The 7 Best Vermont Events This Week: December 18-25, 2024 | Seven Days

Do the Locomotion

Saturday 21 & Sunday 22

All aboard! Families hop on the Okemo Valley Holiday Express at Chester Depot for an hourlong adventure through bucolic landscapes. As winter wonderland scenes zip by, passengers enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, caroling, coloring — and maybe evena visit from that certain special someone with a big, white beard.

Lilies of the Valley

Friday 20

Brattleboro roots band Low Lily bring their winter solstice concert to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater for a warm, joyful ushering in of the year’s shortest day. The performance showcases the trio’s talents in mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo, as well as its infectious, high-energy stage presence — sure to brighten up even the darkest of December nights.

Spinning Yarns

Thursday 19

Local “social entrepreneur” Samara Anderson hosts Vermont Library Storytelling: Best of 2024 at the South Burlington Public Library auditorium — where neighbors step into the spotlight à la “The Moth” to share true, vulnerable narratives. The event is part of Anderson’s much larger statewide effort to bring a community storytelling platform to all 185 public libraries.

Pride and Presents

Through Sunday 22

Shaker Bridge Theatre’s charming production of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, at Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, is a yuletide sequel to Jane Austen’s novel of manners Pride and Prejudice. Audiences can expect to encounter Mr. and Mrs. Darcy — as well as fresh faces such as Cassie, the eager maid, and Brian, the lovesick footman.

Horsing Around

Friday 20

The Opera House at Enosburg Falls rolls out the red carpet for an exclusive screening of Khoa Le’s freshly released romance dramedy, Christmas Cowboy. The movie’s cast and crew sit side by side with excited locals to take in the Hallmarkesque flick that was filmed right here in Vermont — including a few scenes shot at the historic opera house itself.

Flurry of Fun

Friday 20

BarnArts’ original concert “Winter Carols” at First Universalist Church and Society in Barnard summons magic and wonder through music. In keeping with the org’s mission to enrich rural communities through participatory arts, Michael Zsoldos directs local talent of all ages in works centered on the season of solstice — including some festive audience sing-alongs.

Gifts From the Art

Ongoing

The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery’s annual “Small and Large Works” exhibition in Burlington boosts the holiday shopping experience by showcasing gift-size artworks by 130 local artisans. All pieces are either smaller than 12 inches or larger than 24 inches and come ready to wrap — with prices to suit all budgets.