Was it yesterday we lamented triple-digit heat waves? Worry not about the freeze of single digits. Throughout the Northeast are winter events that will warm you up like a St. Bernard with a barrel of brandy. Cheers!

1. Festival of Lights (wfol.com)
Nov. 5-Jan. 31
Three miles of extravagant lights along the Niagara Parkway Winter Wonderland (Canadian side of the falls, so bring your passport) include the princesses of Disney, as well as native critters like moose and wolves. Fireworks, decked-out villages and viewing of the famous waterfall round out events. There’s no charge to view the lights, but donations are happily accepted.

Pennsylvania Dutch Country (padutchcountry.com)
Thanksgiving through December
The Christmas season in Pennsylvania Dutch Country is as quaint as you’d expect, and holiday events and attractions run far and wide across Lancaster County. Look for German traditions at the Landis Valley Museum’s Country Christmas, plus dressed-up villages, holiday train rides and the oompah spirit of the Lancaster Tuba Christmas, where scores of musicians joyously play these large brass instruments.

2. Washington, D.C., National Christmas Tree at the White House (washington.org)
Thanksgiving through December
Politics play second banana to the real star of December, namely the national tree on the National Mall. Inaugural tree-lighting duties fall to the First Family; after that, tree-lighting entertainment takes place at dusk throughout December.

3. Hersheypark Christmas Candylane (christmasinhershey.com)
Select days, Nov. 18-Dec. 31
America’s chocolate park goes candy-cane crazy with Yuletide music, special shows and a chance to dine with Santa. Twinkling displays include the animated Night of Extraordinary Lights (NOEL for short) and the two-mile Hershey Sweet Lights wooded trail drive.

4. New York City (nycgo.com; rockefellercenter.com)
Nov. 24-Dec. 31
The Big Apple turns festive Nov. 24 when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade heralds the arrival of Santa. The season begins in earnest Nov. 30 with the lighting of Rockefeller Center’s towering Norway spruce. The halls stay decked throughout December with a twinkling Fifth Avenue, dressed-up store windows, those famous Radio City Rockettes and, of course, a little party on New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

Sesame Place (sesameplace.com)
Select days, Nov. 25-Dec. 31
The theme park’s new A Very Furry Christmas gives kids what they want: rides, holiday lights, milk and cookies with Santa and a visit with that other famous guy in red…Elmo. It’s an extra warm-and-fuzzy holiday in America’s neighborhood.

5. Christmas in Newport (newportevents.com; christmasinnewport.org)
Dec. 1-31
This Gilded Age fantasyland sparkles with lantern tours, decked-out mansions and lights twinkling on the harbor. Elegant events like The Nutcracker at Rosecliff complement period celebrations at the mansions. Party like it’s 1899!

6. Sinterklaas (sinterklaasrhinebeck.com)
Dec. 3
Once a year, demure Rhinebeck, NY, lets loose with a celebration that puts the Dutch in Dutchess County. Parades and events marking Sinterklaas, the inspiration for Santa, complement fire jugglers, marionettes and a parade described by the Huffington Post as “Mardi Gras meets Sesame Street.”

Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas (stockbridgechamber.org/christmas.html)
Dec. 3-4
The best holidays are said to be picture-perfect, but in Stockbridge, they really are when townsfolk re-create to-the-letter Rockwell’s painting “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas,” right down to the perfectly placed vintage cars. Look for caroling and concerts, too.

Lake Placid Holiday Stroll (holidayvillagestroll.com)
Dec. 9-11
Twinkling lights, strolling carolers and a visit by Santa highlight this Adirondack village event. Add to that free holiday classics in the old movie theater and a free skating party in Lake Placid Olympic Center, and you’ve got a holiday even George Bailey would love.

Wassail Weekend (woodstockvt.com)
Dec. 9-11
Those looking for a traditional holiday find it in quaint Woodstock, Vt. Wagon and sleigh rides on the historic Billings Farm & Museum are vintage 19th century, and the town’s parade, with gallant horses and carols on the common, is as warm as the cider served at its inns.

Boston First Night (firstnight.org)
Dec. 31
First Night turns the city into a gigantic, family-friendly street party, with hundreds of live performances, a grand processional parade, ice sculptures and grand finale fireworks at midnight. It’s the nation’s oldest and biggest party of its kind.

…and three to look forward to

7. Québec Winter Carnival (carnaval.qc.ca/en)
Jan. 27-Feb. 12
Québec’s frozen extravaganza shows us “southerners” a thing or two about playing in the snow, with an ice palace, parades, tubing and some of the friendliest people on earth. You won’t even notice the cold.

Burlington Winter Festival (burlingtonwinterfestival.wordpress.com; enjoyburlington.com)
Feb. 4
Vermont’s grooviest city gets ultra cool in February with its 19th annual Winter Festival. Live music, dog sleds and a new $1 merchant-discount button give everybody something to celebrate. The snow sculptures will blow your mind.

Great Ice in Grand Isle (champlainislands.com)
Feb. 4 through 19 (three weekends)
Hero, Vt., is a little town that takes full advantage of its tundra with a winter festival held almost entirely on frozen water. Look for ice skating, ice golf, ice bike races, ice regattas…actually, nearly all things ice. Bonfires, dogsleds and an ice-trek to enjoy hot cocoa on a mid-river island remind visitors that Lake Champlain is a region best enjoyed cold.