CONNECTICUT — The quiet stretch between Christmas and New Year’s is anything but dull in Connecticut. With schools on break and families looking for ways to get out of the house, towns across the state are rolling out kid-friendly programs, glowing light displays, museum activities, and creative ways to ring in the new year early — or right at midnight. From owls in Mystic to trolley rides in East Windsor and countdown celebrations from Torrington to Hartford, this weekend (Dec. 26–28, with New Year’s Eve events close behind) offers plenty of reasons to bundle up and explore.

In Mystic, nature lovers can spend Friday, Dec. 26, learning about one of the region’s most fascinating nocturnal creatures during Vacation Day: All About Owls at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. Designed for kids on school break, the program introduces participants to local owl species through hands-on activities, live animal presentations, and outdoor exploration. It’s a great option for families looking to balance holiday downtime with educational fun.

Over in Greenwich, the Bruce Museum is hosting Once Upon a Museum: Winter Storytime from Friday through Sunday, Dec. 26–28. Held each morning, the program combines seasonal storytelling with museum exploration, offering young children a calm, creative start to the day. Parents can expect winter-themed books, light activities, and a welcoming introduction to museum spaces that keeps little listeners engaged without overwhelming them.

For families seeking something festive after dark, East Windsor is glowing thanks to Winterfest & the Winter Tunnel of Lights at the Connecticut Trolley Museum. Running on select dates including Dec. 26–28, the event features illuminated displays, holiday décor, and nighttime trolley rides through a sparkling tunnel of lights. The experience blends transportation history with holiday spectacle, making it a unique winter outing for all ages.

Meanwhile, Meriden continues its long-running seasonal tradition with the Festival of Silver Lights at Hubbard Park, which remains on display through Jan. 2. The expansive park is transformed by thousands of white lights wrapped around trees, lining walkways, and reflecting off the park’s lake. Visitors can drive through or park and stroll, making it one of the state’s most accessible and popular holiday light displays.

As the weekend gives way to New Year’s Eve, Connecticut towns are preparing celebrations that range from family-friendly to full-scale citywide events. In Hartford, First Night Hartford 2026 takes over downtown on Tuesday, Dec. 31. This alcohol-free celebration features live music, dance, comedy, ice skating, fireworks, and activities spread across multiple indoor and outdoor venues. It’s one of the state’s largest New Year’s Eve events and a longtime tradition for families and night owls alike.

For those with younger children who won’t make it to midnight, Torrington offers KidsPlay Countdown on Dec. 31. Hosted by the KidsPlay Children’s Museum, the event allows kids to celebrate the new year with games, activities, and a countdown timed just for them. It’s festive without being overwhelming and lets families enjoy the excitement of New Year’s Eve without late-night fatigue.

Another early celebration takes place in East Lyme, where Countdown to Noon gives families a chance to ring in the new year before lunchtime. With music, activities, and a midday countdown, the event is tailored to younger children who want the thrill of a New Year’s celebration without staying up past bedtime.

Altogether, this post-holiday weekend highlights the best of Connecticut’s winter programming: educational nature programs, calm museum mornings, glowing light displays, and creative countdowns that meet families where they are. Whether you’re exploring owls in Mystic, riding a trolley through lights in East Windsor, listening to stories in Greenwich, or planning ahead for a New Year’s countdown in Hartford, Torrington, or East Lyme, there’s no shortage of ways to close out 2025 and step into 2026 with a sense of wonder.

Maine’s two oldest towns, Kittery and York, have resolved a centuries-old dispute over their borders.

The issue dates back to the 1600s but reemerged a few years ago after a land developer purchased a parcel of land along Route 1 that straddles the boundary between the two towns.

York officials contended the border was a straight line, while Kittery argued that the divide meandered eastward from neighboring Eliot to Brave Boat Harbor on the coast.

The dispute between the two towns remained friendly — with residents of both towns making tongue-in-cheek references to a “border war” — until 2022, when York filed a lawsuit against Kittery in an effort to redraw the border. But the lawsuit was soon dismissed by a York County judge.

Now, over three and a half years later, the two towns have reached an agreement on a new boundary that the Maine Legislature is expected to officially approve in 2026.

The revised boundary was drawn up after a 2024 survey, the cost of which was split by both towns.

The proposed agreement follows roughly the same border both towns had been using, save for an added 4 acres of land designated for tree growth that will officially shift from York to Kittery.

York Town Manager Peter Thompson said officials are thrilled to have finally reached an agreement.

“ People that have been at this a lot longer than I have are very happy that this is kind of the last piece,” he said.

Kittery Town Council Chair Judy Spiller likewise said she is pleased to put the dispute to bed.

“It was our belief that we could sit down and sort this out,” she said. “Finally, the Select Board agreed with us that we should get the land surveyed, and then based on the results of the survey, we would ask the state Legislature to approve the new boundary line.”

The dispute initially arose in 2020 after a survey paid for by the developer indicated the true border was actually 333 feet south of the border both towns had been observing for much of their history.

York officials said a straight-line border had been established in 1652. Kittery disagreed and argued that the process to change the border would be an expensive and complicated one that could affect several families and businesses.

In 2020, Spiller defended the boundary line the towns had been following in a letter to the York Selectboard.

“In any event, the Town of Kittery will vigorously protect and defend her borders against any and all claims now, or in the future,” she wrote.

While any boundary change would not have altered property ownership, some officials feared it could prompt major changes to affected residents’ taxes and where they would send their children to school.

But the final agreement will have limited impact, officials from both towns said.

The 4 acres that are changing hands are wooded wetlands that won’t be developed.

And Thompson said the taxes for the affected property owners will only increase by a dollar or two.

