There’s so much Christmas and Holiday fun going on in Fairfield County. From tree lightings, to holiday markets, to nativities and more, there’s always some holiday cheer to find in Lancaster and the surrounding communities of Fairfield County.
Lancaster Holiday Festival Parade: November 20, 2022 at 10 am
“All Roads Lead Home for the Holidays” The parade will start at the Columbus Street exit of the Fairgrounds and proceed south on Main Street, left on Broad, and back to the fairgrounds.
A Victorian Christmas: From November 6 – January 2
The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is exhibiting an assortment of Christmas trees adorned with authentic 19th-century Victorian ornaments from Johnson’s personal collection. In addition to authentic Victorian ornaments, electric candles will adorn each of the trees to replicate the use of real candles used during the 19th century time period. Victorian-era toys will sit under the trees, with nearby mantles decorated with antique Christmas decorations.
Downtown Holiday Window Display Contest
Stroll the streets of downtown Lancaster to vote on the best window display between November 20- December 3. Details here.
Heart of Christmas Craft Show: November 26 and 27, 2021 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm at The Clum Auction Gallery
The Clum Auction Gallery has filled their 1800s log and stone barn with thousands of items. You will find the perfect gift for everyone on your Christmas list. You’ll even find the perfect gift for yourself! Shop while enjoying holiday music, the aroma of the season, and fresh-baked Christmas cookies. Admission is free.
Lancaster Holiday Spirit Trail: November 27 – December 31, 2021
Find the holiday spirit in Lancaster with app or links to holiday fun on the website. Take a drive or stroll in and around Lancaster, Ohio to see how residents and businesses are showing off their holiday spirit. Follow the Lancaster Holiday Spirit Trail Facebook page for more information or visit the Tinsel and Traditions webpage. Downtown Lancaster.
Small Business Celebration Week: November 27-December 4, 2021
Shop small and support the local businesses of Downtown Lancaster during Small Business Celebration Week. Take advantage of week-long specials, deals, and giveaways as you gear up for the holidays.
Wendel’s Rocks Around the Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt: November 27, 2021
Wendel’s Jewelers is back to spread some holiday cheer in Lancaster with their Wendel’s Rocks Around the Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt! The treasure hunt will have 50 free gifts and starts on Saturday, November 27 at 10 a.m. Gifts will be hidden in Downtown Lancaster from Memorial Drive to High Street and Chestnut Street to Mulberry Street. Some will be in plain sight and others will be hidden a little harder. Search for small silver packages with gold bows that say “Finders Keepers Compliments of Wendel’s Diamond Jewelers.”
Those who are lucky enough to find one of the 50 hidden gifts will be treated to a free gift from Wendel’s! Gifts range from pearl bracelets, Wendel’s gift cards, earrings and much more! The treasure hunt ends when all 50 are found or on Christmas Eve at noon.
No hunting early! Please wait until all the packages are hidden. There is a limit of one gift per family/household! If you find one of the gifts, please stop and let others enjoy the treasure hunting as well. If you have found a gift, come into Wendel’s Jewelers and the staff will tell you what you won and give you your free gift!
Crossroads Nativity Festival: Sunday, November 29, from 6-8:30 pm
This annual tradition features nativities on display from the congregation at First United Methodist Church. Admission is free
Fontanini Nativity Display: December 1, from 6 pm – 9 pm
Visit the almost life-size nativity display and experience Christmas in a unique way. Sights, sounds, and smells place YOU in the center of the indoor nativity featuring Fontanini figures.
Rushville Community Tree Lighting: December 1 from 7-9 pm
Fifth Annual Rushville Community Tree Lighting! Gather around at the corner of Main and Market Street and help ring in the season. The Fairfield Union Assembly Singers will be live in concert. There will be cookies, cocoa, and a visit from Santa as well. Mark your calendar and join us for a fun, old-fashioned Village Tree Lighting!
Norman Rockwell’s Home for the Holidays at the Wagnalls Memorial Library: December 1 – January 15
Make your holidays a little more magical this season by visiting The Wagnalls Memorial during the month of December to enjoy the traveling museum exhibition titled, “Norman Rockwell’s Home for the Holidays.”
