More Christmas Festival Fun in Indiana!

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Is that song on repeat in your head too? Well, it probably is now after the past few weeks of great Indiana Christmas festivals around the state. There seems to be no shortage of holiday fun–or ways to spread a little Christmas cheer.

To find all the fun there is to do, please visit:

the  Little Indiana Festivals and Events Calendar.

This calendar is so full of holiday cheer, you won’t even believe it. You can look at events day by day or in a monthly view. From there, you can easily add event reminders to your Google Calendar or do an ical import. Easy, peasy. Now you can keep your dance card full…

…and plan ahead to visit all the places on your nice list. If your list of places that you “must see” is anything like mine, you’ll appreciate a reminder to help keep them all straight.

Indiana Christmas Festivals and Events

I hope you had a chance to visit an Indiana Tree Lighting Ceremony. If not, at least you know there are still plenty of ways to get in the holiday spirit. Would you just look at these festivals below?

Hit the Taltree Holiday Express at Taltree Arboretum in Valparaiso for  Santa, trains, and cookies. It’s the combination every kid wants. See the amazing trains in action amidst the festive holiday backdrop.

The light shows are still going on. Look for great shows like the Holiday Lights in Sunset Hill Farm County Park, the big LED tree of lights in Santa Claus at the Kris Kringle Plaza (it’s a small town, you can’t miss it!), Michigan City Festival of Lights, and at Ellis Park in Danville for the Winterland Light Show.

Christmas Festivals? We have them! It’s an Old Fashion Christmas in North Salem. I heart this little town so much. Not only do they have one of the best pizza places on the planet (I can totally support this with fact), but they have wonderful shops, too. I am sure they paint a very pretty holiday picture.

Pop in to Davis Mercantile in Shipshewana to admire the gingerbread houses on display. Just don’t forget to vote for your favorite. If you want to try your hand at making your own, I do have the best recipe for gingerbread house glue ever. It’s an annual, excellent tradition.

Visit the live nativity at St. Anthony’s Live Nativity in Morris at the catholic church. Choirs will sing, groups will sing, there will be live animals, and the nativity.

Shipshewana on the Road in Valparaiso is also the weekend. It promises to be a big event with two days of independent vendors selling their wares at the Porter County Expo Center.

Another of my favorite towns is on the list this weekend and, no, I don’t say that about all of them. Fine, you caught me. But I know you will love Martinsville too! The Art Sanctuary is holding the Holiday Market. This is your chance to find oodles of amazing art, crafts, paintings, and so much more right here. The Martinsville Cookie Stroll is also at the same time but they are unrelated events so you do not need a cookie passport to enter the Art Sanctuary.

Be Nice and Shop Small

You’ve heard me say it again and again. The festivals and events listed above aren’t just warm, wonderful ways to get in the Christmas mood. They aren’t only ways to make memories that will last a lifetime. No, these festivals and events are also an opportunity. It’s a way to dip your toes into the Hoosier waters, so to speak, a way to test the idea of shopping small.

To see what it feels like, what it is, and the faces behind it. It’s building a community one purchase at a time.

What does shopping local look like to you?

Are you thinking of ridiculous crafts made of beer cans that no one wants? That’s not it at all. Many vendors are vetted to ensure that only the most talented artists and artisans make it in. It’s a chance to pick up an item that might one day cost so much more–these artists do change too! They become well-known and their prices begin to reflect that. Right now, though, you could purchase something from someone who will one day make it big. Talk about getting a great deal!

Not only that, but these are things that, when you look at them, they will always remind you of the fun you had. You will remember where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing. Or maybe you’ll just remember the feeling of fun.

Shop small. Shop local. Discover a world of possibilities in your own backyard.

Small Towns: Destinations, not Drive-Thrus! I’m Jessica Nunemaker and THIS is little Indiana!

Indiana Festivals and Events this Weekend

Just don’t forget to tell ’em that  little Indiana sent you!

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