I'd been wanting to go to the Nantucket Christmas Stroll for years, and I'm happy to report that last month, I finally went! My friends and I wanted to go last year, but we didn't know then that the ferries for Stroll weekend get booked weeks and even months in advance, so it was a no-go (literally!). We were wiser this year and booked our ferry tickets in October. It was a slightly different group from last year because not everyone could go this time, but it was still just as fun. We went to the Cape on Friday, spent time in Chatham, slept at my house, spent all of Saturday on Nantucket, and went home Saturday night. It was pretty action-packed!
Festive, pretty things in Chatham...
Straight out of a Christmas movie!
Meredith seriously thought the sign in the window read "Men's Night: Ripped and Ready" 😂. It actually said "Wrapped and Ready," probably for a Christmas gift-wrapping service. I prefer the former. 😜
Shopping (I actually didn't buy a single thing!)
Someday if/when I live at the Cape permanently, I'd like to get a driftwood tree.
I liked how our coats were all hung up together like this.
Cute Anna!
On Saturday morning, Victorian carolers were singing as we boarded the ferry to sail to Nantucket. What a festive welcome to the island, and we weren't even there yet!
It was worth it to get there early. This ferry was packed a little while later with every seat taken.
We got a table and sat together, which was fun for the hour-long ride.
Since we got to the island early, not all of the shops were open yet, so we went to this church where you could climb the (many) stairs to the top and check out the spectacular views of the island. They had really good hot apple cider too. 😋
I liked the Hershey kiss-shaped top of this door!
A cool bell on the way up
The aforementioned views
I'm a longtime fan of preppy plaids!
And preppy plaid bows are even better!
😍
A cute whale-themed tree by local school kids
The famous cobblestone streets of Nantucket
This guy won the ugly sweater contest, and probably pretty easily, too!
Some of my friends were lucky enough to get a picture with him/it ("it" being the sweater, which was an entity unto itself!).
There were some funky holiday men's cords at Murray's!
I resisted the temptation to get a pair (lol) and splurged a bit on a beautiful summer skirt instead.
Now that's a Jeep with dedication to the island!
We ate an early lunch in order to avoid waiting forever to get in somewhere later. That was a smart move!
The town crier came in while we were there, which was fun.
Check out that huge scarf!
Jenny and Mr. Rogers 😄
An ivy-covered storefront
Marjorie, me, and Anna (the other Anna--there are two of them!)
This house was particularly cool because of its lovely ivy-covered stairwell and clever name ("Lazy Faire" = "Laissez-faire" in French--which is a political philosophy that I happen to agree with, by the way!).
Another pretty church
And another pretty house. There are lots of them on Nantucket!
I love a good front porch!
We went to the Festival of Trees at the Whaling Museum. It was nice but we were rushed because they were closing earlier than we realized, so we couldn't meander at leisure as much as we would have liked. And no time for the gift shop! 😒
Being a longtime fan of newspapers and now working with them in one of my jobs, I especially appreciated this tree!
Nautical rope (and knots...knotical knots! Yeah I know, my cleverness knows no bounds. 😆)
Cute ornaments
A driftwood star
Bright yellow and lemons are unusual to see on a Christmas tree. I liked it!
This whale skeleton is so cool.
A Mary Poppins tree!
There were also several beautiful illuminated stained glass villages on display.
And last but not least, a book-themed tree (I think). Very creative!
"A Nantucket 'Bound' Christmas"
On the rooftop of the Museum with Sara, Jenny, Meredith, and Marjorie
So festive!
Two trees with reflections shimmering on the water 😍
Sara and I on the ferry ride back to the mainland
When we got back to the house, Meredith quickly got ready for a "snow ball" at M.I.T. with her husband up in Boston. And away she went!
The rest of us left shortly after that to go home.
It was a fun weekend! I give the Nantucket Stroll about eight stars out of ten based on my experience. I wish it had more food and drink options, and I wish we'd known to dress up in fun Christmas gear, which I'll do next time. The Whaling Museum should also stay open later. But overall, it was a really fun way to welcome in the season. I'd definitely like to go again!
I bought this commemorative ornament, which I later realized was very similar to the heart-shaped wreath I'd seen earlier in the day (see above, way above! 😄 Lots of pictures in this post!)