The festive gallery display will feature several original paintings and drawings created by Norman Rockwell, many of which were inspired by the work of Charles Dickens. In addition to Christmas covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other periodicals, family gatherings were a favorite topic in the artist’s many advertisements and Hallmark greeting cards.
Exhibition admission is free and brought to you by the Wagnalls Memorial Foundation through a grant from the Ann Chess Fund of the Fairfield County Foundation.
Christmas Walk at the Lancaster Camp Ground: December 3-5, 2021 from 5:30-9:30 pm.
Visit the Lancaster Camp Ground during the first weekend of December for the 2021 Christmas Walk. This event will take place on December 3-5 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Don’t miss this wonderful celebration of Christmas with beautiful luminaries throughout the historic grounds. Enjoy the many sights, sounds, and tastes of the holiday season, including photos with Santa, vendors, music, and more.
Holiday Gift Market at Combustion Brewery & Taproom: Friday, December 3 from 5-8 pm
Visit Combustion Brewery & Taproom on Friday, December 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. to enjoy the Holiday Gift Market by Olde Pickerington Farmers Market. Over 30 vendors will be set up on the second floor of Combustion Brewery & Taproom where you can shop small and local vendors as you find the perfect gifts for your holiday season.
Pickerington Holiday Gathering: Friday, December 3 from 5-8 pm
Family friendly event with activities all around the Pickerington Village. Many participating businesses provide a place to warm up and offer free activities and treats. Enjoy a lighted holiday stroll featuring more than a block of lighted holiday inflatables, horse-drawn wagon rides, a trolley, ice carving demonstrations, children’s crafts and holiday stories, cookie decorating for kids, live reindeer, visits with Santa and more!
There will be complimentary popcorn and hot chocolate to enjoy as well as many shops and restaurants open– including the Holiday Gift Market! Then, at 7 p.m., enjoy the lighting of the Christmas Tree at the gazebo.
Holiday Market in Baltimore: Saturday December 4 from 3-7 pm
Join the Baltimore Famers Market for at its annual holiday market event! This year, the Baltimore Farmers Market is thrilled to welcome the community to the beautiful Smeck Park to shop vendors from the area; during the event, a children’s craft and hot chocolate will be provided by the Fairfield County Park District. When you get chilled, stop by the bonfire to warm up while carolers and musicians help to set the mood for festive shopping!
A Christmas Carroll: Saturday, December 4, starting at 5:30 p.m.,
Visit Carroll for fun, family-friendly holiday festivities. There will be a tree lighting at 6 p.m. There will also be goodie bags with treats for kids. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate the season in Carroll this winter!
Lancaster WinterFest & Tree Lighting: December 4 from 12 pm – 4:30 pm. Celebrate the holiday season in the heart of Downtown Lancaster. Enjoy this year’s WinterFest and Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 4. Make memories and enjoy free horse-drawn carriage rides, visits with Santa, family activities, a scavenger hunt, holiday music, and much more! Be sure to stay downtown for the tree lighting that starts at 4:45 p.m. at the bandstand.
A Rock Mill Holiday: December 5 from 1-4 pm
Visit Rock Mill on Sunday, December 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and enjoy a trip to this historical site. Cookies, hot chocolate, hot and cold cider, coffee, and peppermint treats will be served to visitors. Kids of all ages can make a craft and get a fun coloring page.
The documentary, “Rock Mill: Saving an Original” is an hour-long film that chronicles the decade-long restoration of this amazing structure. Watch it before you visit to enhance your appreciation of the hard work put in by expert craftsmen and volunteers. It is on the Fairfield County Parks Department website and YouTube channel for you to watch at any time. Stebelton Park at Rock Mill, 1429 Rockmill Place NW, Lancaster, OH 43130.
Baltimore’s Annual Lighted Holiday Parade: December 5 from 6-8pm.
The parade will kick off on Summer’s Choice Drive, proceed north on Park Drive, turn left on 256 (East Market Street) and continue west down 256 through town, ending just past Trinity Church. The lineup will begin at 5:00 p.m. at 220 Summers Choice Drive. The parade will kick off promptly at 6:00 p.m.
