The calendar is stacking up fast, and this week's new confirmations fill out the weekend before Thanksgiving with parades and light displays on both sides of the state line. Last week I walked you through the 3 Little Birds Holiday Market in Valparaiso and the craft-show Saturday in Orland Park and New Lenox. Since then I have been back through the chamber sites, village calendars and park district pages, and here is what is new, all checked this week. As always, give each host a quick confirmation before you head out, since dates and hours can shift.
Saturday, November 21: a parade night in three towns
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 where the whole village lines the street.
Across the state line, Munster holds Light the Night 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 for a later start, Cedar Lake's Jean Eberle Parade of Lights gets underway around 4:30 p.m. near Hanover High School, an evening parade that runs late into the night, so you can catch Mokena or Munster first and still make Cedar Lake. If a full day of holiday shopping is more your pace, the Valpo Holidaze Craft and Vendor Show fills all three buildings at the Porter County Expo Center on November 21 and 22 with more than 200 vendor booths, food trucks and Santa, one of the region's largest pre-Thanksgiving shows.
Sunday, November 22: Valparaiso's Winter Lights opens
Valpo's free Winter Lights drive-through at Sunset Hill Farm opens Sunday, November 22 and runs through January 1, with music playing nightly as you wind through the farm's light displays. It debuts on the final day of this weekend, so you can be one of the first cars through, and it makes a lovely low-key close to a busy weekend. It sits right at the edge of Valparaiso, an easy add-on to a day downtown.
Thanksgiving week, November 25 through 29
The turkey-trot lineup from earlier posts still stands: the Thanksgiving-morning runs in Orland Park, Valparaiso and Crown Point. 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 Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree Lighting that same weekend, about 7 p.m. at Schererville Town Hall on Joliet Street; the exact night varies slightly by source, so confirm with the town before you go. St. John opens Christmas in the Park, the walk-through Festival of Lights at Prairie West Park, with its grand opening Friday, November 27 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., 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. Highland's Santa's March and Tree Lighting steps off that evening at Main Square Park, with parade lineup at 4 p.m., the march at 4:45 p.m. and the tree lighting and Santa meet-and-greet around 5 p.m., an early-evening small-town affair. 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 runs until 8 p.m. Hammond's A Christmas Story Comes Home exhibit at the Indiana Welcome Center opened November 21 and stays up through the holidays, a good indoor stop on a cold day.
The first December weekends, newly confirmed
Frankfort's 78th Annual Christmas Parade, themed A Holly Dolly Christmas, steps off Saturday, December 5 at 6 p.m. downtown, with a rain date of December 12. The town's Lighting of the Green comes first, Thursday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Breidert Green. Lemont's Hometown Holiday and Ice and Lights Fest lands Saturday, December 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. in historic downtown, with the tree lighting at Peterson Park at 5 p.m. New Lenox's Christmas in the Commons runs December 5 and 6 and again December 12 and 13 at the Village Commons. Tinley Park's 28th Annual Parade of Lights steps off Sunday, December 6 at 5 p.m. downtown, and its Holiday Market returns the same weekend. Homewood's Holiday Market fills Saturday, December 5 with local makers and artisans.
On the Indiana side, Munster's Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair, now in its 39th year, runs Saturday, December 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, December 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Munster High School, a strictly handmade show that pairs perfectly with Valparaiso's Holly Days downtown the same day from 3 to 6 p.m. at Central Park Plaza. Portage's Christmas Craft Show fills Woodland Park on December 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free with a food pantry donation. And Valparaiso University's Christmas at Valpo concerts, How Great Our Joy, play Thursday, December 4 and Friday, December 5 at the Chapel of the Resurrection. Crown Point's Tour of Lights trolley rides to decorated holiday homes run December 12 and 13 from Bulldog Park, a free way to see the town dressed up.
A note on the archive
If you are looking for the craft-show times, the parade routes or the Thanksgiving-morning run details from earlier posts, they are all still up on the blog. The calendar keeps its own pace, and I will keep verifying the next wave as dates firm up.
Make the most of the season
A parade down Front Street, a first pass through the lights at Sunset Hill Farm, a tree lighting on a Friday night: these small traditions are what make a place feel like home. If you are thinking about a move, this is the perfect stretch to come visit and test the fit. Wander the market, watch the tree light up, feel the town gather. When you are ready, I would love to be in your corner. You Can With Joanne!™