The 2014 fall semester extends further into December than previous semesters. For ENC students, this provides the opportunity to check out various Christmas festivities happening in the Boston area.  Here are several free (or relatively cheap) events to check out:

Blink!

Blink! is a free holiday light show that features over 200,000  flashing lights strung up around the trees lining Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The light show synchronizes perfectly in time to music from the “Holiday Pops” concert CD, which is played across loudspeakers.  Performances begin in early Dec. until Jan. 4, and run every night starting at 4:30 and replaying every half hour.

Boston Common Tree Lighting Ceremony

2014 will mark the 73rd annual lighting of Boston’s official Christmas tree.  The festivities begin Thursday Dec. 4 at 6 p.m.  The 47-foot Christmas tree, along with all other Christmas decorations throughout the Boston Common will be lit shortly before 8 p.m.  The show will conclude with a pyrotechnics display coupled with fireworks and light shows.

Tree lighting

Photo credit: Boston.com

Ice Skating at the Frog Pond

Ice skating season is back, and the Boston Common Frog Pond is open to community members to take their skates to the ice.  The outdoor rink is open daily.

Every Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. is college night. Students receive a discount with their college ID.  Normal admission is $5, and skate rental is $10.

You can look at specific hours on their website.

The Nutcracker

Boston Ballet will be performing the winter classic The Nutcracker throughout the month of December at the Boston Opera House.  The production features critically-acclaimed modern choreography by Mikko Nissinen, which debuted just two years ago, while retaining the classic score by Tchaikovsky.

There will be daily performances (excluding Mondays and Christmas) starting Thursday, Dec. 4 and continuing throughout the month.  Rush tickets for students are only $20 and are available at the box office two hours before each show time.

Free Concerts at Berklee

Berklee College of Music holds many free concerts year-round, and December ushers in a couple of free Christmas-themed concerts to be performed.  On Friday Dec. 5 pianist Matthew McGrath will play music from “The Xmas Files,” a sci-fi Christmas musical.  The performance will be on the Berklee campus at the Berk Recital Hall, beginning at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday Dec. 17, Cole Andrade and Davis Coleman will perform the music from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” arranged for vibraphone and marimba. This concert will take place at also on the Berklee campus in the David Friend Recital Hall beginning at 1 p.m.