One of the first characters to appear in this book is Mitzi, who has come from Lenox, Massachusetts, the town where she lives with George. Lenox is an affluent town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The population was 5,025 at the 2010 census.
The family are on Nantucket that weekend not only for Genevieve’s baptism, but also because it is Nantucket’s Christmas stroll weekend. In 1973, the founders of the original Nantucket Christmas Stroll were merely trying to prevent islanders from escaping to Cape Cod, 26 miles across the Sound, to do their holiday shopping. That year, in an effort to keep shoppers on the island to shop local, merchants kept their stores open late the first Friday in December. That initial Stroll, christened by merchants as a “Christmas Shoppers Stroll” a mere three hours in duration, was proclaimed a huge success. Shopkeepers entertained shoppers with wine, hot chocolate, tea, mulled cider, fruitcake, and holiday cookies while they perused crafts, books, clothes and wares, and other holiday gift items. In subsequent years, the event grew exponentially, drawing larger crowds until it became a nationally- and, ultimately, internationally-renowned holiday event. Now, more than 40 years later, Nantucket Christmas Stroll is still held the first full weekend of December every year.
Mitzi has always been fond of Christmas, and two of the things she has collected over the years are nutcrackers and Byers’ choice carollers. The Choice carollers are handmade figurines. Byers’ Choice Ltd. is an American family owned and operated manufacturer of Christmas figures and holiday decorations located in Chalfont, Pennsylvania. The company is best known for its line of Caroler figures.
One of the events in the book is the festival of trees party that the whole family attend. One of the “can’t miss” events of the holiday season on Nantucket is Nantucket Historical Association‘s annual Festival of Trees. From December 5 through 31 the Nantucket Whaling Museum is transformed into a magical winter wonderland with over 80 trees decorated in unique and sometimes absolutely amazing holiday splendour. The trees are decorated by Nantucket residents, merchants, non profits, and artists. The creativity on display is a sight sure to inspire holiday spirit and delight all visitors to the festival. The event kicks off with the ever-popular Festival of Trees Preview Party on the evening of December 4. Guests of the Preview Party get a first look at all of the gorgeous works of holiday art while enjoying sips and light bites from island restaurants who have set up tasting stations throughout the museum.
During the party Ava and Nathaniel meet on the widow’s walk of the whaling museum, and it is there where they kiss. A widow’s walk also known as a “widow’s watch” (or roofwalk) is a railed rooftop platform often with a small enclosed cupola frequently found on 19th-century North American coastal houses. The name is said to come from the wives of mariners, who would watch for their spouses’ return, often in vain as the ocean took the lives of the mariners, leaving the women widows.
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