North of Boston

Sawyer Free Library Launches Monthly Artist Program with Volume One Exhibition
2025-12-09 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-08 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-06 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | MA

Deck the Halls at Hammond Castle Museum
2025-12-09 09:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-08 09:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-07 09:00 - 15:30 | Hammond Castle Museum, 80 Hesperus Avenue, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join us for the 2025 Holiday Season as we proudly present our 7th annual “Deck The Halls” holiday celebration!
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its own unique holiday theme. From nature’s bounty of fruits and greenery to the warm glow of candlelight, every detail creates a true feast for the senses. Along the way, you will encounter a royal guard of nutcrackers standing watch over a gingerbread house replica of the castle. Keep an eye out for playful elves and gnomes who are up to mischief—great fun for little ones! This year, the celebration will also shine with the glow of two menorahs on display, honoring the traditions of Hanukkah within the Museum’s holiday splendor.
For the first time, we are pleased to feature design elements created in partnership with Elaine Quinn Interiors, a boutique residential interior design firm based in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, bringing fresh inspiration and artistry to this year’s holiday presentation.
In addition to the holiday installation, guests will also have the opportunity to experience the Hammond in Italy temporary exhibition, which highlights John Hays Hammond Jr.’s time abroad and the profound influence Italian art and architecture had on his vision for the castle.
For an even more enchanting experience, join us for Deck the Halls by Candlelight on Thursday evenings throughout December. These extended-hour tours invite guests to explore the Museum after dark, when the holiday décor glows with flickering candlelight and twinkling lights, creating a truly magical atmosphere.
Guests should plan for approximately 60 minutes in total to take in the full holiday grandeur.

Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe presents One Act Wonders
2025-12-08 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-07 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Gloucester Stage, 267 East Main St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe presents “One-Act Wonders”, a program of four modern one-act plays exploring boundaries, loyalties, and the absurdities of life. The program will run for four performances only, at Gloucester Stage Theater, April 17th (7:30pm) 18th (7:30pm), and 19th (3pm + 7:30pm). Tickets are $28.

Mistletoe Madness
2025-12-08 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-07 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-06 10:00 - 17:00 | Downtown Rockport, 15 Dock Square, Rockport, 01966, United States
Mistletoe Madness is back for a second season! This year, all shoppers participating in Mistletoe Madness will be entered into one Grand Prize Drawing. From December 6 through December 31, 2025, shop at participating Rockport retailers, restaurants, theatres, and recreation spots for your chance to win big in our New Year’s Eve drawing for hundreds of dollars worth of local gift certificates.

Bonsai Workshop at Granite Coast Brewing Company
2025-12-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Granite Coast Brewing Company, 77B Main St, Peabody, M, 01960, United States
Beginner workshops are perfect for you to grab your friends, grab a drink and come make tiny trees! We’re bringing the awesome art of bonsai out of the hedged in gardens and into the streets! Or at least into your favorite bars/breweries/pubs. Bonsai Bar is a night of fun you don’t want to miss. Learn the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while enjoying a night out with friends! Our teachers will introduce core concepts and guide your experience as you pot, prune, and design your very own bonsai tree! Our Guarantee: These tiny trees are so hardy we guarantee you can keep yours alive, or we’ll replace it.
This workshop will be hosted at Granite Coast Brewing Company. Granite Coast Brewing Company looks to provided innovative, creative, historical, and collaborative beer. It is at the heart of they we are and they look forward to serving you for years to come.
Under 21 policy: Please contact Granite Coast Brewing Company for details regarding underage entry
For more about Bonsai Bar and what to expect at our classes, visit our website at: https://bonsaibar.com/products/granite-coast-brewing-company

A Christmas Carol
2025-12-07 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-06 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-06 14:00 - 16:00 | North Shore Music Theatre, Dunham Road 54, Beverly, MA, 01915, United States
New England’s brightest holiday tradition! An original adaptation based on Charles Dickens’ classic novella, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a musical ghost story following the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge through a series of strange and magical journeys, where he ultimately discovers the true spirit of the holiday season. Featuring dazzling special effects and traditional songs this award-winning production has been seen by more than one million people since its debut in 1989.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch
2025-12-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
In Whoville, the grumpy Grinch plots to steal Christmas—until young Cindy Lou’s kindness sparks a change of heart. After swiping every gift and decoration, he learns the holiday’s true meaning, returns the loot, and joins the Whos in a joyful feast, trading solitude for friendship.

