Boston’s ‘Christmas In The City’ for Shelter Residents Returns After Four-Year Hiatus

For the first time in four years, Boston’s Christmas In the City is back, bringing Christmas cheer to homeless shelter residents. Organizers hosted the event on Sunday, Dec. 15, for about a thousand shelter residents at the Flynn Marine Terminal in Boston’s Seaport District. This year marks the return of the full Christmas In the City experience for homeless shelter residents since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event started nearly 35 years ago when Sparky Kennedy and her husband, Jake, created what had been a huge Christmas party for the city’s homeless shelter residents. As the problem of homelessness in Boston grew, so did the event. The last Christmas In the City in 2019 served thousands of people.

This year, Sparky and Jake’s sons, Chip and Zack, have begun their leadership of the event. Both sons approached their mom with a plan to revive the tradition after Jake’s death in 2020 from ALS.

“I never not wanted to do it,” Sparky told Boston 25 News. “The heart was kind of heavy. But, you know, my kids just brought me up and said, ‘Mom, we can do this,’ and so they did.”

One thing that remains constant for the Kennedys is the thousand-plus volunteers who step up to make Christmas In the City possible.

“Losing my father and so much of what he built with my Mom and this organization hurt,” said Chip. “But coming back, it’s not just about that grief, although that’s part of it. It’s about living through his vision, and his vision with my Mom, what they wanted.”

And that vision — a display of respect and fun for shelter residents — continued in style, even down to the red-carpet reception guests received as they entered the Flynn Marine Terminal for their party.