Bringing people together in joy and harmony to kick off the start of the holidays, the Town of Southampton is home to many holiday events, making it one of their busiest times of the year. These events included a Christmas Parade through the main streets in Southampton, a Christmas tree lighting in Hampton Bays, another Tree Lighting Ceremony at Canoe Place Inn, and much more.
The parade in Southampton on November 30 marked the beginning of the holiday season. Led by the Southampton Christmas Committee, fire departments from the East End gathered together to walk and drive in the parade, wearing holiday costumes ranging from blow-up gingerbread men to Santa on top of a fire truck. The Hampton Bays Fire Department came out loud and proud with their Shrek-themed group. They had multiple people on the float dressed up in Donkey, Shrek, and other costumes. Children laughed and cheered as they went by throwing candy. Another group of individuals walked the parade dressed as blow-up gingerbread men dancing to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. The parade lasted for about 40 minutes and concluded with Santa waving from the last fire truck.
The next day, December 1, the Hampton Bays Fire Department hosted its own Holiday Celebration. From 4:30-7:30, hot cocoa, Christmas caroling, picture taking, and more took over the firehouse while children ran around and laughed. Family and friends gathered around to watch the tree-lighting ceremony shortly after the event began. The Hampton Bays Middle School choir members sang Christmas carols as the firemen excitedly lit the Christmas tree. After this event, the Hampton Bays Fire Department drove around Hampton Bays town with Santa in the back to bring joy and spread holiday cheer to the children around Hampton Bays.
On December 2, the Hampton Bays Class of 2025 hosted a Santa Breakfast for all ages. Red, green, plain and chocolate chip pancakes were served along with breakfast sausage, made by Hampton Bays High School seniors with the help of Julia Brandes’s mother, Laura Brandes, and Chef Conner Curtis from the high school culinary department. Breakfast wasn’t the only thing the class of 2025 offered; they also had crafts, a station to take pictures with Santa, and even gingerbread houses for sale. The event lasted from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. As usual, the fundraiser was a big hit and drew many community members in to help out the class of 2025.
As people geared up for the holiday season, decorations were everywhere. Houses were stocked with lights, blow-ups, and wreaths in preparation for the exciting month of holiday events. One house in Westhampton Beach during the holiday season hosted a movie night on their front lawn. Families around the area came together with hot chocolate and holiday spirit to watch a holiday-themed movie. You could also find many houses lit up with color for the holiday season in Hampton Bays and many looking for a nice holiday photo headed to Rogers Beach with a “beachy” themed Christmas Tree that was perfect for the holiday season. From light shows from Riverhead to East Hampton, to visiting the Montauk Lighthouse decorated with holiday cheer, there were so many things to do for the holidays.
