Events, Charities, Resources and More for the Holiday Season

The holiday season is advertised as a time of joy and celebration, but for many managing your mental well-being during the holiday season can take intentional effort. While this time of spiritual and secular celebrations can bring joy, connection, and lasting memories, it can also present financial and emotional challenges. Shorter days, colder weather, gift-giving pressures, and the expectation to feel constantly cheerful can make the season difficult. For those coping with grief or loss, the absence of a loved one may feel especially painful while engaging in holiday traditions. We encourage you to take time to strengthen relationships, look for opportunities to give back through volunteering or donations, and make use of available community resources when needed. To support you in having the best holiday season possible, we at the EAP have updated our list of the Boston area’s largest events, charities, resources, and supports, listed here:

EVENTS

• Boston Central’s Holiday Events List updates their events list every year and is a terrific way to browse local paid and free events in the Boston area, with links and details included.
• Boston Parent Paper offers its own yearly list of family-friendly events in the Boston metropolitan area.
• Mommy Poppins shares a guide for 2025 for community activities directed towards kids.
• Boston December Events Discovery Guide:  This list includes multiple denominational events of the holiday season, including many winter lights events.
• VisitMA Things To Do Winter Holidays Guide:  This list provides individual links to each holiday themed event.

MENTAL HEALTH AND GRIEF

• The Massachusetts branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness continues to offer a list of Family Support Groups, a resource for coping with general stress and mental health challenges on the holidays and throughout the year.
• This Boston Medical Center affiliated podcast episode on holiday stress shares insight and tips from a licensed psychologist for taking care of mental health during the holidays.
• Boston Children’s Health Physicians shares this article on holiday mood regulation and dysregulation of children during the holidays.
• This article from the Better Brain Foundation for ideas offers help managing general stress around the holidays.
• This article from grief.com and this second article on holiday grief from Discover Magazine both shares advice for coping with grief, loss, and depression.  
• This article from MGH shares both coping methods for grief and a list of local resources for those struggling with loss.

BOSTON AREA FOOD RESOURCES

• The Greater Boston Food Bank continues to be a longstanding vital community resource that served so many left in the gap during the recent shutdown.  We encourage you to consider a one time or recurring donation this holiday season.
• Find Your Food Pantry: This link, maintained through the Office of Food Justice, helps city residents locate the nearest food pantry, as well as other resources and numbers to assist families with food stability.
• Fair Foods: A Boston area community food service specializing in providing prepared boxes of produce at two dollars for families in need.  Provides at a different site every day.
• Neighborhood Food Action Collaborative Food Resource Guide:  This regional guide from the nonprofit VitalCNXS provides

OTHER LOCAL RESOURCES AND CHARITIES

• Toys for Tots: This yearly national program is committed to toy donation and distribution to families in need.
• DisabilityInfo.org Assistance maintains its own updated list of charities and resources.
• This site shows off a list of potential financial aid sources for bills, Christmas gifts and more in Middlesex and Suffolk counties for those that qualify.
• Globe Santa is a Massachusetts area charity that helps provide gifts for children in need. 
• The US Postal service supports children through Operation Santa, which is now open for donations. 
• Each year the Salvation Army runs its red pot charity drive to help provide food, shelter, and utility assistance to those in need.
• We strongly encourage donations to Boston area homeless shelters such as Rosie’s Place, the Pine Street Inn, and Father Bill’s. 
• The Red Cross also offers this list of ways to donate and give to those in need.

As always, please reach out to us at the EAP if you have any questions, need services, or want us to highlight an event or resource. Have a safe and warm holiday season.