It’s the holiday season once again, and Bernardsville is hosting numerous events to optimize on the most wonderful time of the year.
Take a walk through the center of town, and you’ll notice Bernardsville’s Christmas tree. Transported all the way from North Carolina, and adorned in glistening lights, you won’t want to miss it.
On Saturday, December 4th, the Bernardsville Chamber of Commerce presented the annual Holly Days Celebration. This celebration consisted of the lighting of our town tree, holiday carolers, a live reading of The Night Before Christmas, and a special visit from Santa by fire truck. To make the event more special, The Coffee Shop gave out free coffee, hot chocolate, and treats.
Later that night, Bernardsville’s second annual holiday parade took the streets at 7pm. Bands, performers, sports teams, dancers, and decorated floats traveled the Bernardsville streets from Anderson Hill Road to Bernards High. Some of the floats included ones by The Girl Scouts and the Somerset Hills Little League and as for dancers, Studio 140 Dance performed throughout the parade.
In addition to the annual tree-lighting and parade, Bernardsville is hosting its second annual holiday lights contest. The Bernardsville Chamber of Commerce launched this contest in 2020 after numerous of their events were canceled due to Covid. This competition was launched with the message of “let’s make Bernardsville shine bright with hope.” They hoped that the contest would “lift some spirits” and “encourage [Bernardsville] residents to come together as a community.” It was so successful that the competition is being held for the second time.
Participants must have a Bernardsville address and can nominate themselves or another house/business for one of three categories: most colorful, holiday traditional, and funniest. The Holly Jolly Judges will tour the nominated locations from December 16-22, and winners will be announced on December 23. Winners will receive bragging rights and a trophy! Visit downtownbernardsville.org to nominate yourself, a neighbor, a friend, or a business.
Bernardsville aims to create “consistent events so that the community can always look forward to these types of things year after year.”
Ultimately, they hope that Bernardsville will “not only celebrate the spirit of the season but also celebrate each other.”
