It was all aboard for visitors to the Winter Stroll who rode with a conductor manning a "Roaming Railroad" rental choo choo whose trackless traversing of the Main Street venue was constant throughout the night. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

NASHUA – The 30th annual Winter Stroll in Nashua on Nov. 29 included more than 100 merchants and vendors, 53 performances, a variety of carnival amusements, plenty of food trucks and a zippy choo-choo train loaded with holiday cheering passengers.

Alyssa O’Mara, executive director of the Downtown Nashua Association credited the night’s success to the work of dozens sharing the heart of the town with locals and visitors from throughout New England and elsewhere.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who was involved in the planning of this year’s Winter Stroll and very proud to have been a part of it.” O’Mara said.

Winter Stroll visitors showed quick appreciation.

Ice skaters Mya Gomes, age 4, and Eva Raikes, age 10, visited from Manchester and slid across a portable ice rink sponsored by St. Mary’s Bank. Inside the store Anthos Artistry & Co., Joshua Torres and son Gavin, age 8, also residents of Manchester, posed for a photo in a booth intricately decorated with a holiday theme.

The Meyer Family, Winter Stroll attendees since 2008, show the sights to Sherrie Platt, foreground, a first-time visitor well awed by the spectacle of so many amusements. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Some of the hundreds of funnel cakes served that evening were claimed by Eric and Amy and Lily Keating of Hudson. Nearby, the Meyers, who have attended the event since 2008, showed off the sights to their family elder, Sherrie Platt and kin, who were first-time visitors.

Vendors of baked goods, Maple products, hot chocolate, lighted glow-stick necklaces and headbands sporting red velvet reindeer antlers found souvenir buyers.

Those who craved more elegant adornments headed for Scontsas Fine Jewelry & Home Decor where Philip Scontsas and wife Amalia, owners of the third-generation jewelry store, welcomed buyers and browsers. Some chuckled at a countertop sign that confirmed, “Your husband called and said buy anything you want.”

Elsewhere, booths stocked with warm hoodies, woolen caps and mittens were located alongside others where vendors cooked hot dogs and cheeseburgers. Bags of kettle corn made for take-home indulgences or instant gustatory gratification.

Chantelle Morin of CCM Designs, whose military family lived “in a lot of places” before she settled in Nashua, displayed crystal dangles crafted by her into sun-catchers, charms, earrings and other beauties upscaled from faceted crystals as seen in classic movies with fancy chandeliers. She is an Etsy favorite accessible there at her store at ccmdesignsforyou.

Joshua Torres and his son Gavin Torres, foreground, arrived from Manchester to indulge in Winter Stroll activities and a pause at a souvenir photo taken with owners and staff of Anthos Artistry & Co. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

O’Mara added that providing shuttle buses for event goers has earned ample positive feedback.

“I can’t wait to share what we already have begun planning for 2026,” she said.

More information on the Winter Stroll of 2025 can be found online at downtownnashua.org.

Winter Stroll aficionados, from left, Eric, Amy and Lily Keating, residents of Hudson, made their way along Main Street fortified with funnel cake topped with a fluff of confectioners' sugar. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Nashua visitors Mya Gomes, age 4, and Eva Raikes, a 10-year old athlete adept at some spins around a portable ice rink rental that was sponsored by St. Mary's Bank, pause for a breather beneath some Winter Stroll spotlights. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Chantelle Morin, a Nashua jewelry designer and owner of CCM Designs, available on Etsy and elsewhere, displays some of her handmade crystal sun-catchers, charms, key chain dangles and other objects of art upcycled from beads, gemstones and sparkling crystals. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Philip Scontsas, owner with wife Amalia of Scontsas Fine Jewelry & Home Decor, greeted Winter Stroll visitors who preferred a sparkly bauble as a souvenir of the Winter Stroll. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON