The 21st Duxbury Holly Days runs Sunday, November 29, from 1 to 4 p.m. As in past years, trolleys will run through all of Duxbury's villages, with activities, performances and seasonal treats at each stop. This year a different group is in charge. The Duxbury Chamber of Commerce has taken over the event from Duxbury Newcomers & Neighbors, the volunteer group that ran it through last year.
The handover changes less on the trolley than it does behind it. Holly Days has always been a merchants' afternoon, paid for by local businesses and staged in their shops and parking lots. With the Chamber in charge, the organizer now matches the funding. The rest of the season follows a different pattern. After the trolleys park, the holiday calendar moves to a short stretch of Alden Street and to King Caesar Road, where the museums, the library and the arts groups take over.
The Businesses Were Already Paying for It
The Duxbury Chamber of Commerce's Holly Days page says the event has been "funded entirely through sponsorships and donations since 2014." It adds that sponsor support "is critical to the continuation of the event, especially after the dissolution of the former business association." The Duxbury Chamber is an affiliate of the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce.
When the Duxbury Clipper reported the handover in March, it quoted Brian McCowan, chairman of the Duxbury Advisory Board: "This event has always been about connection-neighbors coming together, supporting local businesses, and celebrating what makes Duxbury special." The same article quoted Christine Sapra, who chaired Holly Days for Newcomers & Neighbors.
"I couldn't think of a better organization than the Duxbury Chamber of Commerce to carry Holly Days forward."
Sapra also said she looked forward to "experiencing all of the new elements they will bring to the event."
The Clipper's coverage also shows what the Chamber is building on. Its December 2025 photo report marked the event's 20th year with pony rides, caroling, activities at local businesses, a youth tap company and the DHS Chamber Singers.
The Sponsor Menu Shows Where the Afternoon Is Headed
The Chamber's sponsorship tiers are the clearest public sign of how it sees the day. The trolley is the centerpiece. The page says it "transports over 1,000 people throughout event." The top tier puts a sponsor's logo at a trolley stop and on the trolley itself. The other tiers are named for parts of the afternoon:
- Holly Sponsor, $1,000: limited to five sponsors, with a logo at a trolley stop
- Santa's Village Sponsor, $1,000: signage and a photo backdrop at a family photo spot
- Live Music & Caroling Sponsor, $1,000: stage signage and acknowledgment during performances
- Snowman Sponsor, $750
- Shop Local Passport Sponsor, $500: branding on the passport and its prize giveaway
- Jolly Sponsor, $500
- Snowflake Sponsor, $250
A Shop Local Passport with a prize giveaway is a retail idea. It sends families from store to store. That fits a Chamber of Commerce, and it fits how the event has always run, with most activities hosted by shopkeepers.
How Last Year's Route Ran
The 2025 program shows how much of the afternoon local businesses and nonprofits carried. Last year's event ran noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 30. This year's 1 to 4 p.m. window is an hour shorter. Last year, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived at Hall's Corner, 1 Bay Road, at noon. Driving Rhythm, a youth tap company from the Pembroke School of Performing Arts, performed for the arrival. Trolleys ran until 4:15 p.m. These were last year's stops and some of what each one offered:
- Brothers Marketplace: crafts, treats, a Grinch photo op, and a Toys for Tots drive run by Duxbury Police and Fire
- Hall's Corner at Depot Street: Santa photos, pony rides, face painting, and the DHS Chorus from 1 to 2 p.m.
- Girl Scout House: the Holly Days Craft Fair
- ICO: an oyster craft, cookie decorating with St. John's Church, and a holiday barbecue from the Raw Bar
- Snug Harbor: the Snug Harbor Chorus from 1 to 2 p.m., and chowder in a bread bowl from French Memories and Snug Harbor Fish
- South Shore Conservatory: an open dance rehearsal and a kids' craft table with ornaments and letters to Santa
- Millbrook Station at the Duxplex: hot cocoa from Hardly Saints Donuts and samples from Far Far's
- Alden House: candle making, a colonial craft, and 18th-century reenactors
- Art Complex Museum: an art cart
Two stops had no trolley service. The American Legion offered crafts and hot cocoa, and the Duxbury Senior Center hosted an intergenerational puppet and music show at 1:30 p.m. Visitors could donate to Toys for Tots or the Lions Food Share Pantry and pick up a scavenger hunt card for a chance at a golden ticket. Parking was free. The program recommended parking at the Steele Building, 130 St. George Street, and walking to the South Shore Conservatory stop, since every village had limited parking. The detailed 2025 program carried a list date of November 18, 12 days before that year's event.
