Holiday Events in Connecticut

Holiday Events

The inns of Litchfield Hills could have been created for Christmas

The Litchfield Hills region of Connecticut has some of the most peaceful, scenic countryside in all of New England. And the holiday hospitality isn’t shabby, either. The Fife 'n Drum Inn & Restaurant in Kent is hosting a fabulous Christmas Eve Dinner this year. Magnificently decorated for the season, the Inn's high ceilings, fireplaces, a Steinway piano bar and beautiful prints adorning the walls complete the holiday decor. Dinner begins with a range of appetizers: duck confit, smoked salmon, lobster pot pie, and roasted chestnut soup. Entrees include out-of-the-ordinary offerings like wild mushroom tagliatelle or curry scented sea scallops with Moroccan style rice and roasted pepper sauce. The distinctive Wine Spectator Award of Excellence assures that the wine selections will be superb.

Elsewhere in Connecticut, the Spinning Wheel Inn in Redding Ridge promises guests a Christmas holiday both musical and delicious. Through December 30, the Christmas Theatre Banquet will stage “The Perfect Christmas.” This three-act musical is performed during multi-course holiday dinner by costumed entertainers. Matinee menu choices are steak and ale pie, chicken Noel, and poached salmon. Be sure to reserve early. The Christmas Theatre Banquet is so popular that record numbers are expected this holiday season.

Nativity scenes exhibition – New Haven
Now through February 1, 2009
This show features Nativities from throughout the European continent. The museum is also displaying a new group of crèches featuring Connecticut cities, created especially for this year's exhibit. The larger exhibition, Nativities of Europe: Folk Art to Fine Art, features approximately 90 crèches from across Europe, borrowed from three American collections, as well as a vast diorama from Naples, Italy. Neapolitan crèches, or presepi, are the world's benchmark, representing the highest standards of the most talented artisans. The scenes on display represent a broad spectrum of workmanship and national interpretations of the birth of Jesus Christ, including hand-carved figures, miniatures, shadow boxes, marionettes and paper figures ranging from exquisite detail to child-like simplicity. Location: Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State Street. Time: Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (except Thanksgiving and Christmas). Cost: free. Information: 203-865-0400.