Christmas, Holiday Events In Framingham: Tree Lighting, Holiday Market

FRAMINGHAM, MA — There is no shortage of things to do in Framingham 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 lightings in Framingham including the city's annual event at City Hall.

In addition to the tree lighting, which will take place on City Hall plaza, the Holiday Block Party will also return along a portion of Union Ave, which will be closed to traffic. The event will be held outdoors and run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, officials said.

Another way to get in the holiday spirit is Framingham High School's annual holiday market.

The market is scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Framingham High School, 115 A St.
For over a decade, the market has been a one-stop shop for holiday gifts and shopping, but it also serves as a fundraiser for the Framingham High School Parent Teacher Booster Organization.

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; the Target Holidazzle Parade in Minneapolis; and the Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, California.