Gloucester neighborhoods are shining bright! There are some 350 houses on the 2022 map. The map is smart phone ready with house pictures. A little light goes a long and welcome warm way. It’s dark so early now!
New homes mapped on December 14th,16th, &18th cover some of Gloucester’s main roads, mostly in West Gloucester, Magnolia, and along Rt. 127. Enjoy scenes from:
Rt. 133/ Essex Ave from Kent Circle tree past Little River to Rt. 128
Concord St.
Main Street – lobster trap tree
Magnolia Ave.
Western Ave.- Rt. 127
Thatcher R. – Rt. 217A by Long Beach Dairy Maid, thru Rockport, Tree in Dock Square, then Rt. 127-Washington St. loop Lanesville, Plum Cove, Bayview, Annisquam
(Scroll down to see photos. Pinch and zoom or double click depending upon your phone/desktop. On mine I double click and then have to select “Full size”. Scroll down to map.)
100 more homes mapped as of December 9, 2022. New streets (and/or newly lit homes on previously mapped streets), especially in East Gloucester, include:
Abbott Road, Abbot Place (off Harrison), Bass Ave., Brightside Ave, Chapel St., Crestwood Terrace (off Harrison), Davis St., Decatur St., East Main St., Grapevine Road, Green St., Harrison Ave., Hartz, Haskell, High Popples, Jacques Lane, Mt. Pleasant Ave., Perkins St., Rocky Pasture Rd., Skywood Terrace (off Harrison), Witham
GIFs
Map
**Raindeer are trending in East Gloucester**
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Gloucester nearing 200 sparkling homes added to the map so far. Batch 2 (this post) streets include :Arthur Ct., Carlisle Ave., Cherry St., Cleveland St., Collins Ave, Doane Road, Essex Ave, Finch Lane, Gloucester Avenue, Honeysuckle Road, Lupine, Maplewood (near Poplar bend), Marchant, Millet St., Montvale Avenue, Mystic Ave., Reynard, Riverside Ave., Sargent St., Shore Hill Road, Riverside Ave., Thatcher, Thornhill Way, Thurston Point, Warner St., Washington St (at Piraino), Washington St. (near Capt. Hooks), Wheeler Street, Whittemore St.
First Batch streets: Centennial Drive, Cherry St (near O’Maley), Crestwood Ter. – Skywood Ter. (off harrison), Derby St., Elizabeth Road, Essex Ave / Rt. 133 (between Kent Circle and Little River), Fleetwood Dr., Friend Ct., Green St., Grove St &Colonial, Grove near Maplewood, Hampden & Gaffney, Hodgkin St., Lendall St off Harrison, Lupine Lane, Maplewood at Derby, corner Mt Vernon & Oak St, Perkins St., Poplar St., Reservoir Road, Reynard St., Spruce St., Starknaught, Washington St. (between Azorean and the rotary)
countdown clock – Millet St.
More to come. photos: c. ryan, Dec. 6, 2022. Click or pinch and zoom to enlarge.
Map
It’s easy touring whether by car or via smartphone, desktop, or preferred device. Grab a hot chocolate and go or view from home! Imagination and themed repeat visits encouraged.
Notes about the map: This map is great in the embed mode because when you scroll down, each house photo(s) pop up, with a big arrow that directs you to that one point. From a desktop, hovering or right clicking the house icons reveal the photos for each pinpoint. For those who prefer a paper copy –which doubles as a seek and find sheet–click on the three vertical dots and then select “print” (horizontal mode best) from pull down menu. You can also google search Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives Good Morning Gloucester.
Finch Lane twinkling tree, Thurston Point Rudolph with your nose so bright, Cleveland chatoyant
Beauty, light, and kindness
Tis’ the season of lights! Bright and colorful festivals of light illuminate dark nights heightening religious and secular celebrations and traditions around the world. October – February holidays include: Diwali, Bodhi Day, Lucia’s Day, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, New Year’s, Lunar New Year, Teng Chieh, and many more.
