Harvard Square Business Association
December 2022 Newsletter
Deals/Events/News
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Please join us in welcoming our newest members!
Welcome Back
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year and there is no better place to spend it than historic Harvard Square. With so much to see and do, come for the weekend!
Shopping! Dining! Ticketed Events! Outdoor family-friendly free events! Come Friday and stay for the weekend. Shop until you drop! Dine on the run or sit down for a luxurious dinner. When you’ve shopped and eaten your way through the Square, take some time to enjoy a show, concert, movie or a play.
More information available here.
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As the cold approaches and winter is inevitable, come try your favorite cold drinks hot. We are also introducing a new menu item - our deliciously warm waffles! You can customize these waffles with matcha or chocolate and toppings of your choice! And when you buy 3 drinks you get a free waffle. This promotion ends January 15th. Valid only one person per order.
Gong cha Harvard Square is located on 50 Church St. We look forward to tea-ming up with you!"
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Our recommended and discounted Annual Holiday Hundred list of 100 books (+ 10 kids books) is displayed in the store and available online here.
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Susan Miller-Havens, a Cambridge artist known for her figurative oil paintings, announces a new series: “Zooming Out”.
The series is a comic take on our wish to break out of the isolation our pandemic brings. Rendered in the same color palette Miller-Havens is known for, the Zooming figures comment on the need for connection beyond Zoom’s boxes.
Come see these pieces and others at her new studio (11 Miller Street, Somerville). Visit MillerStreetArtists Studios by appointment. A right on Oxford and off of Beacon - we have a parking lot!
Or purchase Online MillerHavens.com
Friends of HSBA get 20% off on select paintings and limited edition paper reproductions.
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Fridays, Saturdays and private tours are available.
Calling all chocoholics! Join us for a delectable adventure through historic Harvard Square. You'll hear interesting stories about the Square, learn fun facts about chocolate and sample the best and most interesting chocolaty treats around. Harvard Square has a flourishing food scene with some of the best and most unique food in the city. Each tour is a fun 90 minutes and includes 4 stops with plenty of treats and less than a mile of walking. We can't wait to take you on a unique, chocolate adventure!
This tour is suitable for all ages. $40/pp. Guests must purchase tickets in advance. Use code HARVARDSQUARE and enjoy 10% off!
Haven't been to Harvard Square lately? Do you know we have a new tiki bar?
Revisit Harvard Square on our new FOOD TOUR!
Booking Saturdays at 11:30am, this memorable experience is offered weekly. You'll eat a satisfying array of yummy eats, from Greek to Latin to the best pizza in the world. Tour also includes a Mai Tai or yummy mocktail.
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In addition...
This January, the proprietor of SOURCE Restaurants and Executive Chef Brian Kevorkian, have curated a special menu just for locals. Chef Kevorkian has poured his culinary pedigree into new items just for you and just for the month of January.
When the students are away, the LOCALS will play. This menu will be offered Sunday thru Thursdays from 5pm until close.
The SOURCE team plans on providing a special menu every January for those who make Cambridge their home. We hope you come enjoy this inaugural menu of 2023. Reservations recommended, book now.
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Tis The Season For HARVARD & MIT Tours!
Our gift certificates can be used for any public tour service we offer and will never expire!
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Tiki for Tots - Bring in a toy for our charity drive ending December 19th and receive a $5.00 coupon to use on your meal.
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Celebrate the Holidays Together
December 10 through January 1
December 16
December 17
December 10 through January 1
The third annual Harvard Square Poetry Stroll is on view through January 1. In partnership with Mass Poetry and the Harvard Square Business Association, this year’s outdoor stroll highlights local poets with a focus on finding hope in trying times. The event also invites participants to write and share their own poetry and takes place in conjunction with the Harvard Square Business Association's annual Giving Tree.
Holiday Open House: Holidays Together
Friday, December 16, 4:00-8:00 PM
A fun and festive evening for all ages! Gather with loved ones and neighbors to enjoy the luminaria display on the grounds and stroll the decked halls of the historic Longfellow House, featuring rarely seen objects from the museum collection on display. Enjoy music by Victorian Carolers, pick up "take-and-make" crafts and treats for the whole family, and stop by the holiday photo station. Free; no reservations required. Last entrance to the house at 7:30 PM
Holiday House Tours
Saturday, December 17, 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:30 PM, 1:00 PM, 1:30 PM
Members of the public can reserve spaces on free, 30-minute guided tours of the Longfellow House first floor, decorated for the holidays! Space is limited and reservations are required. Email long_reservations@nps.gov to request a reservation with your name, number of people (limit 6 per party), tour time, and accessibility needs.
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Third Thursdays with Dave Bryant and Friends
December 15
The “Third Thursdays with Dave Bryant and Friends” harmolodic jazz series began this past April, with the overall goal of showcasing a diverse range of Boston-area musical artists, as well as Dave’s fellow Ornette Coleman sidemen. The series provides a venue for the musicians to perform their work in an acoustically sympathetic performance space with professional video and sound recording to document the event. In addition, the Coleman collaborators are interviewed about the experience for presentation in a podcast. All “Third Thursdays” sessions are held monthly at the Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, located a short walking distance from Harvard Square. Audience seating capacity will abide by whatever health and safety protocols are in place on any given month. The “Third Thursdays” harmolodic jazz series is funded in part by the Appalachian Springs Foundation (ASF), a private foundation located in Charleston, WV. As a nonprofit arts and educational organization, ASF has supported dance, film, music, and educational projects. Many of the “Third Thursdays” concert and interview videos that have been recorded since April 2022 can be found at dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays.
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December 15 & 20
Gallery Talk. Join museum staff for a fresh look at objects in the collections through the lens of various topics.
Thursday, December 15, 12:30pm- 1:00pm.
Gallery Talk: Activation of Moholy-Nagy’s Light Prop for an Electric Stage. Join staff as they discuss and activate this experimental device from 1930 by László Moholy-Nagy, a Bauhaus pioneer. Tuesday, December 20, 12:30pm – 1:00pm.
Make sure to explore Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt: Facing Forward before the exhibition ends on December 30. Come face to face with portraits of Egyptians who lived during the Roman period and discover what role these images played in funerary rituals as well as what modern technical study can reveal about ancient artistic practices.
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"Conversations + Chocolate" Harvard Square Chocolate Tour!
December 16
We will offer a mini version of our Harvard Square Chocolate Tour and an hour of fun conversation with others.
The pandemic has caused a lot of us to miss out on deep conversations. We will provide space for you to feel safe talking about things you care about with others.
Off The Beaten Path Food Tours will offer three yummy dessert stops as well as some "big talk" conversation starters. You will be able to choose which questions you'd like to answer such as, "What famous person would you like to have dinner with and why?"
This special event is $50/guest which includes all desserts (and please tip the guide!) and is limited to 20 guests. If all goes well, we will plan to host these again in 2023!
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Christmas in Renaissance Spain
December 16 & 17
Blue Heron celebrates the holiday season with three performances of Christmas in Renaissance Spain, December 16 (8pm) and December 17 (3pm and 8pm). Join us at First Church, Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, for a festive new program of sonorous motets, exuberant villancicos, and comic ensaladas for the Christmas season with singers, guitars, persuccion, and dulcian. Masks are required at all times for the health and safety of all.
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December 16 - 18
The Harvard Square Holiday Fair is one of the oldest and most popular fairs in Boston - the original rock and roll holiday fair. Now in its 36th year, the fair runs Dec 16-18 at 33 Dunster St in Cambridge. The fair is juried and includes a changing mix of New England craftspeople and world traveling importers featuring a great selection of beautiful, original and affordable gifts. Talking to the craftspeople who make what they sell gives shoppers a connection to what they are buying that is just not possible at the mall, through a catalog or online.
This is not your average craft fair - it's more like a party where you can buy stuff! It’s a high energy alternative marketplace with a great soundtrack - a taste of the old Harvard Square.
The fair is open Fridays: 12-7, Saturdays: 11-7 and Sundays: 12-6.
Admission is free
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The Midwinter Revels: A Solstice Celebration
December 16 - 28
The Midwinter Revels is a cherished holiday tradition for over 70,000 people throughout the country. Every December, the Cambridge Revels community gathers in Harvard University’s historic Sanders Theatre to celebrate the season through the traditional songs, dances, and stories of cultures from around the world. This year’s production will be performed live at Sanders Theatre December 16 – 28 and will be followed by a virtual encore streaming option! Tickets available here.
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Ugly Holiday Sweater Party
December 19
Sponsored by Maker's Mark.
Think your holiday sweater is ugly enough to take the prize? We're hosting our first Ugly Sweater Party with a BBQ dinner and whiskey tasting. Taste a selection of Maker's Mark whiskeys, including our very own private barrel. Our BBQ dinner will leave you stuffed to the gills and you'll walk away with a special gift. Tickets available here.
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Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
December 24
4:30pm
Please join us for our annual Christmas Eve celebration with a candlelit service of scripture readings and traditional carols that retell the ancient story of the birth of our Lord. The service emphasizes the steadfastness of God's love and the Lord's desire to be closer to us. We close the service with a congregational lighting of candles as we sing Silent Night. We look forward to greeting you.
Schedule Change: Taizé Candlelight Service of Prayer
Please note that we will not be holding our monthly Taizé service of prayer in January. However, please join us when we resume services starting February 7, 2023.
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HUMOR FOR HUMANITY
December 29, 30 and January 1
Jimmy Tingle Live! HUMOR FOR HUMANITY, comedian, commentator and founder of Humor for Humanity, Jimmy Tingle mixes his funniest comedic hits and newest, post pandemic bits to deliver the humor, hope and humanity the country so desperately needs as we end 2022 and bring in the New Year.
Jimmy will take us on a hilarious and soul-searching journey from his Cambridge roots as an aspiring comic and street performer during the 1980’s to the present moment with a very funny, passionate and purpose driven “tour de force” performance.
If laughter is the best medicine, then Jimmy Tingle is the Surgeon General of political humor. He will make you laugh; make you think and make you feel better, just what the doctor ordered. Tickets available here.
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December 31
Holiday Events for guests at the hotel including the New Years shows at Scullers Jazz Club (Andre Ward will be performing at an 8:30pm and an 11pm show) and dinner & show packages, as well as the ultimate New Years Eve packages are available.
Chill Over the Charles Rooftop Igloo Bar Returns
With city skyline and river views under a glowing dome, the Chill Over the Charles igloo experience returns this December for a second season and is the latest cold-weather activity to add to your bucket list.
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From the comfort of your igloo, sample a collection of Framinghammer Baltic Porter Beers by local brewer Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers that pays homage to their hard-working hometown of Framingham Massachusetts. This unique line of special Baltic Porters spends a lengthy conditioning period in bourbon and rye barrels (and packs a punch with a 12% ABV!), or warm up with a hot winter drink meant to share like the Chamomile Tea Toddy for two or Toasted Cider for four. Dine à la carte or indulge in the three course pre-fixe menu, including housemade New England Clam Chowder, Hand-Rolled Garganelli and a Warm Spy Apple Blossom.
Available Thursday – Saturday from 5:30pm to 10:00pm (weather permitting and hours/days subject to change), guests can visit OpenTable to reserve an igloo for two hours for a group of up to 8 people, making this experience a great option for an intimate birthday gathering, special celebration or after-work happy hour.
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New Year’s Day Marx Brothers Marathon!
