Christmas in Holland, MI - Downtown Holiday Open House & Winter Events
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Downtown Holland is full of amazing Christmas events and great winter activities. Holland, Michigan is such a charming small town and it’s extra magical at Christmastime. The downtown Holland holiday open house is the best, it’s where you can see Santa Claus and real live carolers. We also have the Kerstmarkt which is our winter market, Van Wieren Hardware has Christmas events and antique shop holiday open houses. Here are some of my favorite things to do in Holland in the winter months!
Downtown Antiques pictured above
Holland, Michigan winter weather
The weather can be a bit unpredictable in the winter. If you’re planning on visiting in November and December for Christmas events there may or may not be snow. It can range between 20-40 degrees so plan accordingly.
Related Holland post: Best thrift shops in West Michigan
Gezillig store pictured above
When should you visit Downtown Holland for Christmas events?
Don’t just visit Holland in December, a lot of Christmas events happen in November in downtown Holland too!
Related Christmas post: What vintage Christmas decorations are worth money?
Clock tower building downtown Holland
Downtown Holland snowmelt - Snow free walking
While walking around downtown Holland you never have to worry about slipping on ice. We have a snowmelt system underneath the road and sidewalks. Waste heat from BPW is transported underneath the sidewalks and melts the snow on top! But if you plan on visiting outside of downtown definitely bring your grippy snowboots!
Kerstmarkt - winter market
Kerstmarkt is Dutch for “Christmas market” and our town loves to celebrate our Dutch heritage. This market is like a farmers market that sells Christmas items. It takes place at the Civic Center outdoors under covered pavilions. Definitely dress for winter weather but there is a warming booth if you get chilly! You’ll find fresh evergreen wreaths, Christmas crafts and more! Certain Saturdays they will have special events like Christmas bells and dog sled demos.
Click the link to see info on the Kerstmarkt schedule.
Holiday open house in downtown Holland
My absolute FAVORITE event in all of Holland is the holiday open house! I go every year I never miss it. All the stores in downtown Holland unveil their Christmas displays on this night and most stores have free snacks that you can sample while you visit each store. Some stores even have fancy chefs that make soup like Silver Fox Jewelry. Cherry Republic (Pictured above) has great free samples to snack on too.
You can find Santa strolling through downtown to take pictures with. We have real live reindeer that you can look at and pet too! There are also carolers that walk around downtown for you to listen to and we have chestnuts roasting on an open fire that you can sample.
Click the link to see info about the holiday open house.
Parade of lights & more events
The parade of lights is exactly how it sounds, a parade that happens at night where the floats are covered in Christmas lights. This is a really popular event for families with kids because of all the beautiful lights you’ll see!
There’s way more Christmas events in downtown Holland so you can find an event whenever you visit. There’s the Shop 'Til You Drop and Small Business Saturday events in November. Sinterklaas Eve and Shopping Jam events in December.
Downtown Antiques pictured above
Van Wieren Hardware Christmas tree naming
Van Wieren Hardware store has great Christmas events. They sell ginormous Christmas trees and they decorate them all in different themes. At their Christmas tree naming event there are ballot boxes in front of each tree and you can cast your vote for what the tree’s name should be. Then later they’ll decide on the tree name winners and you’ll win a prize and have your name put in the Holland Sentinel newspaper. I won one year and it was very exciting! I’d suggest following their Facebook page for event details or call for specifics.
Wooden Shoe antique mall and other antique shop open houses
Wooden Shoe antique mall has a great Christmas open house with snacks and sales in each vendor’s antique booth! Downtown Antiques also has a Christmas open house and it’s the same day as the downtown Holland holiday open house. Again I would suggest checking their facebook page for details on when the open house is this year.
Related: Best West Michigan Antique Stores
Felt Mansion Holiday Tour
Though technically not in Holland it’s a quick 15 minute trip on the highway to the historic Felt Mansion. They host plenty of tours year round like their Halloween haunted tours but their Christmas one is supposed to be magical. I haven’t done it yet it’s on my to do list but my friends rave about it and it’s a very popular event around Christmastime.
Fris Supply Shop Christmas shopping
For a general overview of my favorite parts of Holland, MI all year round check out my local guide to Holland blog post. If you’d like to visit at our most famous time of year you can read my Tulip Time Guide.