Considering Kittery and York’s friendly histories with each other, Thompson said he’s glad the neighbors have finally put an end to the dispute.

“ The people of Kittery were great to work with,” he said. “Once we got over the initial rough patch there, it’s been fantastic.”

Christmas tree farmers across Massachusetts had their own kind of Black Friday this year. On Nov. 28, Governor Maura Healey dubbed the day “Green Friday,” a push to kick off the holiday season while spotlighting the state’s Christmas tree and nursery industries.

While shoppers elsewhere woke before dawn to map out traffic-free routes, scour deals, and stack lawn chairs in car trunks to claim a place in line, farmers were already in the thick of a different kind of rush — one that had been years in the making.

The Christmas tree season, after all, begins long before the holidays arrive. For Meagan MacNeill, the new co-owner of River Wind Tree Farm in Lancaster, this year marked her very first season in the business. And as it turned out, she was unprepared, she said.

Customers began gathering at 9 a.m., an hour before opening, eager to flood the fields and begin their search for the perfect tree. It was all-hands on deck for the MacNeills; Meagan assembled both her immediate and extended family to help out.

The season began and closed in a flash. They sold out of cut-your-own trees the very next day, on Saturday, Nov. 29, and of pre-cut trees two weekends later.

The one word Meagan used to describe the season? “Insanity,” she said without missing a beat.

“I think it’s a new Olympic sport, getting the biggest and best Christmas tree,” she added with a laugh.

The challenges

The MacNeills are one of 459 Christmas tree farms across the state, which operate on nearly 3,000 acres of land and contribute more than $4.5 million to the local economy every year.

Like MacNeill, many farmers sold out of trees quicker this year than in years past (particularly since before the pandemic), according to David Morin, the communications liaison and former president of the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association. He also owns Arrowhead Acres in Uxbridge, a Christmas tree farm and wedding venue.

Pre-pandemic, he was open for four weekends: Thanksgiving weekend, plus the three following it. He doubled his sales in 2020 during the pandemic. Now, he’s struggling to meet demand with a lower inventory.

“I was lucky to make it through two weekends. I actually shut down early on the second weekend because I didn’t have enough trees,” he said. 

It’s not just that individual farms are struggling to meet demand, but that the number of farms nationally are dwindling. Between 2002 and 2022, the number of farms growing Christmas trees fell by nearly 30%, down from more than 13,600 to about 10,000, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, an agricultural organization.

Why are there fewer farms? Illan Kessler, who operates North Pole Xmas Trees, a wholesale grower in Colebrook, New Hampshire and choose-and-cut Noel’s Tree Farm in Litchfield, attributed the decline to farmers aging out of the industry. This, coupled with a lack of interest from the next generation to continue the business, means fewer farms.

“They get older, and then no one takes over, so there’s less and less tree farms,” he said.

It takes between seven and 10 years to grow a Christmas tree. Farmers are competing not just with national chains like Home Depot or Walmart — which “are super-influencers when it comes to price,” Kessler said — but also with artificial Christmas tree suppliers. 

“The artificial Christmas tree companies make so much revenue that they have a marketing budget that eclipses — at a magnitude of thousands-to-one — what real Christmas tree growers have to promote and market their own products,” Kessler added.

Prices of trees have gone up this year compared to last too, driven by inflation and tariffs along with a dwindling labor force and increasing costs of seedlings and machinery, Kessler and Morin said.

Morin likened being a Christmas tree farmer to a “love-hate” relationship. 

“The week after you’ve sold the trees, you’re in love with them. But for the other 11 months of the year, if it isn’t gypsy moths or caterpillars or one kind of a bug or another, or lack of rain or too much rain, it’s a constant hassle,” he said.

But despite it all, they wouldn’t give it up for the world.

“It’s like a Hallmark movie,” said Kessler. “We love selling Christmas trees, and we are super grateful to be in this business. I feel so blessed. I love what I do,” he added.

Joy to the world

Meagan and Steven MacNeill had dreamed of owning a Christmas tree farm in Vermont when they were newlyweds, but life got in the way. Before becoming farmers, Meagan worked as a school counselor, and Steven worked as a pharmacist — a job he still holds full time, she said.

“I knew, for me in particular, the traditional kind of 9-to-5 job didn’t feel right,” she said. She started working at a garden center and volunteering at an alpaca farm in Harvard on Sundays to satisfy the itch to be outdoors working in nature. Her husband later joined her at the alpaca farm, and it became their Sunday morning tradition for almost two years.

The couple bought River Wind Tree Farm in June from the Wareck family, fulfilling their two-decades-old dream to be Christmas tree farmers. 

But it wasn’t the fairy tale they had dreamed it to be. From learning to identify the farm’s many tree varieties — including exotic Christmas trees such as Nordmann fir, Korean balsam, and noble fir — to navigating drought and pest pressures, the experience was as much a challenge as it was a labor of love for the MacNeill family.

“The way the season looked was kind of a crapshoot because we had no idea what we were doing,” Meagan laughed. “It’s been a big learning curve for us. We still have a ton to learn.”

The MacNeills plan on adding alpacas to the farm next year, and are getting creative on keeping revenue flowing outside of the Christmas tree season by holding photoshoots at the farm.

Despite the arduous work, whirlwind season, years of preparation, and fierce competition, Meagan is grateful to be in the industry — and she’s not looking back.

For many Christmas tree farmers, herself included, the pull is hard to define. It’s rooted in community, tradition, and the simple joy of bringing people together for the holidays.

“It’s the joy of people coming to pick out their Christmas tree, and even having my family be a part of it,” Meagan said. “People coming out and just connecting to the land for a little while, or being with their family, and having these traditions that are not centered around electronics, but just being present. It’s so special.”