Before Reading Shops Local in December, Its Shops Pay for November

A raffle table at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Nov. 21 will hold prizes from The Chocolate Truffle, Harrow's Chicken Pies, Burbank Ice Arena, Stop & Shop, Market Basket, Calareso's Farm Stand and Simms Jewelry. Twelve days later, on Dec. 3, two of those names will be back on a different list, this time as stores open late for Shop the Block.

Reading's holiday calendar runs in that order. Between now and early December, nearly every public event in town is free or raises money for someone else, and businesses, banks and Chamber members cover much of the cost. Merchants spend November paying into the season. In December they open their doors and ask for business.

The calendar also moves around town. It starts in the church halls along Woburn Street, shifts to Reading Common the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and ends in the downtown storefronts.

Woburn Street Holds the First Three Weeks

Three of the season's first events happen within a short stretch of Woburn Street, all in church buildings, all on weekday mornings or Saturdays.

The Garden Club meets this morning, Thursday, Nov. 12. Its program, presented by Neal Sanders, is open to the public. The club's schedule has a continental breakfast at 10, the business meeting at 10:30, and the program from 11 to 12:30. St. Agnes Parish Center is the club's regular meeting place for the 2026 to 2027 season, so the Nov. 12 talk is part of its usual run of programs.

Nov. 12 is also the deadline for the Reading Adopt-A-Family Program's holiday basket applications. The Reading Rotary Club and ReadingCares coordinate the program, and The Reading Post reports that it has support from the Reading Food Pantry, Reading DPW and Town Hall departments. The Reading Post also notes that donors who cannot shop can mail a check made out to Reading Rotary to AAF, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA 01867. Questions go to 781-942-6678 or [email protected].

Saturday at 239 Woburn Street, the Congregation Supplies Everything

The Kris Kringle Fair runs on the congregation's own work. According to The Reading Post, it is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading's biggest fellowship event and fundraiser of the year, and the members of the congregation organize, donate, bake, cook, play music and staff the tables themselves.

Sales run indoors and under a tent. The booths include:

• Jewelry, Attic Treasures, and Toys and Kids Books
• Potpourri for new items and Boutique for handmade ones
• Country Store, Puzzles and Baked Goods
• Raffle, Silent Auction and live music
• A Snack Bar with fresh scones at 9 a.m. while they last, then homemade vegan chili and hot dogs at lunchtime, all nut-free

The silent auction has already started. Bidding on BidBeacon opened Nov. 9 under the code TDYUBK and closes at 3 p.m. on the day of the fair, with winners picking up items Nov. 15 between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Raffle prizes are a $200 Amazon gift card, $100 in lottery tickets and a patchwork quilt by the UUCR Quilters called "Sending You Light." All spaces are handicap accessible. The church's Kris Kringle Fair page has a photo of the quilt.

A Week Later at 95 Woburn Street, the Raffle Table Shows Who's Paying

The Church of the Good Shepherd's FALL-iday Fair works on a different model, and it is the first place this season where local merchants put money in. Admission is free. The fair offers door prizes, live music, baked goods, jewelry, handmade crafts and a coffee café, and the Town calendar lists raffle items "from our local business sponsors." Part of the proceeds goes to Bread of Life in Malden, a feeding ministry.

The specialty vendors are mostly small makers: Bay State Candles, Bomback Paper Crafts, Cozy Creations, DD's Whimsical What Nots, Harvest & Holiday Décor, Kerry Ann Crafts, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Medford Soap Co, Seeds to Weeds Farm, Tastefully Simple and Whimsical What Nots. The church has more than 100 years of history in Reading, and its Sunday services also air on RCTV and NORCAM.

If you are planning the week in between, the Pleasant Street Center at 49 Pleasant St. has "Liberty and Legacy: The Life of Abigail Adams" on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 on the Common, Already Paid For

The 33rd Annual Tree Lighting moves the season from church halls to Reading Common on Sunday, Nov. 29, from 2:00 to 4:30. According to The Reading Post, the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce sponsors the event and it draws thousands. Every activity is free because sponsoring local businesses and Chamber memberships cover the costs, and Austin Prep is the signature sponsor.

The afternoon runs in this order:

1. At 2:00, Santa arrives by firetruck, and the Common fills with s'mores, jugglers, carolers, costumed characters and trolley rides.
2. From 2 to 4, Reading Cooperative Bank hosts pictures with Santa.
3. All afternoon, local businesses, churches and other organizations open their doors for their own activities.
4. At 4:15, Santa climbs a ladder on the Common and flips the switch that lights the trees.

On tree lighting day, local businesses and churches are hosting activities around the same afternoon, and the Chamber's sponsorship listings for the event appear only on its own event page.

Dec. 3, When the Sponsors Open Their Own Doors

Four days after the trees are lit, Shop the Block 2026 runs Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. It features more than 30 local businesses and pop-up vendors offering shopping, dining and pampering, and Northern Bank is the sponsor.

This is the first event of the season built around customers spending money with local businesses, and the participant list, published by The Reading Post, covers most of downtown's day-to-day shopping:

The Chocolate Truffle and Simms are the two names on both this list and the Good Shepherd raffle table. They donate prizes to a church fair on Nov. 21, then stay open late on Dec. 3.

The Presence & Co pop-up keeps the maker side of the season going, much as the FALL-iday Fair's vendor tables did. It features Kaylash Studio, Finding Daisies, EP3D, The Wax Room, Shells of New England, Mixed Metals Permanent Jewelry, The Merry Lion, Still Blooms Wall Co and Guitar Lessons with Matt.

From the scones at 239 Woburn Street on Nov. 14 to the last Shop the Block sale at 9 p.m. on Dec. 3, Reading's season runs about three weeks. The first two and a half weeks are free to attend or raise money for a cause, and the shopping comes at the end.

At Vita Group, we watch how Reading's businesses and organizations shape the town's calendar because it's part of knowing the town. If a move is somewhere on your horizon, even years off, we're glad to talk through what your home is worth today. Request a complimentary home valuation.