Crowds Revel in the Season at West Hartford's Holiday Stroll

Chestnuts were being roasted over an open fire in front of Treva, the weather was definitely nippy, and Yuletide carols were being sung by Conard High School's B S#arp and the West Hartford Women's Chorale. Folks were dressed up – if not like Eskimos – then certainly like New Englanders on a December night.

Everybody knows ... that West Hartford's annual Holiday Stroll is one of the most enjoyable ways to welcome the holiday season.

Crowds strolled through the streets of West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square Thursday night, sipping hot chocolate, and eating roasted chestnuts, popcorn, and holiday treats.

Wide-eyed children sat on the lap of Santa or Mrs. Claus and Nutcracker ballerinas posed as live mannequins in store windows. Kids clambered aboard a firetruck and families rode through town in Foxglove Farm's horse drawn carriages.

Singers from Sigel Hebrew Academy, Duffy Elementary School, Solomon Schechter Day School, Emanuel Synagogue, Conard High School''s B S#arp, and the West Hartford Women's Chorale delighted strollers with holiday songs from Blue Back Square's pergola. Brass Roots and the Conard Jazz Ensemble added a jazzy touch to the celebration.

For West Hartford, the holiday season has now officially begun.