Home for the Holidays Is Back―And Better Than Ever

The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!

Okay, so maybe only one redcoat is coming. But he's a popular one.

On Friday, Dec. 3, Santa Claus will arrive in regal splendor aboard one of Melrose's finest fire engines, ho-ho-hoing his way to the official start of the holiday season and the town's traditional holiday kick-off, the Home for the Holidays weekend. Scheduled to arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m., Santa will make an appearance shortly after music therapists cum carolers from Roman Music Therapy Services lead Melrosians down Main Street to the Melrose Y, where Mayor Dolan will flip the switch on downtown's holiday lights.

Although the Big Guy in Red will certainly be a main attraction, he'll be up against some stiff competition in the entertainment category. With A Charlie Brown Christmas playing at Re/Max Heritage, (7:30 p.m.; 536 Main St.), a donation-only yoga class at B Yoga  (around 7:00 p.m.; 537 Main St.), and the first of four performances (8:00 p.m.; Memorial Hall, 590 Main St.) of the Melrose Youth Ballet's 16th annual production of The Nutcracker, Main Street will be a mecca of holiday festivities. Add in the cider, coffee, and cookies that will abound at nearby local businesses, and it's a feast for both the eyes and the stomach. As Joan Ford Mongeau, executive director of the Melrose Chamber of Commerce, puts it, "It's a city-wide open house."

Expect to be looking for refreshments that are a little … stiffer? Swing by Beacon Hill Wine and Gourmet, where owners Gene and Rebecca Beraldi will be offering a tasting of three different California sparkling wines. (Then stop in the next day, when the band That Old Feeling will be playing music from the 1920s, 1930s,and 1940s. "Their music is just so festive, so beautiful," Rebecca Beraldi promises.)

Festivities, Take Two

If you survive the debauchery of Home for the Holidays first evening, be sure to rise nice and early on Saturday, Dec. 4, to take advantage of the second day of celebrations. And we mean early. The first annual Home for the Holidays Melrose Boot Camp (8 a.m.; Fred Green Track and Field, Tremont Street) will give you a fantastic way to work off the previous night's calories—and help out a good cause. Proceeds from the hour-long workout will benefit Housing Families, Inc. Adults of all fitness levels are encouraged to partake in this fun program of lunges, squats, jumping jacks, and a plethora of other heart-pumping activities.

Fill the ensuing calorie debt by stopping by the annual Home for the Holidays Pancake Breakfast at Melrose Wakefield Hospital (8:30 to 11 a.m., 585 Lebanon St.; call to reserve a seating). For $5 (or $1 for the ages 5–12 set, free for kids under 5),  you can indulge in pancakes, fruit, and beverages (and raffles!), plus support another good cause: the Family Resource Network, otherwise known as every new Melrose parent's dream come true.

Holiday Neighborhoods, Ahoy!

From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Beantown Trolleys will be running trolleys throughout town, one circuit covering the north side of Melrose and the other circuit covering the south side. Hop on for a free, warm ride to and from Melrose's various neighborhoods. For the first time ever, the town's Melrose business districts will be following holiday themes. Stopping by Essex Street, known for the day as Santa's Workshop? Be sure to have the kids pen a letter to Santa at  (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 12 Essex St.), then walk them over to Century 21 Sexton and Donahue (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 29 Essex St.), where a mailbox delivering direct to the North Pole will be ready and waiting.

"We'll have printed-out letter forms," Gryphon's owner Kim Carroll promises. "The kids can come in and write their letters to Santa. We'll have plenty of Santa's helpers, too."

Not to be outdone, the Melrose Highlands neighborhood will transform into the Land of the Nutcracker. At Corinthian Hall (11 a.m. to 3 p.n.; 523 Franklin St.), staff and members of Neighborhood Connections will host the first-ever Nutcracker Tea. Nearby, Salon Indulgence  (10 a.m. to 2 p.n.; 525 Franklin St.) will offer a nutcracker craft for Melrose's artsy kids.

Back by popular demand, the indoor nine-hole mini-golf course will once again take over the Highlands Nursery School at the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church (10 a.m. to 2 p.n.; 355 Franklin St.). "It's a lot of fun, and the kids, the families really enjoy it," said Paul Lind, the school's Interim Director. "It's been very successful, so we're going to stick with that."

All of Melrose's other business districts will also be hosting numerous Home for the Holidays events. Reindeer Rides will be back in force in Cedar Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.n., and the Melrose Public Library will treat kids to a special holiday craft. Back on Main Street, internationally acclaimed artist Cal Dray Dellaria will be making an appearance at Melrose newcomer Possessions Gallery (10:00AM to 4:00PM; 416 Main St).

In Oak Grove Village, Animal Adventures will hold a live-animal demonstration at 1:30 p.m., during which local kids can get hands-on with alligators and snakes (oh my!). At the other end of town, near Franklin Square (where Santa will be traveling by hayride), Brad Hutchinson Real Estate (193 Green St.) will once again host t-shirt making for kids, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "The kids can come right in, sit down, and choose and color a color-on. Then we iron them onto the t-shirt right there," explained Linda Hutchinson. "It's great. They have a good time."

For information on the more than 80 events taking place during Home for the Holidays, for Friday's events; for Saturday's events; and for even more Saturday events.