2nd Annual Festival of Wreaths at Salisbury Beach Carousel
2025-12-07 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-06 12:00 - 20:00 | Salisbury Beach Carousel, 7 Broadway, Salisbury, MA, 01952, United States
A fundraiser for the Non-Profit Salisbury beach Carousel.

Dozens of incredibly decorated donated wreaths on display and available to win.
Expanded weekend hours for the public and available Monday through Thursday night for private parties only.
The Carousel will be decorated beautifully for the holiday season, offering the perfect backdrop for your corporate or family party.
There will be dozens of beautifully decorated wreaths. We will be selling raffle tickets to be placed in a box in front of wreath of the buyer’s choice. On the 14th of December 5pm at the conclusion of the Festival we will pull winning tickets and notify the winner by cell phone. The winners can pick up their wreaths on Monday from 4-8 or Friday, Saturday or Sunday when we are open to the public.
Sunday December 7th we will be holding a toy drive to support Santa’s helper. Santa will be in the house from 2-4 for photos and will give every person that brings in an unwrapped toy a token to ride the Carousel. Our very own TOYS FOR TOKENS!

Rocky Neck Art Colony Member Showcase
2025-12-07 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-06 12:00 - 17:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, M, 01930, United States
Member Showcase is Rocky Neck Art Colony’s final exhibition of the season featuring seven distinctive bodies of work by RNAC members – John Bassett, Michelle Champion, Eser Costanza, Joanne Hurd, Patricia Scialo, Brian Murphy, R. D. Murphy – selected by juror Shana Dumont Garr. This is exhibit is on display at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck through December 7. Gallery hours are Friday to Sunday, from 12pm to 5pm.
Dumont Garr selected works that “possess remarkable vibrancy of color, composition, and method. Some of this vibrancy emerges through palette and medium; others through a sense of whimsy or the handmade.” This exhibition celebrates artistic excellence and innovation across a wide range of media and subjects. By featuring more work from fewer artists, Member Showcase invites viewers to engage more deeply with each artist’s vision and process.

Newburyport Art presents Hometown Stories Exhibition
2025-12-07 11:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-06 11:00 - 17:00 | Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Newburyport Art (NAA) concludes its year of exhibitions with Members’ Hometown Stories and Great Marsh Meditations, a featured artist show by C. Max Schenk. Both exhibits run concurrently from December 5th to December 21st.
Hometown Stories asked artists to submit work inspired by their hometown, whether a place where they grew up or currently reside. Hometown Stories features work inspired by houses, landscapes, businesses, objects, abstractions, bodies of water, people, and more! The exhibition is on view in the first-floor Sargent Gallery.
Nationally recognized for his work in environmental conservation, education and advocacy,
C. Max Schenk’s worldview and photography are imbued with an appreciation of nature’s cyclical resonance in all things. His Great Marsh Meditations show is the expansion of two portfolios created in 2024, each image is exactly that – a meditation – and features scenes familiar to all who have wandered and marveled at the beauty of our coastal home – its broad gestures of landscape and the ephemeral tableaus created by wind, tide, and time. Great Marsh Meditations is possible through the generous support of the Dr. Kathleen Van Demark Fund for Great Marsh Artists. His show can be viewed in the first floor Hills Gallery.
Opening reception for both shows will be Saturday, December 6th from 4-6pm. The public is welcome to attend, meet some of the exhibiting artists, and enjoy light refreshments.
Additionally, NAA will be hosting free invitation night events! Join us on December 5th for Voices of Newburyport, December 12th for an indoor arts market and December 19th for canvas and ornament decorating! Thank you to the Institution for Savings for sponsoring the Voices of Newburyport.
Founded in 1948, Newburyport Art is dedicated to promoting and exhibiting members’ work and to providing art education and access to the visual arts for the entire community. The galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00am–5:00pm, Sunday from 1:00pm–5:00pm and is handicap accessible. All works are for sale. More information, as well as an online gallery is available at newburyportart.org.

