright Nights at Forest Park, Springfield
• Henry Park, Vernon
• Glow Hartford, Hartford
• Connecticut Trolley Museum Winterfest and the Tunnel of Lights
• Magic of Lights, East Hartford
• Main Street, Middletown
• Tolland’s annual Torchlight Parade, Tree Lighting, and Toy Drive will again be one event this year on Saturday, December 6, at 6 PM!With the continued changes to the Christmas Tour, and Santa not stopping at every house, this is your opportunity to donate those toys!At the conclusion of this event, Santa will be available for photos at the Hicks-Sterns Family Museum, where you can drop off donations for the Toy Drive.
• Mansfield's Winter Welcome — Saturday, Dec. 6: Free, Frosty Fun in Downtown Storrs! Celebrate the start of the new season with free, frosty fun in Downtown Storrs! The Mansfield Downtown Partnership will host its 13th Annual Winter Welcome on Saturday, December 6 from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM on and around Betsy Paterson Square. Winter Welcome will feature hands-on, wintry fun with local businesses and community organizations. Activities will include a puzzle swap, animal tracking & habitat games, snow-themed fun, and even (toy) ax-throwing!

As you plan your calendar, here are some key dates to consider:

• Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods, begins at sundown on Dec. 14 and continues until sundown on Dec. 22. The dates vary every year.

• Christmas, of course, is always Dec. 25.

• Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration primarily held in the United States to honor African heritage and African-American culture, is observed from Dec. 26-Jan. 1, culminating with gift-giving and a lavish feast. The dates of this holiday do not change.