🎄✨ It’s time to get LIT

It’s Monday, Boston.

🤩 Boston finally got its own celeb look-alike contest. A crowd of people gathered Sunday on the Common to decide who looks the most like Tom Holland. And yeah, they all had to dance to “Umbrella.” 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• MBTA shutdowns aren’t … ending?

• The C’s in the White House

• Free coffee, with a twist

Up first…

OUT & ABOUT

Boston’s about to get lit

Whoever said “the best way to spread holiday cheer is singing loud for all to hear” has clearly never seen the Common’s tree lighting ceremony.

But that’s just one of Boston's many holiday light displays, which officially kick off today. Here’s a guide to all the best lights around the city:

🎄 We’ll start with the classics. And this week is full of them. The trellis at Christopher Columbus Park will be lit a fashionable blue at 5 p.m TONIGHT. Faneuil Hall’s tree will follow Nov. 26, marking the occasion with music, holiday performances, and most importantly, ice cream and cocoa. The iconic Boston Common tree will be lit up on Dec. 5 at about 7:55 p.m., and 20 minutes later, the 200-odd trees on the Comm. Ave. Mall and Charlesgate Park will follow. Between them all, that’s well over 365,000 individual lights! Plus, Mayor Michelle Wu will be taking the annual enchanted trolley tour from Dec. 7 to 8, lighting holiday trees across the city.

💡 But we can’t forget the new classics. On Nov. 30, we’ve got the first of two nautical holiday displays with the ship lighting at Martin’s Park at 5:45 p.m., featuring holiday programming and treats. Dec. 6 will see Seaport’s annual “Light Up Seaport” event. The lights turn on at 7:30 p.m. following holiday performances (including our friends Divine Sweater). Then we round out the nautical-themed lighting ceremonies at 4:45 p.m. Dec. 8 on the U.S.S. Constitution.

🪩 Want to shake it up this year? If you can swing a 20-minute drive, head to the Stone Zoo in Stoneham for its Zoo Lights extravaganza, where the zoo transforms into a holiday wonderland. No car? Somerville’s Illuminations Tour is a solo or guided bike tour of the area’s funkiest lights (the official map drops Dec. 12). And last but not least, SOLSTICE, Mount Auburn Cemetery's winter light experience a.k.a. a huge, immersive outdoor winter light and sound show, is from Dec. 7 to 21, but Dec. 10 is pay-what-you-want night.

🚘 For the biggest show of all, you’re gonna need to drive to Foxborough. And don’t stop when you get there because Gillette’s massive Magic of Lights show is a drive-through holiday light experience open through Dec. 25. If you book it now, you can get in for just $20 a car. If that one isn’t speaking to you, there are similar options on the South Shore and in Rhode Island.

🚶All that said, you can always just hit the sidewalk. If you want the most bang for your buck, check out all the biggies in one night by following this holiday lights trail.

QUICK QUESTION

🎁 Which holiday pop-up would you like us to review for B-Side Certified?

TOGETHER WITH THE MBTA COMMUTER RAIL 

Give thanks for stress-free fall adventures

🍁🛤️ Planning a post-Turkey Day getaway? Let the Commuter Rail handle the driving while you enjoy some well-deserved downtime. Whether it’s a family day at the zoo, a thrift trip for vintage treasures, or a taste of Providence’s best bites, we’ve rounded up a list of car-free adventures that can help you savor the final stretch of fall in New England. Plus, with the $10 Holiday Weekend pass, you can get unlimited travel on all weekend (Thursday through Sunday) for the price of one pumpkin spiced latte. Grab Commuter Rail tickets today and make the most of your long weekend. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚇 If the end of T shutdown szn sounds too good to be true ... it is. According to MBTA GM Phillip Eng, T shutdowns will continue into 2025. Why? Even though we’re still on track to say goodbye to slow zones by the end of the year, several lines still need shutdown-worthy work on signal infrastructure. Before you throw your phone at a wall, the 2025 shutdowns probably won’t be as bad in “scope or duration” as this year’s, but we won’t know the full extent till early December. 