January 1
For the first time since 2020, we return our annual Marx Brothers Marathon to full strength with a quadruple feature of anarchic hijinks featuring the Brothers taking on roles that range from heads of state to lowly stowaways… but you can be sure that no matter where they start, Groucho, Chico, and Harpo will somehow end up on top!
A Night at the Opera • 12:30pm, 8:00pm
Animal Crackers • 2:30pm
Horse Feathers • 4:30pm
Duck Soup • 6:15pm
Tickets and more information available here.
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Open House
January 29
Saint Paul's Choir School provides a classically-inspired Catholic education for boys in grades 3-8 to support their service as choristers. All boys this age have a natural capacity to sing treble. Join us to learn more! www.saintpaulschoirschool.us
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Ongoing
Nearly half a billion years ago, the first ancestors of a most remarkable group of fishes sprung forth from the evolutionary tree of life, exploding into a spectacular array of cartilaginous predators. Today, sharks are ubiquitous in and essential to our oceans, their lives intersecting with our own in important and surprising ways. In this remarkable exhibition, discover why the most massive sharks prey on some of the ocean’s smallest critters. Learn how to decipher dietary clues from jaws preserved in Harvard’s world-class collections. Explore how miniature teeth on shark skin help them move efficiently through water. Come to appreciate sharks not as deadly killers, but as fascinating creatures—more menaced than menacing—that play an outsize role in maintaining balance in marine ecosystems. Don’t miss this chance to come face-to-face with the ocean’s most famous, misunderstood megafauna!
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Need a job? We can help!
The HSBA manages a job page on harvardsquare.com. Please take a look and see if you are the right fit for one of Harvard Square's favorite businesses.
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Make Bob Slate Stationer your one-stop shop for the holidays! Our incomparable Christmas & Hanukkah collections are now available, including holiday cards & gift wrap, as well as Advent calendars & candles, and tabletop accessories like tapers, napkins and Christmas Crackers.
For 2023, we are introducing more gift categories to help you find a memorable gift for your special folks. Our extended holiday shopping hours through Christmas Eve are:
Monday - Thursday: 10 am - 6 pm
Friday - Saturday: 10 am - 7 pm
Sunday: 11 am - 6 pm
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Learn how to cook Greek food with 70 authentic, easy to follow Greek recipes. Cooking Greek is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook. Purchase here.
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Cambridge School Volunteers has enrolled more than 160 volunteers this year and is seeking additional volunteers to support students. Help take students off the waitlist for tutors. At the high school level, STEM subjects, like Biology and Algebra, are in high demand.
December is the time of year that many of our volunteers travel; change their course schedule; or move on for other reasons. Since the public schools are in session continuously except for Dec. 23 – January 4, this means some students are left without the support of the tutor, mentor, or reading buddy with whom they have been working. Can you help out a student this winter?
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This season is all about giving—this year, consider giving your time (just 30–60 minutes per week, depending on the school) to a local student. Visit https://csvinc.org/volunteers to learn how to join us. Help spread the word by passing this call along to neighbors, friends, or colleagues.
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Holiday Gift of Private Online Tasting
If you’re seeking a unique holiday gift, why not give the gift of a Commonwealth Wine School private online tasting? Tastings are available upon request via email: info@commonwealthwineschool.com
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Take Action & Change a Life!
Join Us to Stop Child Labor and Child Marriage.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI)* has witnessed significant levels of poverty and heart-breaking physical, financial, and emotional suffering in our project areas. With COVID-19 economic disruption today, we need your help more than ever. Please take action and help a child in need by visiting our website to sponsor a child or make a donation.
We urge you to open your hearts and join in our charitable mission. Consider making a tax-deductible gift to DCI. You can help stop child labor and provide education to a child in need with a $15 monthly sponsorship, give the gift of vision to a child by providing glasses for $25 or surgery for $50, provide support to our orphan girls, or choose from the many other gifts.
Take Action:
If you have the time and inclination, please also consider donating your time as a volunteer, in person or remotely, to help us in the fight to safeguard underprivileged children and their families during this pandemic. Learn more here.
