Every December, an 18-foot Santa stands in Coletti-Magni Park and waves toward Watertown Street. According to the Newton Beacon, he is Nonantum's third giant Santa. The village's Santa tradition goes back to the 1950s, and the two earlier figures covered most of the past 70 years.
The parade that now draws families out on a December Sunday is much younger. The Nonantum Children's Christmas Party Association called its 2024 parade the "fourth annual" in its 2024 appeal letter, which puts the first one around 2021. The rest of the tradition is far older: the lights, the mailbox, the gift baskets and the group that runs them.
This year the whole season is packed into three Sundays in a row.
The 2026 Calendar
The association's homepage lists these dates for 2026:
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | Coletti-Magni Park Lighting | Hot chocolate and caroling at 6:15 p.m., lights on at 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Nonantum Christmas Parade | Starts at noon |
| Sunday, Dec. 20 | Dan Fontaine & Memphis Sun Mafia: "A Vegas Christmas" | Ticket information to come on the association's site |
Compare that with the past two years. In 2024 the lighting was Sunday, Dec. 1, and the parade came two weeks later on Dec. 15. In 2025 the lighting was Dec. 7, and the Beacon listed the parade for Dec. 21, again two weeks later. In 2026 the gap is one week. The parade on Dec. 13 is the earliest of the three years and lands right after the lights go on.
The lighting itself is in its usual spot. The City of Newton's park listing says the holiday lighting at Coletti-Magni Park is usually held on the first Sunday in December, and Dec. 6 is the first Sunday this year.
The Park the Whole Month Revolves Around
Coletti-Magni Park is small. The city lists it at 391 Watertown Street, on the corner of Watertown and Bridge streets, at 0.46 acres. It is a pocket park in the village center and also a memorial site. In December the association fills it with lights, holiday displays and the big Santa. In 2024 the association's thank-you post to volunteers also invited visitors to take a photo on Santa's sleigh.
Getting the park ready takes weeks. The Beacon reported that preparations start right after Halloween, beginning with buying supplies. Volunteers arrive in the association's truck to string the lights. By the time this post is out in mid-November, that work is usually well underway.
The park is also where the parade ends. The Beacon's 2024 recap followed Santa through the village and then to a stop at Coletti-Magni Park.
What the Parade Added
The parade is the association's newest event, and from the start it has been about reaching houses beyond the park. Patch published the 2021 route, and it wound through much of the village. It started on Adams Street at Middle Street and covered Watertown, Broadway, Linwood, Bridge, California, Dalby, Cook, Green, Capitol, Jasset, Beech, Faxon, Chapel, Middle, Lincoln and Hawthorn before ending at Coletti-Magni Park. In 2024, the association pointed families to its website for "Santa's route." nonantumccpa.org is the place to look before Dec. 13.
The Beacon's 2024 photos show what the parade looks like. Santa, Frosty and Rudolph came through, with Mickey and Minnie riding in a pickup. Frank Battista sang carols from the bed of a tow truck.
The Older Parts of December
Most of the association's December work started decades before the parade.
The association itself. The Beacon reports that Anthony "Fat" Pellegrini Sr. and a group of friends founded the Nonantum Children's Christmas Party Association in 1954. His family runs it today. His son Anthony Pellegrini Jr., known locally as "Uncle Fatty," is chairman, his sister Linda Anderson is involved, and a third generation now helps. The children's party in the group's name ended in 1992. The name stayed, and the work grew in other directions.
The baskets. Each December the association gives out gift cards and food baskets to families in need. Pellegrini Jr. explained the list to the Beacon:
"My father had a list, and I'm still going by the list. So we give out a couple hundred gift baskets, and we have a list from not just Nonantum, but from Watertown, Newton Corner, the (Newton) Falls, throughout the area."
Santa's mailbox. Children can leave a letter in Santa's mailbox at Coletti-Magni Park, and the association's elves send it to the North Pole. A letter with a return address gets a reply. In 2025 the mailbox closed Dec. 21. In its 2024 letter, the association said it had been answering Santa letters for 58 years.
The year-round giving. The 2024 letter also describes scholarships through groups including the John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club, Newton's sports leagues, the Newton Recreation Department and Newton Athletes Unlimited, along with help for families, seniors and veterans. Volunteers of all ages do the work. The Beacon notes the group also builds floats for the Memorial Day parade.
The tradition may be older still. Pellegrini Jr. told the Beacon that group Christmas celebrations in Nonantum may date to 1899. He once found a newspaper from Christmas 1965 that called that year's event the 66th annual celebration. Nonantum native Arrianna Proia, who has helped decorate the park her whole life, gave the Beacon a more modest count. She called it a way to "honor the traditions that have been going on for over 50 years."
Three Sundays on Watertown Street
Because the events fall on back-to-back weekends, you can plan each Sunday around a nearby stop on Watertown or Adams Street. Several of these businesses are as rooted in the village as the association.
- Dec. 6, before the lights. Antoine's Pastry Shop at 317 Watertown Street opened in 1954, the same year the association was founded. Antoine Khachadourian started it with his brothers, his sister and his parents after coming from Marseille, and it still focuses on French and Italian pastry. The shop is known for cannoli filled to order and sfogliatelle.
- Dec. 13, around the noon parade. Guiseppe's Sub Shop at 309 Watertown Street is known for panini and subs, including a house-made meatball special. Next door, Steamers Seafood Market at 311 Watertown Street runs a takeout counter with fried seafood, steamed lobster and grilled fish. Eddie's Breakfast & Lunch at 394 Watertown Street, just past the park's own address, is a diner known for breakfast plates and pancakes. All three were on Newton's December 2025 license-renewal schedule.
- Dec. 20, an evening out. Olivia's Bistro at 136 Adams Street serves modern Italian food, including fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza. It suits a night built around the Vegas Christmas show.
One timing note for planning: Nonantum Press Room at 191 Adams Street, a sandwich shop known for paninis, soups and salads with an Italian touch, lists hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those hours fit a weekday lunch before the Sunday events. Hours at the other shops can change around the holidays, so it's worth calling ahead on an event Sunday.
The Same Park in May
The association's next big date after Christmas is in spring. Its homepage lists the City of Newton Memorial Day / Armed Forces Day "Salute to Service" Parade for Sunday, May 16, 2027, at a new start time of 1 p.m. The route starts at Newton North High School, follows Walnut, Washington and Adams streets, and ends at Coletti-Magni Park. Both of the village's parades finish at the same 0.46-acre park.
The Beacon notes that locals still call the neighborhood "The Lake," even though Silver Lake was filled in long ago, and that older residents still speak a slang called "Lake Lingo." Lake Lingo, the giant Santa and the basket list all date back decades. The parade is the newest addition, and this year it comes one week after the lights instead of two.
If you're in Nonantum this December, enjoy all three Sundays. If the season has you thinking about what your own place near Watertown Street is worth, Alison Borrelli can put together a Free Home Value Report for your street and your timing.
