Meridian Announces Festive Slate of Christmas Activities

All aboard for holiday fun! The City of Meridian is pleased to announce its schedule of festive Christmas in Meridian activities celebrating the theme, Holiday Express.

Santa’s Mailbox (November 17 – December 17) - Children are invited to drop a letter to Santa into Santa’s Mailbox outside Meridian City Hall. Letters with a legible return address that are placed in the mailbox now through Wednesday, December 17, will receive a personalized response in the mail from Santa before Christmas. Santa’s Mailbox is located along Broadway Avenue near Meridian City Hall’s outdoor plaza at 33 E. Broadway Avenue

Salvation Army Angel Tree Toy Drive (Nov 24 – Dec. 8) – The City of Meridian will once again host a Salvation Army Angel Tree toy drive at Meridian City Hall. A Christmas tree hung with gift request tags will be set up inside Meridian City Hall’s main lobby beginning November 24. Anyone who wishes to participate can stop by and choose one or more wish tags to shop for or they can simply bring any new, unwrapped toy(s) suitable for a child between the ages of 0-12 to place in the Angel Tree toy collection bin. The deadline to drop off donated toys is Monday, December 8. 

Ornament Drop and Seek (December 4 & 5) - The Meridian Arts Commission will put a festive twist on its popular annual Meridian Art Drop by hosting the Meridian Ornament Drop and Seek. Residents of all ages and artistic abilities are encouraged to make handmade Christmas ornaments to “drop” (or hide) in downtown Meridian on Thursday, December 4 and Friday, December 5, for others to find and keep as a gift. Ornaments can be hung from trees, propped on windowsills, or placed in any number of creative locations for someone else to find. 

Those lucky enough to find an ornament (only keep one per person, please) are encouraged to post a photo of it on social media using the hashtag #meridianornamentdrop. Details and the Ornament Drop form can be found at meridiancity.org/ornamentdrop. 

Winter Lights Parade and Tree Lighting (Friday, December 5) - Meridian’s signature holiday event – the Winter Lights Parade & Christmas Tree Lighting – will take place the evening of Friday, December 5, at 7 pm. Families are invited to enjoy the brightly lit parade, which will meander down Main Street to Carlton and back on 2nd in Old Town Meridian. Floats, cars, trucks, dogs and walkers will parade with music as commentators Mayor Robert Simison and Michelle Heart of 107.9 Lite FM share details about each organization from the main stage on Idaho Street across from Generations Plaza. This year’s theme is Holiday Express.

• New this year: several downtown businesses on the parade route are hosting Parade Watch Parties.   Loose Screw Beer Co. and Voodoo Brewing Co. both are vending hot food, selling adult beverages, and offering patio and indoor seating to watch the festivities.   Gem Event Center and unBound - Meridian Library have family-friendly street-side parade viewing in a less crowded location with free hot cocoa. Look for more Watch Parties posted online. 
• Additionally, both the parade and tree lighting will be live-streamed and available for viewing on the social media channels of the City of Meridian and the Meridian Chamber of Commerce. 
• A free shuttle will circulate that evening from 5:30 – 9:00 pm between the Albertsons parking lot on the corner of Fairview and Meridian Roads to a drop-off near the intersection of Carlton and Main Street. 
• Food trucks will be in Meridian City Hall’s front parking lot from 5:30 – 8:30 pm, featuring local favorites: Big Jud’s, Bistro Babe, The World’s Best Corn Dogs, and The Hood Culinary Kitchen, Idaho Mini Donuts, and The Pastry Parlor.
• Free hot cocoa will be offered along the parade route by 11 local organizations. A map of these locations can be found at meridiancity.org/christmas.
• Families are invited to come early for pre-parade fun. Cole Christian School will perform Christmas favorites in front of their building on Carlton. Consider bringing an ornament to hide when you come downtown to share. Hot Tip: a number of special ornaments by illustrator Julia Green will be “dropped” downtown prior to the start of the Winter Lights Parade and Tree Lighting. 
• Note: Visits with Santa will not be offered after the parade. Families are encouraged to join him for photos and fun at the Children’s Winterland Festival.

Roads will be closed to accommodate the parade route. For more about the parade route, road closures, and amenity locations, visit meridiancity.org/winter-lights-parade.

Children’s Winterland Festival (Saturday, December 13) - Families will want to bring the little ones out to the FREE Meridian Children's Winterland Festival on Saturday, December 13, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, at the Meridian Homecourt (936 W. Taylor Avenue) to capture the holiday spirit!  Kids can also enjoy visits and free photos with Santa by a professional photographer.

This event features a variety of Christmas-themed games, crafts and activities. Kids can also enjoy visits and free photos with Santa by a professional photographer. Admission to this event is free, but attendees are asked to bring along a $1 cash donation per child or canned food donations for the Meridian Food Bank who will be on-site that day. Learn more at meridiancity.org/christmas.

More Community Christmas Events: 
A variety of community-produced holiday activities and events can be found on the Christmas in Meridian website at meridiancity.org/christmas. The public is welcome to add holiday events to the community calendar and put their house Neighborhood Christmas Lights map to share the holiday spirit.