LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Recreation Commission is ringing in the holiday season with a host of popular family-friendly activities and contests.
The annual tree-lighting ceremony on the Town Common will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday with a traditional visit from Santa Claus; in keeping with the times, Santa will be fully vaccinated.
The tree will be lit at 4 p.m. in a ceremony that will include local Girl Scouts singing holiday carols and town leaders sharing brief remarks. A new twist this year is that all of the tree’s lights will be white.
“We’ve been meeting with (Department of Public Works Director) John Tomasz and are working with the town to make sure that all the lights are incredible,” said Recreation Commission Chair Rich Sjoberg. “(Recreation Director) Julie Mallett has been working extremely hard with the town and the DPW, so we are lucky to have a good partnership with the town,” Sjoberg said.
The Meeting House, which is hosting the Country Store on the same day, will be open throughout the tree-lighting ceremony.
The popular, annual Light Up Lynnfield contest is back for a fourth season. While there won’t be trolleys due to a shortage of drivers, Sjoberg promises that the event will be bigger and better than past years.
“The trolley company won’t take calls or answer emails because they have no drivers,” said Sjoberg. “We didn’t have it last year and it was still a great night, so we will publish the map of the homes in the contest so people can take their own tours and vote online for their favorites.”
Contest categories include the Clark W. Griswold Award, which goes to the craziest Christmas lights that can be seen from outer space; Creative Use of Lights; Misfit Toys, for the best use of inflatables; and Neighborhood Participation, for a display of a minimum of three adjacent homes with a shared theme. The winners will be announced Thursday.
Online voting for the People’s Choice Award ends Dec. 5. The contest is limited to Lynnfield residents. All lights and decorations must be visible from the street. Recreation Board members are only eligible for the People’s Choice Award.
New this year is a “Where’s Frosty” contest.
“We are in the process of selecting some really fun and special spots to hide Frosty and are asking people when they find him to snap a photo of them with Frosty, which will be posted every week,” said Sjoberg.
The contest will be held for four weeks through the end of December. For additional information on how to participate, go to www.lynnfieldrec.com.
As was the case last year, the Gingerbread House Contest, which is back for an 18th year, will be virtual with all judging conducted through the Recreation website. Imagination is encouraged and all houses must be made from authentic food materials with the exception of accessories, such as plastic animals and trees. Kits are allowed, but participants are encouraged to add their personal touches to the final product.
There will be prizes for the following categories: Best Family, Best Child(ren) under the age of 8, Best Child(ren)/Adult over the age of 8, Best Holiday Spirit, and Most Pioneer Pride. A Viewers’ Choice Award, which will be decided by an online vote, will also be given.
