9 Ways to Find the Holiday Spirit in Easton, PA

9 Ways to Find the Holiday Spirit in Easton, PA

Looking for some holiday spirit? You’ll find it in Downtown Easton this year. Stores will be decked in holiday greens, twinkle lights will fill the trees surrounding Easton’s Winter Village and synthetic ice skating rink, plus visitors can find holiday events and entertainment all season! On-street, metered parking is once again free on Black Friday as well as Saturdays and Sundays (Nov. 27-Dec. 19), thanks to the City of Easton.

Get a Customized Message from Santa! This time of year, Santa is busy at the North Pole, but he’ll take time out to send personalized, three- to four-minute videos to those who’ve been nice! Fill out a form and answer a few questions for Santa, then receive your Customized Santa Messages, presented by Lidl, in early December. ($25 per family, purchase now through Nov. 21, tinyurl.com/SantaVideos)

Parade with Santa! Join Mayor Sal Panto Jr., Santa, and the Big Easy Easton Brass Band in a parade of lights from Centre Square to Scott Park to light the first Christmas tree. Afterward, Santa just might pop up at a few of your favorite Downtown Easton restaurants for a surprise visit. (6 p.m. Nov. 26, meet in Centre Square)

Share the Joy Shopping Campaign! Easton Main Street Initiative is bringing back its Share the Joy shopping promotion again this year. Shoppers can shop small and win big this season. When someone shows receipts from three or more brick-and-mortar stores in Downtown Easton they can enter to win Downtown Easton gift cards. Winners will be drawn on Nov. 21 & 28, and Dec. 5 & 12, and will score a $50 Downtown Easton gift card. A final winner will be drawn on Dec. 19 to take home a grand prize – a $200 Downtown Easton gift card and set of eight historic Easton ornaments. (Purchases from restaurants or Winter Village vendors are not eligible. Receipts must be dated from Nov. 19, 2021. Contest ends Dec. 19, 2021. Print and electronic receipts will be accepted. Winners will be notified by phone.)

Selfies with Santa! Santa will make a special stop at the Easton Public Market. Be sure to get a selfie with him. (10 a.m. to noon Nov. 28, 325 Northampton St.) 

Watch the lighting of Easton’s Peace Candle! It’s a holiday tradition that heralds the start of the holiday season in Easton, PA, and you could be the one to flip the switch! The Peace Candle Illuminator auction runs through Wednesday (Details at Facebook.com/EastonMainStreet). 2021 marks 70 years since the original Peace Candle was lit, though the candle has gone through a few iterations and a brief hiatus in the 60’s. Learn more about the candle’s history at shopdowntowneaston.com/peace-candle-lighting. Spend Small Business Saturday shopping at Easton’s 40+ boutiques, and enjoying lunch or dinner at the many restaurants throughout town. Your family can enjoy live music, photos with Santa and visit with Santa’s reindeer in Centre Square from noon to 4 p.m. At 4 p.m. ice carvers, stilt walkers and strolling entertainers join the fun. At 6:30 p.m. the Peace Candle ceremony, presented by IBEW Local 102, will start. Remember to bring donations of toys or nonperishable items for Stuff The Bus. (Nov. 27, Downtown Easton, full schedule at exploreeastonpa.com/eastonwintervillagecalendar)

Photos with Santa! Commemorate the holiday with Photos with Santa, presented by Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society, Unity Bank and IBEW Local 102. (1-6 p.m. Nov. 27 inside the Sigal Museum, additional dates for Photos with Santa will be available throughout the Easton Winter Village, exploreeastonpa.com/eastonwintervillagecalendar)

Take a Cinderella Carriage Ride! There’s no better way to see the city lit up at night. This beloved tradition sells out every year. But for 2021, the nonprofit Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP) is able to offer Cinderella Carriage Rides on multiple weekends from Nov. 27-Dec. 18. ($50 per family for 20-minute ride, carriage holds four adults comfortably, advance ticket purchases only, sponsored by The Morning Call, City Center, Square One Markets and Peron; tickets at exploreeastonpa.com/eastonwintervillagecalendar)

Attend A Holiday Princess Tea! Kickoff the holiday season with a royal tea with Princesses Belle, Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel and Ariel. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite princess, and each prince or princess in attendance will receive a crown or tiara when they arrive. (Nov. 28, seatings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Grand Eastonian, $35 per person, Facebook.com/events/228603216041567)

Add this year’s new ornament to your tree! Easton Main Street Initiative’s (EMSI) 2021 historic ornament features the former William Laubach & Sons Department Store. It is the eighth in the bronze replica series, joining some of Easton’s beloved scenes and landmarks, including; Easton Peace Candle (2014), The “Free” Bridge (2015), Easton Bugler (2016), Easton Farmers’ Market (2017), The State Theatre (2018), Cottingham Stadium (2019) and The Carmelcorn Shop (2020). Supplies are limited. ($20 cash, available at Carmelcorn Shop, Connexions Gallery, Mercantile Outpost, Info Tent at Easton Farmers’ Market on Saturdays; also available online at store.shopdowntowneaston.com)