The holiday season is officially rolling, and the calendar is turning festive on both sides of the state line. Halloween and Veterans Day have come and gone with warmth, the World of Illumination is glowing at Orland Square, and the weekends ahead stack craft fairs, a parade of lights and a full Thanksgiving week. I went back through the village pages, chamber sites, church calendars and race registration pages this week and verified everything below, so you can plan with confidence. As always, give each host a quick check before you head out, since dates and hours can shift.
This weekend, November 14 and 15: craft fairs and the season's big light show
The World of Illumination's Cosmic Sleighride drive-through light show opened Friday, November 13 at Orland Square Mall and runs most nights from 6 to 10 p.m. through January 3, open Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with tickets sold online at about $39.99 per car, one ticket per car. Rain, snow or clear sky, it is a full light tour from the warmth of your car, which makes it a wonderful plan no matter what the weather does.
Craft fair season is in full swing on the Illinois side. The Presbyterian Church in Orland Park holds its Craft Fair on Saturday, November 14 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 13401 Wolf Road, a friendly one-stop shop for handmade gifts. Close by, New Lenox stacks two ways to start holiday shopping the same day: the New Lenox Holiday Craft and Vendor Fair at Trinity Lutheran Church brings 30-plus vendors together, and Christmas at the Field at Francis Field adds a second local stop.
Across the state line, the Bearcat Holiday Craft Show brings 100-plus crafters to the Wheeler High School Fieldhouse in Valparaiso on Saturday, November 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. And if you have kids who believe, Tinley Park's REACH program starts Calls from the Clauses on Sunday, November 15 at the Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center, the Santa-letter event that runs through November 30.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, November 20 through 22
Tinley Park lights its village tree on Friday, November 20 at Harmony Square, the kickoff to its Holiday Happenings season, with downtown lights and familiar songs around the square.
Saturday, November 21 is one of those nights when the whole village lines the street. Mokena's Parade of Lights rolls down Front Street starting at 5 p.m. between Wolf Road and Division Street, hosted by the Mokena Chamber of Commerce, with community tree decorating from noon and food trucks from 4 to 8 p.m. It is the rare parade that feels like the entire town turned out to wave.
Across the state line, Munster holds Light the Night on Saturday, November 21 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Munster Town Hall, the Munster Civic Foundation's holiday kickoff with the community gathered around the lights. And if you want a full day of it, Orland Park's Carl Sandburg Fall Craft Show opens at 9 a.m. at Carl Sandburg High School on LaGrange Road, while Valpo keeps its momentum going with the Valpo Holidaze Craft and Vendor Show at the Porter County Expo Center on November 21 and 22, one of the region's biggest pre-Thanksgiving shows.
Thanksgiving week, November 26 through 29
If you like earning your pie, three runs are on the calendar for Thanksgiving morning. Orland Park's Turkey Trot steps off at 8 a.m. from the Franklin Loebe Center at 14650 South Ravinia Avenue, yet here is the honest heads-up: the 2026 field filled up in advance and registration is closed, so this year it is a great morning to cheer on your neighbors or plan to register early next fall. Valparaiso hosts the largest running event in Northwest Indiana, with about 4,000 participants expected for its Thanksgiving-morning 5K at Valparaiso High School; packet pickup runs Monday, November 23 at Extra Mile Fitness Company, and entry sits in the $30 to $35 range. And Crown Point adds a brand-new one: the Flying Turkey 5K and 2K run-walk debuts Thanksgiving morning at 8 a.m. leaving from the Lake County Fairgrounds, with a timed 5K and an untimed 2K in the $27 to $33 range, a lovely way to start a new tradition.
Then the lightings begin. Crown Point lights the tank at 6 p.m. and the tree at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 27 at the Historic Lake County Courthouse Square, one of the region's most charming traditions. Schererville holds its Tree Lighting Ceremony the same evening, about 7 p.m. at Schererville Town Hall on Joliet Street, with a Christmas parade and decorated trees on display through the holidays. And St. John opens Christmas in the Park, a walk-through Festival of Lights at Prairie West Park, with its grand opening day on Friday, November 27 running from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the display glowing through the season.
Saturday, November 28 stacks a full day of holiday starts. Crown Point's Winter Market opens at 10 a.m. at 401 West Joliet Street, with Photos with Santa at the Courthouse to match. Valparaiso holds its Winter Fest and Tree Lighting at Central Park Plaza from 5 to 7 p.m., with the big tree lighting at 6 p.m., plus caroling, free Santa photos, hot cocoa and cookies, entirely free. And Orland Park closes the weekend with its Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting and Festival at the Village Center: the Holiday Lights on Ravinia parade steps off at 5 p.m., the tree lights up at 6 p.m., and a holiday market with Santa and live entertainment runs until 8 p.m.
A look further ahead, already verified
Frankfort's Lighting of the Green lands Thursday, December 3 at Breidert Green. New Lenox's Christmas in the Commons kicks off Saturday, December 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Village Commons and runs Saturdays and Sundays through December 20, with the light display up all month. Tinley Park's Holiday Market and Parade of Lights return December 5 and 6, Orland Park's Winter WondORLAND runs December 5 through 19, and the World of Illumination keeps glowing in Orland Park through January 3. I will have the full December lineup verified in the posts ahead.
Make the most of the season
You do not need a big production to feel the holidays arrive. A craft fair on a Saturday morning, a parade down Front Street, a Thanksgiving-morning run, a tree lighting on a Friday night: these small traditions are what make a place feel like home. And if you are weighing a move, this is the perfect stretch to come visit and test the fit. Wander the holiday market, watch the tree light up, feel the town gather. That is when you know. When you are ready, I would love to be in your corner. You Can With Joanne!™