Reminder! tomorrow Dec. 10, 2022
Gloucester’s Lobster trap tree lighting 4:30pm culminates Gloucester’s enchanting Middle Street Walk (program here) all day 10-4:30pm! Holiday Delights 1pm at the Legion. https://middlestreetwalk.org/
Gloucester 100 sparkling homes added to the map so far. Streets include: Centennial Drive, Cherry St (near O’Maley), Derby St., Elizabeth Road, Essex Ave / Rt. 133 (between Kent Circle and Little River), Fleetwood Dr., Friend Ct., Green St., Grove St &Colonial, Grove near Maplewood, Hampden & Gaffney, Hodgkin St., Lendall St off Harrison, Lupine Lane, Maplewood at Derby, corner Mt Vernon & Oak St, Perkins St., Poplar St., Reservoir Road, Reynard St., Skywood Terrace off Harrison, Spruce St., Starknaught, Washington St. (between Azorean and the rotary)
Bright Nights and Sights.
If you’re looking for holiday cheer any day of the week, you can’t beat the New England charm of twinkling homes and neighborhoods in Gloucester, Massachusetts. For the 6th year in a row, enjoy a selection of seasonal lights and Christmas displays on Gloucester houses. Many streets join in together, glittering, and have for years. Every year is unique. With each passing new day more homes are decorated. Since 2019, the year’s curated selection –on average some 200+ homes– has been google mapped and each pinpoint has a photo(s).
Scroll down to see the first batch of photos for the 2022 map (as of December 4, 2022), and 2022 trends further down. More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back.
Photos: C. Ryan, Nov. 24, 28, and Dec. 4, 2022
2022 Trends
Trends so far? 2022 is looking like The Year of “JOY” signs, which by the way is an easy & cheery Ispy addition for Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives. Also, illuminated green sequined wreaths and evergreen kissing ball pairs framing doors.
2022 map
It’s easy touring whether by car or via smartphone, desktop, or preferred device. Grab a hot chocolate and go or view from home! Imagination and themed repeat visits encouraged.
Notes about the map: This map is great in the embed mode because when you scroll down, each house photo(s) pop up, with a big arrow that directs you to that one point. From a desktop, hovering or right clicking the house icons reveal the photos for each pinpoint. For those who prefer a paper copy –which doubles as a seek and find sheet–click on the three vertical dots and then select “print” (horizontal mode best) from pull down menu. You can also google search Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives Good Morning Gloucester.
Understandably there is no Middle Street Walk 2020, so Middle Street looks different this season. There is an endearing Dinosaur visiting. Ho Ho Ho ha ha ha!
Joan of Arc WWI memorial statue by Anna Hyatt Huntington in backfun fact- building behind dino corner of Middle & Wash. Streets was one place artist Edward Hopper roomed in for Gloucester visits
Awesome – Hope & Joy house vibe is visible on descent Centennial Drive to Blvd
This is the sixth and final in a series featuring Christmas lights on 200+ decorated homes throughout neighborhoods in Gloucester Massachusetts for the 2020 season. Festive displays range from draped garland lights & wrapped trees to elaborate tableaus. Gloucester is beautiful! Streets that are covered in this post:
Magnolia area of Gloucester including Magnolia Ave., Hesperus Ave., Western Ave., Linden Ave., Lowe Drive
downtown Gloucester blocks including: Centennial Drive, Maplewood Ave., Prospect St., Riverside Ave. block, Washington St., Gloucester Avenue, Mystic Avenue, Madison Avenue (w/ Madison Sq. and Ct., and Springfield St.)
neighborhood additions: nearby Elizabeth Road; Abbott Road; East Gloucester- Mt. Pleasant area and East Main; and West Gloucester – Essex Ave.
MAGNOLIA AREA
Downtown
CENTENNIAL DRIVE ADDITIONS
Centennial Drive – Approach to Hope & Joy house
Abbott Road | East Gloucester additions
West Gloucester additions
Follow links to see scenes from other Gloucester neighborhoods (or follow through to the end of the post and look for/select page 1,2)
Update 5- Magnolia, downtown, additions to E. and W. Glouc. (this post)
Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives Gloucester Massachusetts map 2020. Photos have been added to the Google maps: tour by car or keyboard!