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Reach your savings goals with a Certificate of Deposit from HUECU! Now available for a limited-time at special rates, a CD is the perfect way to boost your savings.
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Come on in and visit us at our Hunt's Harvard Square location! We offer photo printing, a perfect gift for you or someone that can enjoy your artwork or memories. We also carry a variety of cameras and accessories for anyone who would love to get into photography or videography. If you don't know what to get, we got you covered there too! Grab a gift card with a bonus value added right to your card!
Please check out our site for more details and gift ideas.
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Available this month only, J.P. Licks makes Candy Cane Pies for this holiday season! Choose either Candy Cane or The Grinch's Candy Cane ice cream, served in a crushed Oreo® shell with a thin layer of homemade fudge, covered with chocolate ganache, and finished with crushed candy cane!
Order online and keep this ice cream pie frozen until ready to serve.
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On Christmas Eve, Nubar will offer their full dinner menu. The kitchen will close at 9pm – and last call at the bar will be 9:45pm, with Nubar closing at 10pm.
On Christmas Day, they offer their holiday buffet, from 11:30am – 5:30pm (last seating at 4:30pm). The cost is $57/adults, $30 for kids 12 and under, and free for kids 5 and under. The price includes coffee, tea, or soft drinks. View menu here. There will be no other food service available this day. Last call at the bar will be 6:45pm, and Nubar will close at 7pm. On New Year’s Eve, we will offer our full dinner menu, along with some specials – during their regular Saturday hours. On New Year’s Day, we will offer a brunch buffet, from 11:30am – 2:30pm. This will be like our brunches of old – carving station, omelet station, and lots of breakfast, brunch, and lunch items. The cost is $45/adults, and $20 for kids 12 and under, free for kids 5 and under. The price includes coffee, tea, or soft drinks.
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Don’t miss out on insurance benefits and Flex Dollars! Swing by SEE today to use your insurance benefits and/or flex spending dollars before they expire.
Use ‘em before you lose ‘em!
617-868-1500
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Bring It Home
Orders due by end of day 12/19
Pickup Saturday 12/24
Some of our favorite dishes:
Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Vidalia & Smoked Brisket Fat Mashed Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Onion Jam & Lemon Vinaigrette
Eggnog Butter Cake
Party at Your Office or Ours
Get your work crew together for a whole hog dinner, a whiskey tasting, or a specially designed BBQ spread that is just right for your team (and yes, we have vegetarian, gluten free, and other allergen specific options).
Special December Dishes
Smoked Duck Leg
Our perfectly tender and sweet Smoked Duck Leg...cured for 24 hours with our own brisket spice and brushed with a Cheerwine glaze.
Eggnog Butter Cake
Butter cake meets its soulmate...nog! A rich cinnamon nutmeg pound cake with a baked-on dark rum cream cheese frosting & powdered sugar.
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Evening volunteers needed (after 6pm)
Tutoring Plus is seeking in-person volunteers to give one hour each week to help students in the 4th-12th grade with homework (6-7pm).
Volunteers are paired 1:1 with a student for a minimum commitment of one semester. Volunteers pick the grade level and the day of the week that works best with their schedule. Volunteers also receive training and ongoing support.
Learn more about Tutoring Plus at our website.
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The Y2Y Harvard Square Youth Homeless Shelter is asking local organizations to commit $5,000 - $10,000 to support a holiday match campaign as part of an effort to raise $100,000 this holiday season. Winter is the toughest season for youth living on the streets, and there’s never been a more important time to join up and help! For more details or to arrange a donation, please contact Ari Taylor.
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Come visit us in Harvard Square! We’re expanding with our sister business @thedoughclub bringing mochi donuts and other treats.
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Harvard Square Business Association
Two Brattle Square, Mezzanine
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 491-3434
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Need a Job? We can help!
Click here for a list of hiring businesses
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