This holiday season, although certainly different, will continue to spread joy and cheer. All over town, residents are brainstorming creative ways to continue beloved annual Hingham traditions as well as create new ones in 2020. Although the popular Christmas in the Square is canceled this year due to safety concerns regarding COVID-19, there are still plenty of fun holiday events you do not want to miss. 

There will be several events taking place in downtown Hingham this holiday season in place of the 40 year tradition of Christmas in the Square. On Thursdays during the month of December, there will be fun holiday events including shopping and ice sculpture displays. You can shop for gifts on the 3rd, 10th and 17th as the local shops downtown will stay open until 8:00pm and play holiday music. Don’t forget to stop by downtown and snap a photo with holiday character cut outs, admire the decorations and drop a letter off to Santa in the mail box near La Petite Maison!

December 17th and 18th, the Luminaria Festival will take place downtown. The Luminaria Festival will light up downtown Hingham with candle bags and each bag will have a canned good to be donated to the Hingham Food Pantry. Individuals or Families can buy Luminaria bags for $20 and enjoy the festive decorations. Executive Director of the Hingham Downtown Association Lynn Barclay explains, “This holiday season it is more important than ever to show your support and shop local. With all the unique shops, downtown Hingham is the place for unusual gifts, beautiful clothing and a huge selection of home decor and other accessories.”

The Hingham Women’s Club will continue their annual tradition of The Festival of Trees. This year, the tradition will go virtual. Participants will be able to bid online on all of the items donated by sponsors. Each sponsor, whether a business or individual, decorates a tree and provides items for bidders to bid on. Pam Dubuc, Co-Chair of The Festival of Trees remarks, “we’ve been blown away by the community’s response! Through donations from local groups, families, and businesses we have nearly 40 trees for auction and a dozen raffles. Big themes for trees this year are shopping local and surviving winter in quarantine, and of course we have our old favorites like the Hit the Jackpot! lotto ticket tree and trees to spoil your furry friends”. The proceeds benefit The Hingham Women’s Scholarship Fund and Friends of the Homeless of the South Shore. Last year the festival raised $12,000 for the Friends of the Homeless of the South Shore. The festival will last from December 1 until December 5.  

The Hingham Holiday Fair is coming to an end as the pick-up date for many vendors is this Saturday the 21st. Many vendors and clubs will still be accepting orders into December. Several clubs and vendors, including The Harborlight, will arrange delivery or pick-up options for orders after the 21st of November. Junior class officer Cara Chiappinelli reiterates how important the Hingham Holiday Fair is to clubs at Hingham High School by saying, “Covid-19 has affected almost all of the classes and club’s fundraising opportunities, so the holiday fair is one of the only ways us students can make money for future events. Everyone would really appreciate it if you would take the time to at least browse some of our websites after the hard work we put into it! Make sure to especially check out the class of 2022 page!” The Holiday Fair is a great way to support local businesses and Hingham High School clubs or programs.

On December 5th, the Hingham Derby Street Shops will be hosting a socially-distant family holiday stroll from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. This is the perfect opportunity to shop for gifts for family and friends. Make sure to grab some fuel for shopping at your favorite restaurant or shop at the Hingham Derby Street Shops. There will be ice sculptures of characters from the movie Frozen and you will be able to take a picture with or high five Betty the Yeti. The Derby Street Shops also offer a holiday gift guide to aid you in your shopping. 

Recent Hingham High School graduate, Tony Achille, is spearheading a toy drive for patients at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Jimmy Fund Clinic. There will be several drop off locations where you can bring new unwrapped gifts until December 18th. The locations of these drop off sites are the Union Street High School Entrance, Pilgrim Skating Arena, and Boothby Performance. You are also welcome to donate via Venmo @Mission16 if you cannot make it to a drop off site. Tony explains in his Facebook post that “The holidays are looking a little different this year, but we are determined to bring smiles to the kids at The Jimmy Fund and Boston Children’s Hospital regardless!” Bring a smile to children’s faces this season by participating in a toy drive.  

There are many virtual and socially distant holiday events to choose from this year. These events are the perfect opportunity to support local businesses while embracing the holiday spirit. Although some traditions may look a little different, Covid-19 cannot stop holiday joy in Hingham.