FAQ – how to print
The map is smart phone ready with house pictures. If you want to print the map see below: (1) navigate to the map page URL and (2) click on the three dots menu bar on the upper right. Pull down and select “print” PDF as of 12/7/2020
Scenes of Annisquam: Annisquam Village Hall; Annisquam Bridge; white lights and wreaths and trees at junctions. Followed with en route detours off Washington Street via Cherry, Spruce, Gee, Finch Lane, Reynard, Holly Street | Goose Cove Lane (near Willow Rest), Dennison
en route
Washington Street plus detours via Cherry, Spruce, Gee, Finch Lane, Reynard, Holly Street | Goose Cove Lane (near Willow Rest), Dennison
animated happy Santa waving from a car– off Holly St.:)dog in bay
Print out
The map is smart phone ready with house pictures. If you want to print the map see two pictures below: (1) navigate to the map page URL and (2) click on the three dots menu bar on the upper right. Pull down and select “print” PDF as of 12/5/2020
The map is smart phone ready with house pictures. If you want to print the map see two pictures below: (1) navigate to the map page URL and (2) click on the three dots menu bar on the upper right. Pull down and select “print”. PDF as of 12/3/2020 here
NEW photos in this post include: the second stretch of Essex Avenue from Richdale heading up to Farnham’s; Portuguese Hill neighborhood; don’t miss Happy Santa indigo up on Perkins; Harrison; and sweet charm of Hartz. Check the map for updates. Still to come: East Gloucester, Annnisquam, Lanesville, Magnolia.
What a gift our neighbors have shared for the community! There are so many festive houses in Gloucester it’s easy to plan multiple merry excursions.
For families and friends, eyespy challenges could switch nightly. Can you find a Santa? A peace sign? Snoopy?
How about a Bring the Cuddlies Christmas Light Tour- children can help their toy friends see out the car window. This one may be a given: Happy to share photos of your precious travelers :).
Pick a specific route by color lights or house style.
Bring art supplies to sketch a view.
Older homes make it fun to wonder about what it was like in the past. For families that like Old Timey winter scenes–imagine New England Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, Winslow Homer, and Currier& Ives– pretend the car is a sleigh or horse and buggy. Find some dress up attire that looks vintage (or go all out and find some duds at Bananas). Add a hot water bottle for the feet. A towel or blanket can wrap around like a hand warmer muff. For fans of Louisa May Alcott, point to Braewood* on Essex Avenue (across from Pauline’s gifts) and Rocky Neck, where she stayed on Gloucester holidays. Picture a winter skating rink in front of the UU Church on Middle Street. *For more about the history of Braewood and Alcott in Gloucester, search “Braewood” in this prior post.
For the train and dinosaur train enthusiasts, all aboard! The express car might even time with the T or train.
Switch off date night driving so the passenger can enjoy a festive eggnog.
These are special outings just outside your door. Don’t miss them!
Illustration for Louisa May Alcott Jack and Jill, 1880 – distant town and harbor suggestion of Gloucester from a property like Braewood at the timehappy Santa indigo
More photos
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When I was a girl, my family, like many other families, considered every nocturne drive a chance to look for Christmas lights. Of course we carried on this tradition with our own children. The magic of the season is so easy to find in neighborhoods throughout Gloucester and all of Cape Ann. Coasting past classic New England home styles decorated for the holidays– while driving along bends and dips in the roads by charming coves– is sheer visual delight. There is a surprise around every corner.
Plus the season’s early nightfall is most welcome for little ones’ bedtime enchantment. Throw on some comfy holiday attire and toss in a thermos of hot chocolate to make it an extra special treat for the youngest, and the young at heart, and the perfect outing for social distancing in this year of Covid. Repeat visits are encouraged because there’s so much to see and more added every day.
Last year readers asked for a map. Here are some of the homes spreading cheer NOW with their Christmas lights and holiday yard displays, and it’s not yet December 1, 2020! Is your favorite friendly seasonal character out there? Or favorite color lights twinkling bright? I’ll continue to update the map and photographs, including specific requests and location recommendations from GMG readers.
Holiday lights & cocoa drives Gloucester Mass as of November 30, 2020
FAQ HOW TO PRINT THE MAP- Two steps: First click the empty rectangle to be taken to the map page. Once at the URL for the map page, click the three dots for the pull down menu and select “print”.Here is the PDF option in the horizontal format as of Dec. 2.
