Throw a penny as the ferry rounds the bend at Brant Point heading toward open water, and you’re sure to return to Nantucket. I love “the faraway island,” so rest assured you’ll find me port side on the ferry deck trying to calculate the just-right moment to let that penny fly each time.

Despite the winter chill, I was right there on deck the first Sunday in December, penny in hand. When the moment felt right, I tossed the coin and then smugly strolled back into the cabin, secure in the knowledge that I had ensured my return.

Rituals and customs like the penny toss are part of Nantucket’s allure. The annual Christmas Stroll is another longstanding tradition. While my husband, Kevin, and I vacationed on Nantucket during the spring, summer, fall and even the middle of winter for a long weekend in February several years ago, we had never been on the island for Stroll. Now I know what we were missing: twinkling lights, decorated trees and strolling carolers turn the town into a snow globe-perfect version of Christmas.

We stayed at the White Elephant, a sprawling but elegant harbor-side resort within a five-minute walk of downtown. Following an afternoon stroll around town, we ducked into the Brotherhood of Thieves for a warm-up cocktail and a bowl of its renowned lobster bisque before returning to our cozy quarters at the White Elephant and having dinner at the Brant Point Grill.

Saturday dawned a drizzly day, but the wet weather couldn’t put a damper on our spirits. We checked out the Christmas Market where we were pleased to find islander Taylor Cullen, proprietor of Small Town Girl. Last summer, we stocked up on Taylor’s incredible ginger preserves. At the Christmas Market, we added orange-vanilla marmalade and caramel sauce to our inventory. We were back on Main Street in time to catch the Christmas parade, then we wandered over to the friendly bar at Dune for a bite of lunch.

(Turns out Nantucket Stroll involves a lot of shopping, eating and drinking.)

We ended the afternoon wandering through the Nantucket Whaling Museum, at once awed and amused by the annual collection of community-decorated Christmas Trees. Some were traditional, others quirky, but they were all beautiful.

With our favorite island restaurant, DeMarco’s, closed for the season, we decided to try a new venue — Ventuno’s — and we were not disappointed. The food was great. The staff was wonderful. And we discovered a new-to-us favorite wine on the restaurant’s “Wines We’d Like You to Know” list.

The weekend ended all too soon; and before we were ready, we were boarding the ferry for the trip home. So despite the winter chill, I was right there on deck, penny in hand. When the moment felt right, I tossed the coin then smugly strolled back into the cabin, secure in the knowledge that I had ensured my return.

— Lisa Matte, editor in chief