The public is invited to attend the 35th annual holiday open house at the Governor’s Residence.
Gov. Ned Lamont and First Lady Annie Lamont are hosting the open house on Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The house is decorated for the season and ADA accessible.
Families will also get to meet Santa Claus who will be on-site throughout the event.
The Governor’s Residence is located at 990 Prospect Ave. in Hartford. The event is free and tickets are not needed.
According to a release, a free shuttle bus service will be provided thanks to the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Visitors can park at the Tangiers Market at 550 Farmington Ave. in Hartford and the shuttle will run every 15 to 20 minutes. On Saturday, a shuttle will also run from the Mandell Jewish Community Center at 335 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield. The first bus will begin at 10 a.m. each day and the last bus will depart the Governor’s Residence at 1:30 p.m.
“Decorating the Governor’s Residence for the Christmas season is a Connecticut tradition, and I love having the opportunity to share the holiday spirit with everyone,” Gov. Lamont said. “Annie and I are happy to invite everyone to join in the spirit, view the seasonal Christmas trimmings that were generously donated by Connecticut growers and small businesses, and celebrate the season.”
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All of the decorations – including Christmas trees, wreaths, seasonal greenery, ornaments, dining room sets, gingerbread houses, and artwork – have been donated for display at the Governor’s Residence at no cost to the state, according to a release. This year, those donations come from:
- Jones Family Farms in Shelton
- Connecticut Nurserymen’s Foundation
- Connecticut Greenhouse Growers Association
- Kathryn Hunt Studios of West Hartford
- Front Door Designs of Winsted
- Charter Oak International Academy of West Hartford
- Taste by Spellbound of West Hartford and Avon
- Garden Club of Hartford
- New Britain Museum of American Art
- Wadsworth Atheneum
The Annual Governor’s Residence Conservancy ornament will be available, according to a release. The ornament is an annual tradition, featuring a Connecticut landmark each year.
The 2025 ornament features an image of Gillette Castle in East Haddam. Ornaments are available for $25, and the proceeds benefit the Governor’s Residence Conservancy, a nonprofit organization responsible for the preservation, restoration, and maintenance of the Governor’s Residence and its grounds, according to a release. A limited number of ornaments from previous years will also be available for purchase.
While there is no admittance fee and tickets are not needed, donations benefiting several causes will be accepted throughout the duration of the open house. The Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Transportation will be accepting donations of new and unwrapped toys to benefit Toys for Tots, according to a release. A CTfastrak bus will be parked outside of the Governor’s Residence on Friday morning, which will be used to collect toys.
Monetary donations will be accepted to benefit Operation E.L.F., a fundraising campaign of the Connecticut National Guard that supports military families who are enduring the hardship of separation due to deployment, including those whose loved ones are deployed, preparing for deployment, or recently returned from deployment, according to a release. The goal of the campaign is to lessen the financial stress these families can face resulting from their call to active duty.
“More than 800 service members from the Connecticut National Guard are currently deployed to operations around the globe, and another 150 will be mobilized for overseas service within the next ten months. This is the highest number of Connecticut National Guard service members who have been deployed in a 12-month period within the last 15 years,” according to a release.
Suggested donations for Operation E.L.F. include:
- Financial contributions through checks that can be made payable to the Connecticut National Guard Foundation, Inc. (in the memo field, please write “Operation E.L.F.”)
- Gift cards for grocery stores, department/home goods stores, pharmacies, gas stations, etc.
- Contribution of services such as fuel oil, snow removal, and home maintenance services.
Local musicians will perform selections of holiday music throughout the duration of the open house. The schedule includes:
Friday, Dec. 5
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Renbrook School’s Select Choir, Renaissance, of West Hartford, performing under the direction of Katie Dawson, Renbrook’s Music Department chair.
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Bonnie Milner of the Johnson Girls
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.: Sinan Bakir, jazz guitarist
Saturday, Dec. 6
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Be S#arp, Conard High School, West Hartford, under the direction of Alisdair McLaren, Shannon Dalton, Isabella Egress, Faculty Advisor, Samuel Eurich
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.: Marcel n’ The Metropolitans, central Connecticut-based jazz trio consists of Jeremy Osterling on saxophone, Matt Bellevue on guitar, and Keith Burns on upright
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Plainville Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Lola Gordon