By Anthony Barrows
With finals bearing down on us, you may not be thinking about all the wintertime fun to be had around Boston and Cambridge. Although you may be dreading the cold and ice and snow, New England is a fine place to spend the months when Persephone returns to Hades,’ so embrace. Below are a few classic local diversions for your winter break. Enjoy the holidays!
The Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker
Great for adults or kids, this iconic holiday production tells the story of a young girl’s magical Christmas journey. This year’s run will last through Dec. 30 at the beautifully-restored Boston Opera House, which anchors the quickly-revitalizing theatre district.
Ice Skating on Boston Common
Another activity for all ages, Bostonians have long enjoyed gilding around the frozen frog pond. What is a kiddie pool in the summer turns into a public rink in the winter with skate rentals and concessions on site.
Boston Celtics Basketball Game
Although Boston is known as a drinking town with a baseball problem, the Celtics and Bruins were the only ones winning anything for a long time. With the NHL on strike, however, there will only be basketball at the TD Garden this winter. Check out the team with the most NBA championships in that long slog between football and baseball season.
Snow Sports
www.wachusett.com; www.skinashoba.com; ski-bluehills.com
New England’s got nothing on the Alps or the Rockies, but there are still plenty of spots to ski and snowboard. Wachusett Mountain has a 1000 foot vertical just over an hour away. The Nashoba Valley and Blue Hills ski areas are more vertically modest, but also closer – Blue Hills is less than a 30 minute drive.
Edaville Railroad
This one is especially for the kiddos. An hour south of Cambridge, Edaville is an amusement park in cranberry country centered around a narrow gauge railway. Children from across New England flock there in the winter for a ride around the park covered in holiday lights.
First Night
Born in Boston in 1976, First Night is a citywide New Year’s Eve celebration. With a parade, dozens of art exhibitions, musical performances and ice sculptures everywhere, First Night has something for everyone. Buy a button and get access to all of the events.