So looking forward to sharing photos of winter lights for some merry drives and cocoa nights this holiday season! Were you planning to go big on lights or take a break this year? Hopefully this post may convince some readers on the decorated home & yard fence to GO FOR IT! Please treat the community to some creativity and smiles. The city and neighboring towns of Cape Ann have some special holiday light plans in the works thanks to Discover Gloucester’s First Annual Winter Lights Display on Cape Ann. Check out all the businesses and organizations readying light displays and local shopping!
What I wrote in 2019 still holds true in 2020: “If you’re wondering about holiday lights near you, in addition to the city’s beautiful seasonal trees and sparkle downtown, rewarding drives through Gloucester neighborhoods abound.”
These local homes were shining bright and it’s only the week before Thanksgiving. GRAB SOME HOT CHOCOLATE AND GO! The drives are festive, free, and social distancing safe for all. Perfect for 2020.
I’ll add more photographs of merry lights and displays as days go by and maybe a map if there are enough. Which houses and streets will be most lit up in 2020? Which ones not to miss?
‘Tis the Season. Gloucester’s Annual Lobster Trap Tree
2018
Gloucester’s Lobster Trap Tree adorned with hundreds of “ornaments”- buoys hand-painted by local children– is no doubt the sweetest and charming tree around.
I thought this Scotland effort was a pretty kindred spirit. Like Gloucester, the smaller* town of Newburgh, Fife, loves celebrating art by local children for their Annual Christmas Lights Display. A public appeal for funding this year surpassed its goal.
*Gloucester population 30,000 | Newburgh population 2100
Our village Christmas lights are designed by the local primary kids and they are the single best thing about the festive season. pic.twitter.com/kDhfLk3Dcb
Due to Covid-19 precautions, Cape Ann Art Haven buoy painting started early this year.
“It’s buoy painting time! We are instituting reservations for buoy painting. We will be open Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. starting November 7th. For health and safety reasons, we will have a maximum of 10 people at any one time. Masks will be required as well as social distancing. Please sign up on our Events page or click the reservation button below and come paint!”
So looking forward to sharing photos of winter lights for some merry drives and cocoa nights this holiday season! Were you planning to go big on lights or take a break this year? Hopefully this post may convince some readers on the decorated home & yard fence to GO FOR IT! Please treat the community to some creativity and smiles. The city and neighboring towns of Cape Ann have some special holiday light plans in the works: First Annual Winter Lights Display on Cape Ann. Check out the businesses and organizations readying light displays!
What I wrote in 2019 still holds true in 2020: “If you’re wondering about holiday lights near you, in addition to the city’s beautiful seasonal trees and sparkle downtown, rewarding drives through Gloucester neighborhoods abound.”
These local homes were shining bright and it’s only the week before Thanksgiving. GRAB SOME HOT CHOCOLATE AND GO! The drives are festive, free, and social distancing safe for all. Perfect for 2020.
I’ll add more photographs of merry lights and displays as days go by and maybe a map if there are enough. Which houses and streets will be most lit up in 2020? Which ones not to miss?
‘Tis the Season. Gloucester’s Annual Lobster Trap Tree
2018
Gloucester’s Lobster Trap Tree adorned with hundreds of “ornaments”- buoys hand-painted by local children– is no doubt the sweetest and charming tree around.
I thought this Scotland effort was a pretty kindred spirit. Like Gloucester, the smaller* town of Newburgh, Fife, loves celebrating art by local children for their Annual Christmas Lights Display. A public appeal for funding this year surpassed its goal.
*Gloucester population 30,000 | Newburgh population 2100
Our village Christmas lights are designed by the local primary kids and they are the single best thing about the festive season. pic.twitter.com/kDhfLk3Dcb
Due to Covid-19 precautions, Cape Ann Art Haven buoy painting started early this year.
“It’s buoy painting time! We are instituting reservations for buoy painting. We will be open Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. starting November 7th. For health and safety reasons, we will have a maximum of 10 people at any one time. Masks will be required as well as social distancing. Please sign up on our Events page or click the reservation button below and come paint!”
Good Morning Gloucester 