Top Holiday Events in Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill is in full holiday season mode, with events happening throughout December. Whether you are a stag, a doe, or a family with a bunch of little fawns, there are plenty of events to fill your Holiday Season with local cheer. Here are some of the happenings on the hill this holiday.

Annual Carol Night Concert- Dec. 2

is hosting a free night of caroling and holiday lights display Dec. 2, for its 35th Annual Carol Night Concert.

Undergraduate students will take part in an all-night decorating extravaganza the night before to glitz up the campus for the concert. For the concert itself, there will be student performances by the Wind and Jazz Ensemble, the Hill Singers and the Men’s Singing Group that will include holiday favorites and a visit from Santa.

If you go: The concert is in the Rotunda at St. Joseph’s Hall at Chestnut Hill College, 9601 Germantown Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

Holiday House Tour- Dec. 3

From Moreland Avenue to Rex Avenue, five Chestnut Hill homes will be decking the halls to support the Chestnut Hill Community Association. For the better part of the last decade, this tour has been an annual event on the hill, drawing hundreds of holiday tourists.

Local designers, shops and florists participate, as well as volunteers and garden group to put together a quintet of Winter Wonderlands in the neighborhood. A map of the tour houses will be available at registration, and a trolley car will be available to take guests from house to house.

If you go: The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and reservations are $35. CHCA members can purchase tickets for $30. Registration is at , 8300 Germantown Ave., where maps and wristbands will be distributed. Reservations can be made by phone at 215-248-8810 or online at www.chestnuthill.org.

Holiday Garden Railway- Through Dec. 31

popular garden railway display is back. The model railroad is aglow with Christmas and winter décor, as the train travels through the miniature winter village.

Morris Arboretum will have extended hours through December, remaining open until 5 p.m. each day.

If you go: Morris Arboretum is located at 100 E. Northeastern Ave. The railway display is free with admission to the arboretum. See full admission prices here. The display is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day.

A Dickens of a Christmas- Dec. 3 through Dec. 11

Chestnut Hill is embracing Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday by transforming the town into a Victorian-era Christmas village, with events inspired by the beloved author. Carolers will be out, Dickens’ stories will be told and restaurants and shops are getting in on the action.

Some of the events include a Dickens Tea with Scrooge at , a Dickensian menu at , and readings from “A Christmas Carol” at .

If you go: .

Stag and Doe Nights- Dec. 7, 14 and 21

Weekends are so packed during the holiday season, whether you are traveling, going to holiday parties, or frantically getting your shopping done. But things often slow down during the week. Get rid of that mid-week melancholy with Chestnut Hill’s Stag and Doe night, running Wednesday nights in December. Roasted chestnuts will be available at the Visitor Center, carolers will be out on the avenue, and a free shuttle will be stopping at shops and restaurants along the avenue.

If you go: along Germantown Avenue run from 6 – 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, Dec. 7, 14 and 21.