Lauren Stewart
Reporter
The 6th annual New Canaan Holiday Stroll will be held tonight and tomorrow. The festivities will begin at 6 pm today with the arrival of Santa Claus, who will kick off the annual lighting of the town trees. Store hours will be extended for late evening shopping. There will also be complementary refreshments and live entertainment. The evening will come to a close at 9 pm. The celebration will continue on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Patrons can stop by to have their photo taken with Santa. A variety of Christmas characters will also be featured at the event including Santa’s elves, gingerbread men and Santa’s reindeer. Other highlights are the waffle cabin (which will serve waffles all night), the gingerbread tour, and Christmas carolers from The Studio.
“The Holiday Stroll is really fun because it’s really Christmassy, and it’s the first time I feel the holiday spirit and get into the Christmas mode,” juniorMaddie Atchue said, who will be a featured singer during the Stroll. Other student performers include junior Kylie Pulkownik and sophomore Eliza Ranieri.
The Chamber of Commerce is the force behind the Holiday Stroll. Their Executive Director, Tucker Murphy, said the event is a fun way to spread holiday cheer. “The Holiday Stroll is the official kickoff for the holiday season, and since Christmas is a quintessential holiday for New England, New Canaan is a great place to host it,” he said. The Chamber has been meeting every Thursday morning at 8 am for the past 6 months to plan this event.
Be sure to bundle up because temperatures will linger in the low forties. Admission to the Holiday Stroll is free.