🏘️ Gov. Maura Healey is cracking down on the shelter system (again). Gov. Healey announced Mass. will seek to shorten the limit on shelter stays for the second time this year, and phase out the use of hotels and motels. Starting Dec. 10, the state will assign each applicant family one of two tracks for their stay: 30 days (with some extensions possible) or six months. This is the latest in a long series of steps Healey’s taken to address the state’s growing shelter crisis — although FWIW, not everyone’s on board.

🌧️ Mother Nature is throwing a wrench into our Thanksgiving plans. Specifically, in the form of a potential nor’easter from Thanksgiving night into Friday. The forecast’s severity is still up in the air, but most New Englanders can expect a mix of rain, gusty wind, and snow that’ll likely be enough to impact travel plans on the road and in the sky. That said, here in Boston, we’re likely looking at rain and wind, while western Mass. and northern New England may see some snow or ice. Keep up with the latest here.

🏆 The C’s took a trip to D.C. The Celtics stopped by the White House last Thursday to be honored by President Joe Biden in commemoration of their 18th banner. By all accounts, it was delightful. The team got all dressed up, heard a speech from the President — who even dropped a few Celtics stats in his speech — chatted with him in small groups (though some players were more interested in the Secret Service), and, according to D White, sipped on some “unbelievable” apple cider.  

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🎄Give a warm welcome to Boston’s holiday tree. The 45-foot-tall white spruce is scheduled to make her grand entrance on the Common at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Say “thank you, Nova Scotia!”

🎈Pop a balloon in the name of love. That’s literally what’s going down Tuesday at The Mix’s Single in the City event, where connections are just a pop away. 

🦃 Put the FRIENDS in Friendsgiving. If you and your pals are still in town, head to Trident Wednesday for Friendgiving night. Expect lots of board games and the Thanksgiving episodes of “Friends.”

💃 Celebrate Thanksgiving eve three ways. You’ve got a classic bar crawl downtown, a night out at this iconic Dorchester bar, or this lit party at The Grand (in the clurb, we all turkeys). 

🎲 Kick off Thanksgiving break with a super chill game night. Board, card, video, trivia, and drinking games are on the menu at this “playing games” night Wednesday. Bonus: There will be drinks and snacks!

🏃 Pre-game Turkey Day with a 5k. Most turkey trots around Boston are booked, but there are some spots left for this 5k run in Watertown on Thanksgiving morning. 

🩰 Cheers the return of a Christmas classic. Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy re-enter the holiday chat at the kick-off of the Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” on Friday.

🎁 Visit New England’s largest indoor holiday market. The SoWa Winter Festival opens its doors for the season on Friday, featuring over 100 makers, artists, and designers, and more. 

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

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Celebrate love in the most unique way — gift your favorite couple a feature on Globe.com and Boston.com! Whether it’s their engagement story or a dreamy wedding day recap, this thoughtful present shares their moment with all of New England. It’s a holiday surprise that keeps their love shining for thousands to see. 💍🎁

Because their love deserves recognition!

Visit Boston.com/tag/weddings to purchase.

ONE LAST THING

(Almost) free coffee

A Mass. cafe went viral on TikTok for offering free coffee. Well, almost free. 

Coffee Milano Cafe in Middleborough advertised a promotion last week that offered a free cup of joe to any customer who came in and danced for five seconds. And the coffee fiends absolutely went off. By Thursday, over 8 million people had viewed this video the shop took of all the dancing customers. 

One did the moonwalk, one flossed, a couple slow-danced. But every single one looked absolutely thrilled to be doing it. Shop owner Josh Rashid said he was thrilled. “We still have a few customers coming in, dancing here and there randomly,” he said.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

☕ Thanks for reading! As one commenter said: “Humans are cute sometimes.” 

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, MBTA Commuter Rail, for supporting local journalism and making transportation in and around Boston more accessible. 

👸🏼The results are in: 64% of B-Siders said they definitely plan on seeing “Wicked.” But one slightly less excited reader said: “at this point … the color combo of green and pink puts me in fight or flight.”

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