‘Wassailing, wassailing all over the town’

Posted Monday, December 22, 2025 12:02 am

Photographer Heidi Hunt’s photograph depicting a festive, wintry Sea Cliff Avenue was chosen as the artwork for this year’s collectible mug.

Courtesy Heidi Hunt

Faith Keenan, left, Dave Keenan, Daria Mazz, Cara Morsello, Kristie Werz, Heidi Hunt and Stephanie Sobel helped man the stand at the Arts Council during the celebration.

Courtesy Heidi Hunt

Wassail is an umbrella term for mulled wine, cider or ale that is brewed specifically for wassailing.

Courtesy Heidi Hunt

Julia Grassa from The Village Wine Merchant served fresh wassail to visitors.

Courtesy Heidi Hunt

By Will Sheeline

Sea Cliff residents made merry on Dec. 7 during the fourth annual Wassail Day, hosted by the Sea Cliff Arts Council. The event stems from the old British tradition of wassailing, where holiday celebrants went door to door singing and offered a drink of wassail, a type of warm mulled cider or ale.

In Sea Cliff’s version of the tradition, local businesses made their own wassail and villagers stopped by, sampling each and spreading holiday cheer. The winner this year for Best Wassail went to Marjorie Ruth O’Connor’s chiropractor’s office, for the fourth year in a row.

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