Cape Cod is a wonderful place to enjoy the holiday season with countless events and festivities. Here are some of the holiday events happening around the Cape in December to warm your holiday spirit.
 

Nantucket Christmas Stroll
Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3, 2017
Nantucket Island
This holiday tradition features a parade, carolers, holiday crafts, performances and more. Enjoy the popular Christmas House tour Friday evening and don’t miss the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus on Saturday! Click here for more information >>

Brewster for the Holidays
Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3, 2017
Brewster
This holiday celebration, sponsored by local Brewster businesses, includes shops, restaurants, museums, and galleries. Look for the “Brewster for the Holidays” flags at participating businesses. Click here for more information >>

Falmouth Holidays by the Sea Weekend
Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3, 2017
Falmouth
Enjoy singing carols at the Historic Nobska Lighthouse, run in the Jingle Jog 5K, watch the little ones take part in the Kids Elf Run along Vineyard Sound. Stroll along Main Street with the parade and festivities on Sunday. Click here for more information >>

Christmas in Harwich
Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3, 2017
Harwich
This event features a tree lighting ceremony, horse and carriage rides, photos and breakfast with Santa, Polar Express Trolley Ride, carolers, community decorating contest, merchant open houses, and more. Click here for more information >>

54th Annual Falmouth Christmas Parade
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Falmouth
This parade, known as the largest holiday parade in Southeastern Massachusetts, kicks off at noon at the Falmouth Mall with theme decorated floats, live animals, costumes, marching bands, and Santa! The parade proceeds down Main Street to the Village Green. Click here for more information >>

Christmas in Edgartown
Thursday, December 7 to Sunday, December 10, 2017
Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard
Voted Best of the Vineyard for three years in a row, this event helps raise over $50,000 for island-wide nonprofits and charities. Click here for more information >>

Chatham Christmas Stroll
Friday, December 8 to Saturday, December 9, 2017
Chatham
Weekend festivities include caroling, tree trimming and lighting, music, trolley rides, performances, holiday characters, and Main Street shops welcoming you with holiday spirit. Click here for more information >>

48th Annual Osterville Christmas Open House & Stroll
Friday, December 8, 2017
Osterville Village
The traditionally decorated village’s holiday festivities include horse and carriage rides, trolley rides, music, carolers, refreshments, and a visit from Santa! Click here for more information >>

Mashpee Chamber Christmas Parade
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Mashpee
This year’s theme for the parade is “Mashpee Celebrates Under the Stars!” During this nighttime parade, every float is illuminated. Enjoy festive music, holiday costumes, and beautiful lights! Click here for more information >>

First Light Provincetown
Thursday, December 28 to Sunday, December 31, 2017
Provincetown
This town-wide holiday event, set against the festive backdrop of the illuminated Pilgrim Monument, features a fabulous fireworks display, live performances, craft fair, dancing, and the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge. Click here for more information >>

First Night Chatham
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Chatham
This is an alcohol-free, family-friendly, town-wide celebration of the arts with more than 70 performances and events. Begin at the Chatham Lighthouse at noon for the town photo and end the full day of fun and entertainment with fireworks at Oyster Pond at midnight. Click here for more information >>

First Night Sandwich
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Sandwich
This family festival is alcohol-free and celebrates arts and multicultural activities, music, dance, and live performances. The community celebration is open to all, from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m and a Reveler’s Parade is held at 8:00 p.m. Click here for more information >>

Click here for a complete list of the holiday festivities around the Cape. 

http://www.frontdoor.com/houses/finding-a-cape-cod-retirement-dream-home

Realtor Susan Dean helped her clients find the perfect Cape Cod retirement home with vintage charm, secret rooms and a large garden.

After spending vacation time in a tiny seasonal cottage on Cape Cod, Terry and Lynne Dunn knew exactly where they wanted to spend their retirement. The 544-square-foot house was perfect for quick weekend getaways but wasn't large enough to accommodate visiting grandkids, so they tasked ERA Realtor Susan Dean with finding their dream retirement home. She was also given the task of selling their New Jersey home as well as the beloved cottage.

Susan Dean scoured the entire Cape from Sandwich to Orleans. Then, the perfect house was discovered in Dennis: a beautiful antique with all the charm and finishes that they were looking for, plus a few fun features for the grandkids. One found a secret room in the back of the front hall closet, while another slept in the upstairs nook, which is the perfect spot for a small child when there's too much company.
 

What was at the top of the homebuyers' wish list?

 

The home had the character they were looking for with lots of vintage charm. They wanted several fireplaces, larger rooms, extra bedrooms for their adult children to visit, and a room for Lynne’s crafting. They also wanted beautiful gardens, but most of all, it had been very well taken care of by the previous owners and was pretty much move-in ready. The desired location was the mid-Cape area. Terry wanted a garage for an antique car.

 

How did you go about fulfilling the buyers' needs? What were your biggest challenges?

 

Pricing the seasonal cottage correctly, getting the maximum cash return and getting it sold in a timely manner were the key elements for attaining my clients’ retirement goals. I did preview quite a few houses before taking them out. One of the biggest challenges was finding some homes that were in good shape. A lot of the homes I saw were in disrepair, and the owners had not performed overall maintenance. The fixtures and mechanics were outdated. Even though Terry had already retired from his teaching job, Lynne was still working as a hospice nurse. So our tours of possibilities resulted in daylong tours when they had time to visit the Cape.