One 2026 stop already has a program. The Art Complex Museum at 189 Alden Street has planned a 1 to 3 p.m. Holly Days afternoon with a live concert, holiday printmaking and a new Elf Seek and Find.
The Town Green Runs Its Own Sunday
Holly Days shares November 29 with another event. The Duxbury Rotary Club's Festival of Lights is also scheduled for that day on the Town Green. Both events were on the event-permit list for the Selectboard's November 2 meeting, which also included a public hearing on the Rotary's use of the Green.
The Duxbury Rotary Club describes last year's Festival as a gift to the town. It included Santa and Mrs. Claus, a Christmas tree lighting and a menorah lighting, games, face painting, food, music, inflatables and a bubble "snow" machine. Last year the two events were linked. Extended trolley service ran between the Festival of Lights and Snug Harbor until 5 p.m., after the rest of the route had closed. In 2025, that late shuttle turned a 4 p.m. ending into an evening on the Green.
After the Trolleys, December Moves to Alden Street
Once Holly Days ends, Duxbury's December calendar moves from the shops to the nonprofits. Most of the dates fall within a few blocks of Alden Street, at the Art Complex Museum at 189, the Duxbury Free Library at 77, and the Duxbury Performing Arts Center at 73. The rest are at King Caesar House, the South Shore Conservatory on St. George Street, and Holy Family Church.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 5 and 6, 1 p.m. | South Shore Conservatory School of Dance, The Nutcracker | Duxbury Performing Arts Center, 73 Alden St. |
| Dec. 10, 5 p.m. | "Mary Livermore's Duxbury: Christmas in a New England Town" | King Caesar House, 120 King Caesar Rd. |
| Dec. 11, 4 to 8 p.m. | Holidays at King Caesar House, member preview | King Caesar House, 120 King Caesar Rd. |
| Dec. 12, 10 to 11 a.m. | Library Storytime on the Road, winter theme with a craft | Art Complex Museum, 189 Alden St. |
| Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. | Snug Harbor Community Chorus holiday concert | Duxbury Performing Arts Center, 73 Alden St. |
| Dec. 13, 2 p.m. | Snug Harbor Community Chorus holiday concert | South Shore Conservatory, 64 St. George St. |
| Dec. 13, 2 p.m. | Christmas Pageant | Holy Family Church |
| Dec. 14 to 19, all day | Gift-wrapping station | Duxbury Free Library, 77 Alden St. |
The South Shore Conservatory's Nutcracker opens the month a week after Holly Days. The second week centers on King Caesar Road. The Duxbury Rural & Historical Society built its December 10 program around Mary Livermore's Duxbury, and it will give attendees a first look at King Caesar House decorated on a "Thirteen Colonies" theme. The next evening's preview is for current members, with a suggested $20 donation.
The Snug Harbor Community Chorus links the two parts of the season. Last year it sang at the Snug Harbor trolley stop during Holly Days. This year it has two concerts on December 12 and 13. The Duxbury Free Library calendar fills the following week with a gift-wrapping station. Patrons bring their own gifts and use wrapping supplies the library provides.
The Art Complex Covers Both Halves
The Art Complex Museum takes part in both halves of the season. Through November 13, its galleries hold Beneath the Surface: Artists and NSRWA Reveal the True Nature of Our Waters. The exhibition is a collaboration with the North and South Rivers Watershed Association and looks at the ecological challenges facing South Shore waterways. On November 15, the museum opens Lin Lisberger's 20 Walks with a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. The show runs through February 14, 2027. Between those dates, the museum hosts a Holly Days stop on November 29 and the library's winter storytime on December 12.
That puts one building at 189 Alden Street on both sides of the season. On the merchants' Sunday it is a stop on the Chamber's trolley route. Two weeks later it hosts a Saturday morning for the library's youngest readers. 20 Walks stays on view through mid-February, long after the Holly Days signs come down.
My Duxbury clients often ask me about the traditions that make a town feel like home, and Holly Days under its new organizer is one I'll be watching closely this year. If you'd like to talk about Duxbury or anywhere else on the South Shore, Pamela Bates is always glad to share what she knows. Let's Connect.
