Christmas, Hanukkah Events In The Miller Place-Rocky Point Area

MILER PLACE-ROCKY POINT, NY — There is no shortage of things to do in the Miller Place-Rocky Point area to get the winter holiday season off to a rollicking good start.

Christmas and Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, intersect this year, with Hanukkah running Dec. 18-26. Christmas, of course, is on Dec. 25, but you don’t have to wait to start taking in all the sights and sounds of the holidays.

Tree and Menorah lightings in the Miller Place-Rocky Point area are:

• Dec. 3 in Rocky Point: Tree lighting
• Dec. 3 in Port Jefferson Station: Tree lighting
• Dec. 4 in Coram: Tree lighting
• Dec. 4 in Stony Brook: Tree lighting at the Warn Melville Heritage Organization's Holiday Festival
• Dec. 18 in Bellport, Patchogue, and Port Jefferson Station: Menorah lightings

Christmas parades — often complete with Santa Claus, festively decorated floats and marching bands — are a holiday tradition, both nationally and locally.

Several big parades are taking place this year, including the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade in Baltimore City, Maryland; and the Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, California.

Parades in the Miller Place-Rocky Point area may not be able to match those in size, but the heart behind them is just as big. Parades to catch here at home include:

• Nov. 27 in Port Jefferson: Santa Parade
• Dec. 3 & 4 in Port Jefferson: Pickwick Puppet Parade at the Dickens Festival
• Dec. 3 in Yaphank: The Yaphank Fire Department's parade
• Dec. 4 in Stony Brook: The Ward Melville Heritage Organization's Holiday Festival
• Dec. 4 in Mastic-Shirley: Christmas parade
• Dec. 11 in Setauket: Holiday Electric Parade

Correction: An earlier version of this story mentioned the Target Holidazzle Parade in Minneapolis, which is not a parade but rather a collection of holiday-themed events.