😛🎄 Boston’s holiday motto: GET LIT!

🍪 A comprehensive list of Boston’s best cookies doesn’t exi—  We stand corrected after reading Boston.com’s lineup of the best cookies in Greater Boston (there are 52!). Our only critique: Why did no one tell us about Michette’s black sesame orange cookie sooner?!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Boston’s about to have a major glow up … Literally. 

We’re flipping the switch on holiday lights across the city, so here’s your cheat sheet to the brightest classics, wildest newcomers, and hidden gems to add to your holiday social calendar:

🎄 If you love the classics … We probably don’t need to tell you about the Boston Common tree-lighting ceremony. But just in case … It's slated for Dec. 4 at 7:55 p.m., with the Comm. Ave. Mall and Charlesgate Park lightings happening 20 minutes later at 8:15 p.m. Other classics include: The Martin’s Park ship lighting on Nov. 29 and the Copley Square tree lighting on Dec. 1 — which just so happens to be the grand reopening of Copley Square post-glow up.

🚀 If you prefer your holiday lights to … fly(?) … How about a holiday drone show on the Common? These sky-high displays land on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, 13, and 20 as part of Boston’s Frostival celebration — the city’s attempt to be a *winter destination*. Said drones will launch from the corner of Boylston and Charles Streets, turning the whole park into a front-row seat.

❄️ If you love a good hidden gem …  Meet: SOLSTICE at Mount Auburn Cemetery, the country’s first landscaped cemetery turned into a glowing art walk. Picture: Gorgeous, winding paths and historic architecture, all splashed in a stunning light show that looks something like this (wild, right?). Tickets go fast! So snag them early here.

✨ If you love over-the-top decorations … Somerville Illuminations was made for you. This wacky light show puts the city’s creative, quirky spirit on full display. See: This house that’s single-handedly fueling Home Depot’s holiday department. It’ll be ready to rock Dec. 12, so keep tabs on the interactive map to DIY your own walking, driving, or biking tour. 

🎡 If you prefer your holiday lights as a supporting actor … Boston Winter Fest is your gal. Charlestown’s Hood Park transforms into a winter carnival on select December weekends with all the proper winter carnival attractions. Think: A life-size light-up ice castle, carnival-style games, and this ferris wheel you’ve definitely seen from I-93. Grab tickets here!

🛍️ If you need an excuse to visit the Snowport … Head to Light Up Seaport on Dec. 5 to see the city’s tallest holiday tree a-glow. Bonus: If you flash your Insider VIP status at the Seaport Insider tent, you can get a Betty the Yeti beanie (while supplies last). While you’re there, mark your calendar for the Snowport’s annual menorah lighting on Dec. 21

💛 🖤 Forget shopping on Newbury Street — the real action this Black Friday is at the ProShop powered by ’47. Doors open at 8 a.m. on November 28 with a 30% off power hour (8–9 a.m.), followed by 20% off from 9–10 a.m. Expect $150 Bruins Authentics mystery sticks, doorbusters hotter than a Pastrňák slap shot, and giveaways for tickets, signed gear, and more. Mark your calendar and grab a jersey for the Bruins fan in your life.

💉 Do NOT trust the CDC on vaccines. At least that’s according to Boston’s Public Health Commissioner. The federal health agency raised major eyebrows last week when it updated its vaccine safety webpage to say, “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism." Yikes. So Boston’s top doc made it crystal clear to residents: “the statements on the CDC’s webpage are now false” and “the CDC is no longer a reliable and trustworthy source of information regarding vaccination” under the Trump administration.

🤑 “Cheapflation” is making dupes feel less like deals. Sticker shock definitely feels a little less … shocking … thanks to our bout of post-pandemic inflation. But that inflation actually hit cheaper products harder than premium brands: A recent study found that prices for the cheapest product brands in the U.S. rose by 30% between 2020 and 2024, while their counterparts in the priciest tier climbed just 22%. Translation: Deals don’t pack the same punch as they used to, which can make a splurge feel like, well … less of a splurge.

😋 Out: WFH. In: WF … a cafe? And you won’t need much convincing after seeing this new remote work foodie deal at the family-owned Luxor Cafe in Cambridge. The pitch: From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Friday, you can get breakfast or lunch, plus UNLIMITED small drinks, for just $24.95. Important: Their Biscoff French toast, shakshuka, AND roast beef sammie are all fair game. Not in Cambridge? Friendly reminder that Shybird has a similar work from Shybird deal at their Southie and Fenway locations.

⛸️ PSA: The Frog Pond is open for ice skating!!! That said, they told us it’s going to be a little touch-and-go for the next few days because the ice is still thin. Your best bet is visiting later in the day when temps drop for a harder freeze. Admission is free for folks under 4-foot-10 and $12 for anyone taller (probs most of you reading this), and adult skate rentals are $18. Fun fact: The Skating Club of Boston offers learn-to-skate programs for rink newbies of all ages, which = learning to skate on the Frog Pond!

Enter to win two tickets to an upcoming Quincy MA Presidential Food Tour on a Sunday from 12 to 2 p.m. Tour must be booked by June 2026. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Nov. 25, 2025. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

If there’s one thing we love at The B-Side, it’s *mess*. 

So we put together a fun game on Instagram where you can build your own Boston Thanksgiving table — and let’s just say, the guest list is a little ~chaotic~. 

The rules are simple: Pick a person (or thing) from each row and drop the letter/number combo in the comments. Emily’s pick? C3Z7, i.e., Karen Read, the Coldplaygate couple, an Allston rat, and Bova’s cannoli. Claire went with the chaotic-good special of C4Y8 (Karen Read, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Wally, and a fluffernutter).

But the real magic is the comments. One reader went straight BBBB (four Drake Mayes), while THE Stop & Shop picked Big Papi, Matt and Ben, and … Stop & Shop (not an option, but we’ll let it slide). 

Pick your Turkey Day table draft here!

— Written by Emily Schario

🐀 Thanks for reading! Still thinking about the girl who picked four Allston rats.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, The Boston Bruins, for supporting local journalism and the fans who bleed black and gold. 

🚗 The results are in: It looks like most B-Siders are either hitting the road or staying put for Turkey Day, but not flying. One stood on business: “Hosting Thanksgiving afternoon and expecting people out by 9 >>>.” And that’s on boundaries!

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].