Hammers on Stone: The Granite Industry on Cape Ann
2025-12-07 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-06 10:00 - 17:00 | Cape Ann Museum Green, 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
For over a century, the granite industry played a vital role in Cape Ann’s economy, providing work for men from across New England and around the world, generating profits for those fortunate enough to share in ownership of the region’s many quarries, and contributing to the unique and authentic sense of place that characterizes Cape Ann today. On a broader scale, the industry contributed significantly to building and transportation projects across our nation during a sustained period of growth and expansion.
Drawing on the Cape Ann Museum’s extensive holdings of objects and archival materials related to the industry, most of which were gifted to the Cape Ann Museum by historian Barbara Erkkila (1918-2013), Hammers on Stone will explore the history of the granite trade and its impact on the community. The exhibition will examine methods of harvesting, cutting, and finishing stone, as well as how granite was transported from quarry to wharf and further afield. The exhibit will also explore the lives of those involved in quarrying and consider how the industry helped shape Cape Ann’s artistic landscape, inspiring generations of artists to the present day.
Image: Samuel Lewis Pullman (1900-1961), Quarryman Joe Boston, 1930, oil on canvas. Collection of the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA. Gift of Abner and Miriam (Pullman) Diamond, 1994. (1994.036.001).

Newburyport Art offers Spoon Carving with Eric Goodson
2025-12-07 10:00 - 16:00 | Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Intro to Spoon Carving with Eric Goodson
Sunday, December 7th, 10:00am–4:00pm | Upstairs Hartson Gallery
$75 for NAA members / $95 non-members
Spoons are central tools in the human experience; they may very well be the first and last tools we use in this life. They also make great projects for beginner carvers, with their convex and concave surfaces and changing grain direction. In this course, students will learn about wood selection, grain orientation, spoon design and ergonomics, and a wide variety of special knife grips (for both slöjd and hook knives) that make carving fast, efficient, and safe. Attention will also be paid to stretches and massage that help relieve hand fatigue. Finally, students will also discuss finishing oils, paints, and decorative techniques like chip carving and kolrosing. Loaner tools will be available, though if students have their own carving tools, they should bring them. Slöjd knives (Mora 106, 120, and 164) will also be for sale. All students will receive a spoon template that they can take home to make more! No experience necessary, and as long as you can easily open a jar of spaghetti sauce, you have sufficient hand strength.

Crystal Ship
2025-12-06 20:00 - 22:00 | Larcom Theatre, 13 Wallis Street, Beverly, MA, 01915, United States
Step back in time to the vibrant Sunset Strip in the swinging 1960s with Crystal Ship, the ultimate tribute to The Doors. Immerse yourself in the music, magic, and intensity of a live Doors concert as this acclaimed act transports you to that iconic era. Crystal Ship is dedicated to preserving Jim Morrison and The Doors’ legacy with unparalleled authenticity.
Every detail is meticulously recreated, from vintage gear to the unmistakable costumes. Led by the incredible Eddie Racci, one of the best Doors front men, this show will leave you awestruck. Whether you are a die-hard Doors fan or simply a lover of great music, Crystal Ship’s performances are must-see. Their dedication to capturing The Doors’ sound and stage presence makes for an unforgettable experience.
Thelarcom.org/crystalship

