Weekend Excursion

The Christmas season is upon us once again, with the New Haven Green, the bookstore, and the residential college dining halls all sporting decorated trees. The streets of New Haven are also looking merry with their snowflake lights and their shopper-friendly atmosphere. But if you're still searching for that true holiday spirit, plenty of nearby towns and cities are putting up free or inexpensive Christmas festivals and light shows this weekend and throughout December.

COURTESY BETTY'S CHRISTMAS HOUSE

In New Haven, Lighthouse Park hosts a drive-through Fantasy of Light through Sun., Dec. 30. For $7, cars can drive through the park and its 60 holiday light displays that include an enormous wreath arch and a glimmering ice tunnel.

The governor's mansion in Hartford hosts a free Holiday Open House Tour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 30 and Sat., Dec. 1, and from 12 to 3 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 2. This holiday season, the Georgian Revival mansion that has been home to Connecticut governors and their families since 1943 showcases the decorating talents of the Connecticut Florist Association and Greenhouse Association.

the First Congregational Church in Cheshire hosts a free Christmas Fair on Sat., Dec. 1, complete with handmade crafts, gifts, ornaments, wreaths, baked goods, gingerbread houses, and lunch with Christmas corn chowder. —Katherine Hill

Lighthouse Park is located on Lighthouse Road in New Haven. For more information on the Fantasy of Light display, call 777-2000. The Governor's Residence is located at 990 Prospect Ave. in Hartford. For more information on the Open House, call (860) 566-4840. The First Congregational Church is located on the Green in Cheshire. Fore more information on the fair, call 272-5323.

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