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Santa, Tree Lighting, Postcard Show, Art Exhibit, and More at First Friday

Chester’s December First Friday celebration will feature a tree lighting, along with Santa and his sleigh, hot chocolate, holiday carols, the St. Lucia girls, and the return of Chester Gallery’s Postcard Show on Friday, Dec. 7, with the holiday festivities downtown beginning at 5:45 p.m.

Chester Gallery & Framing will continue the Postcard Show begun by Sosse and Jack Baker more than 20 years ago. The exhibition will include more than 60 artists from all over Connecticut working in a wide range of styles and mediums in 4” by 6” postcard size or smaller.

At the Leif Nilsson Spring Street Studio and Gallery, Leif Nilsson opens his Holiday Night Exhibit of gouache and oil landscape paintings. There will also be live music by Arrowhead, and Caryn B. Davis will sign copies of her best-selling photography book, A Connecticut Christmas: Celebrating the Holiday in Classic New England Style.

Cait Shea kicks off December with a winter coat drive to benefit the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry based in Willimantic. The clothing designer will also introduce a new handmade ornament collection, featuring items made with recycled plastic and upcycled fabric, along with winter clothing styles, including hand-knit hats in winter hues and the new cowl-neck fur-alternative coats in ballet pink.

Westbrook author Mark Moulton will be at Lark signing copies of his new adaptation of The Night Before Christmas.

Dina Varano Gallery will unveil a new collection of jewelry for the holidays. Gift wrapping with dried flowers will be provided.

Caryn Paradis will open her studio this month to showcase the talents of Chester-based chef Amelia Lord, a private chef, cooking teacher and food writer who calls on her diverse heritage and experiences to specialize in organic, nutritious, and sustainable food.

Shops at The Mill House will showcase vintage, handcrafted holiday decor and gifts, plus 10 percent off jewelry repairs until the end of the year. Spoon artist Elena Zajak of Spoons to Spare will showcase her holiday ornaments and serving pieces at Kismet. Zajak takes silverware and re-purposes it into jewelry and other fun items.

Chester’s restaurants will offer beverage options including a hot chocolate bar at Sprouted Coffee & Tea Bar, and at Grano Arso, the First Friday drink will be the Pass Thyme Old Fashioned, with Ragtime Rye, sherry, house-made orange bitters and orange-thyme simple syrup.

In addition to on-street parking in Chester, there is free parking available in the town’s public lots on Main Street by the cemetery, on Water Street and on Maple Street. More information about First Friday is available on Facebook.com/VisitChesterCT or by calling 860-322-4047.