Tales of a Not-So-Tiny-House
2025-12-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, 161 Essex Street, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
Join us for a captivating book talk and discussion with authors Chloe Barcelou and Brandon Batchelder as they share insights from their book Tales of a Not-So-Tiny House, in conversation with Ruthie Dibble, PEM’s Robert N. Shapiro Curator of American Decorative Art. Their tiny house will also be on display in the Brown Street parking lot for guests to view!
This visually rich book tells the story of their custom steampunk caravan, nestled in the wilds of New England. If you’re lucky enough to take a wrong turn in the mountains of New Hampshire, you might just stumble upon this 300-square-foot handmade home. A magical blend of fairy tale cottage, steamer trunk and pirate ship, it’s built almost entirely from recycled film sets, thrift store finds, flea market treasures and junkyard gems.
Originally featured on HGTV’s Tiny House, Big Living, this unique home garnered international attention in print and online and became a TikTok sensation. The book takes readers on a journey through the couple’s process of building and decorating their home, which they have completely redesigned in recent years. Much like the house itself, every inch of this richly ornate book is packed with innovative ideas for small-space living. Discover foldable sections that create individual wings with custom-built wardrobes, desks, chairs and a vanity. Explore a bathroom complete with a composting toilet and a folding sink, and even a guest bed. Barcelou and Batchelder also share the everyday joys of small-space living: creating storage in every nook and cranny, baking pies in their tiny kitchen with freshly gathered fruit and climbing into their dramatically curtained bed loft by candlelight.
Sumptuously designed and illustrated, this book offers a truly original perspective on small-space living.
Books can be purchased from the museum shop in advance and on the day of the talk. The authors will be available for a book signing and meet-and-greet after the talk.

Maple Strolls at Appleton Farms
2025-12-06 11:00 - 14:30 | Appleton Farms, 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA, 01938, United States
Sessions start at: 11, 12:15 & 1:30 Trustees Members $12/Nonmembers $20
Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!
Experience a leisurely stroll along our country farm roads and past several historic landscapes to our Appleton maple grove. You’ll learn some of the history of maple sugaring as well as the science behind what makes maple sap run in our trees. The stroll concludes with a visit to our sugar shack where you will see firsthand how we turn the collected sap into our delicious Appleton maple syrup!
Be sure to wear weather appropriate clothing and boots or shoes that are appropriate for hiking in potentially wet and muddy spots or over uneven hilly terrain. All Maple Strolls are weather permitting and will last approximately 1 hour, walking much of that time. We welcome all ages; however, information is geared towards those 10 and up. Have smaller kids? Check out our family geared maple programming, Maple in the Barnyard!
Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is strongly recommended.
We will have a food station open selling maple baked goods, snacks and treats from 12-3pm by the sugar shack. Make sure to stop by! No pizza service will be available. The Farm Store is open 10am-4pm where you can buy our very own syrup. Make sure to stop by!

Children's Maple in the Barnyard at Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA
2025-12-06 10:45 - 15:00 | Appleton Farms, 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA, 01938, United States
Sessions @ 10:45-11:30; 12-12:45; 1-1:45; 2:15-3:00
Trustees Member Adult: $9; Trustees Member Child: $9;
Nonmember Adult: $15; Nonmember Child: $15;
Children under 2 are free
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time to visit our barnyard animals!
This program is for families and will last approximately 45 minutes. Please dress for the weather as the program is held outdoors. Children over 12 may be better suited for our Adult Maple Strolls as the information at Maple in the Barnyard is geared towards a younger audience, however, all are welcome.
Looking for a more adult tour? Sign up for our Adult Maple Stroll instead!
Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is strongly recommended.
We will have a food station open selling maple baked goods, snacks and treats from 11:30-3pm by the sugar shack. The Farm Store is open 10am-4pm where you can buy our very own syrup. Make sure to stop by!