Santa in the Park: December 9-11 from 6 pm – 8 pm
Visit Alley Park on December 9, 10, or 11 to visit Santa and his friends for a spectacular evening. Bundle up for the brisk walk through the winter wonderland of Alley Park through thousands of lights and displays to see and enjoy. Peek into the window of Santa’s workshop and watch from the deck of the nature center as they prepare for Christmas! Warm up by the fires in the parking lot as you roast a hot dog and sip on hot chocolate. Concessions are Free. Peppermint and Regular Kettle Corn for sale from Ohio Valley Kettle Corn vendor.
Reindeer Visit on Friday, December 10th only.
Christmas Open House at The Wagnalls Memorial Library: December 11 from 10 am – 2 pm
Visit The Wagnalls Memorial Library on Saturday, December 11 for a Christmas open house featuring the Norman Rockwell “Home for the Holidays” art exhibit, a live production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” children’s crafts, and more!
Visit With Santa at Oakland Grocery & Hardware: December 11 from 12 pm -2 pm
Santa is back at Oakland Grocery Store & Hardware on Saturday, December 11! Kids will receive a special gift from Santa and have the opportunity to make a craft as well. While you’re there, remember to pick up some Christmas candy and eggnog for the season.
A Christmas Evening on the Frontier at Smeck Park: December 11 from 12 pm – 7 pm
Visit Smeck Park on Saturday, December 11 for the reenactment, “A Christmas Evening on the Frontier.”
It is the winter of 1797-98. In a tavern, two proprietors have been listening to the stories of their travel-weary guests. While listening and regaling others with tales of their own, they are finishing up the day-long preparations for a Christmas evening feast! The rooms are full of the scents of roasted duck, vegetables, and plum pudding – all made over the open fire.
Come see and be a part of this recreation of period-correct holiday traditions including cooking techniques. Learn 18th-century lore where some myths may be debunked. Play tavern games, listen to songs and sing carols with “Captain Joseph Ogle’s Company.”
Candlelight Christmas Tour by the Fairfield County Heritage Association: December 11 at 6 pm
Join the Fairfield County Heritage Association to “Hear the Joyful Refrains” of Christmas music performed in six historic churches, with guides leading you along candlelit streets in Downtown Lancaster. The evening begins at 6 p.m. at First United Methodist Church and ends at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. In between are programs at First Presbyterian, St. Peter’s Lutheran, First English Lutheran and Emanuel Lutheran.
Buy tickets early and save the date. Order online, call 740-654-9923, or stop by the Sherman House Museum or the Fairfield Heritage office at the Georgian Museum for tickets. Adult tickets are $10; student tickets (ages 5-18) are $4. Tickets sold at First United Methodist Church on the night of the event will be $12 for adults and $4 for students.
Blacklight Christmas Show by Virtuous Reality: December 12 at 2 pm and 6 pm
Visit Crossroads Event Center on Sunday, December 12 at 2 and 6 p.m. to enjoy the Blacklight Christmas Show by Virtuous Reality. This event is a perfect, family-friendly way to celebrate the holiday season. Admission is $4.
Winter Night Hike at Alley Park: December 12 from 6-8 pm
Free and open to the public, bundle up for one last night to enjoy the lights at Alley Park for the 2021 season. This event is held all outdoors. Hot chocolate and concessions will be available in the back parking lot along with a fire. You are welcome to take a self guided hike on the trail around the lake that evening as well. The ATARA radio club will be on the trail to assure your safety. Santa will not be at the park on December 12; only December 9-11.
2021 Glass Town Countdown: December 31 from 9 pm – 1 am
Join your friends, family, and neighbors for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration! Visit historic downtown Lancaster for a family-friendly street party where you will taste fantastic food and spirits at local restaurants and pubs, watch the ascent of the giant glass globe, and light up the sky with a spectacular fireworks show!
This event celebrates the importance of glass in Lancaster’s history as the community creates a beautiful piece of glass art for this fun party. The globe is a traveling piece of art until New Year’s Eve, when it rises high above Zane’s Square and rings in the new year.
To create an ornament to be displayed on the globe, sign up for a Glass Town Countdown ornament class here. These classes take place at the Ohio Glass Museum in Lancaster. You can also purchase an ornament online at the Ohio Glass Museum website or purchase an ornament in-person at the museum gift shop.
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