Christmas in Holly Springs 2026: Santa Cares Dec. 2, a menorah and tree lighting Dec. 5, Santa's Mailbox, the Holly Day Express and downtown decorations.

Last checked Nov. 3, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Events come from the Town of Holly Springs festivals and events page and each organizer’s own page. The Christmas parade and tree lighting have their own page: Christmas parade and tree lighting. Town events: 919-567-4711.

December in Holly Springs is built around downtown: a menorah and tree lighting outside the Cultural Center on Saturday, Dec. 5, the Happy Holly Days Parade a week later, Santa’s Mailbox outside Town Hall and Santa riding through neighborhoods on a fire department float. Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, and Christmas Day is a Friday.

Updated Nov. 3: Jordan Lake Farms in Apex opens for Christmas trees Nov. 21; Santa Cares sign-ups and the Holly Day Express dates are still not posted.

What this means for you

  • Wednesday, Dec. 2: Santa Cares, a free sensory-friendly Santa visit; reserve ahead.
  • Saturday, Dec. 5: Light the Springs, 5 to 8 p.m., with the menorah lighting first.
  • Through Sunday, Dec. 13: Santa’s Mailbox outside Town Hall, 128 S. Main St.
  • Christmas week: town offices close Dec. 24, 25 and 28; Friday trash is collected Saturday, Dec. 26.

Holiday events at a glance

Event When Where Cost
Santa’s Mailbox Nov. 23 to Dec. 13 Outside Town Hall, 128 S. Main St. Free
Santa Cares 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 Cultural Center, 300 W. Ballentine St. Free, reservation
Light the Springs 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 Cultural Center Free; food for sale
Holly Day Express Early December, 2026 dates not posted Neighborhood streets Free
Happy Holly Days Parade 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Main Street Free
Festive Feast potluck 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17 Hunt Recreation Center, 301 Stinson Ave. Senior program

Light the Springs and the menorah lighting

Light the Springs runs 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Holly Springs Cultural Center, 300 W. Ballentine St. The town’s event page lists live music, food and drinks for sale and free holiday crafts. The evening opens with the menorah lighting and ends with Santa and the mayor lighting the town tree. Children can drop a letter in Santa’s mailbox before meeting him. The parade and tree lighting page has the full details.

Santa around town

  • Santa Cares: a free, sensory-friendly Santa visit for families with special needs, 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, at the Cultural Center. The town says sign-ups open soon on the Santa Cares page.
  • Holly Day Express: in early December Santa rides a float through Holly Springs neighborhoods, escorted by the Fire Department with fire engines, and children can follow him on an online Santa tracker, according to the Holly Day Express page. The 2026 route and dates are “coming soon.” In 2025 the tour ran Dec. 7-12, the town’s December 2025 newsletter said.
  • Santa’s Mailbox: outside the front entrance of Town Hall from the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Dec. 13. Letters with a name and home address get a reply by Christmas Eve, the mailbox page says.
  • Saturday with Santa at The Block on Main: the downtown building at 300 S. Main St. lists the event on its events page, with the date and time to be announced.

Lights and decorations

The Town of Holly Springs does not run a drive-through light show. Downtown, the town wraps light poles in garland topped with wreaths and ornaments in the town’s colors, and in 2025 it added a 9-foot ornament bench in front of Town Hall as a photo spot, according to its December 2025 newsletter. Neighborhood displays change every year; we list one here only when its organizer or homeowner tells us the dates and the address is public. Send us yours.

Christmas trees

Jordan Lake Farms, 2170 Marthas Chapel Road, Apex, opens its 32nd Christmas season on Saturday, Nov. 21, its home page says. The farm sells choose-and-cut Virginia pine, Carolina Sapphire, cypress and cedar, pre-cut Fraser and concolor firs and white pine from the North Carolina mountains, and farm-made wreaths, according to its Christmas offerings page. Hayrides are free, weather permitting.

  • Reservations: the farm says holiday season reservations open the first week of November. In 2025 a free reservation was required on Thanksgiving weekend and the first weekend of December, even to pick up a tagged tree.
  • Hours and prices: the farm’s hours page still showed the 2025 schedule on Nov. 3. Choose-and-cut trees were $8 to $12 a foot last year.
  • Phone: 919-362-6300.

We add other farms and lots here once they post their 2026 dates. Send us yours.

Music and shows

The Holly Springs Cultural Center, 300 W. Ballentine St., has three holiday shows on sale at its box office, 919-567-4000:

  • Route 55 Jazz Orchestra Christmas concert, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Dave Reitmeyer’s community big band plays its annual holiday show. $10 adults, $7 seniors and students. Tickets.
  • Holly Springs Community Band, “Holiday at the Springs,” 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. A family holiday concert. Reserve seats.
  • “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. The town’s youth theater program, the Holly Springs Playhouse, stages the comedy. Tickets $6, up to 10 per family per show. Tickets.

More shows, including The Halle’s Nutcracker Dances in Apex, are on our arts and exhibitions page.

Giving

From the town’s Oct. 26 news release:

  • Toys for Tots: new, unwrapped toys at any Holly Springs fire station through Tuesday, Dec. 15, for the U.S. Marine Corps program.
  • Police Angel Tree: take a child’s tag from the tree at the Law Enforcement Center, 750 Holly Springs Road, and return the gifts to the lobby by mid-December.
  • Shop with a Cop: officers shop with children chosen with local schools; donations go through the town’s Shop with a Cop page.
  • Town Hall toy drive: new, unwrapped toys for school-age children at Town Hall, 128 S. Main St., by early December.

More detail is in our story on the holiday drives.

Christmas week: closings and trash

From the town’s holiday schedule:

  • Town offices close Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24-25, and Monday, Dec. 28.
  • Garbage and recycling: Friday’s route is collected Saturday, Dec. 26.
  • Yard waste carts: Thursday and Friday routes are collected Wednesday, Dec. 23; Monday’s route moves to Tuesday, Dec. 29.
  • Sugg Farm is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 24 and closed Dec. 25. The Hunt Center, Cultural Center and Bass Lake Park office are closed Dec. 24-26.
  • Christmas trees go to the curb Jan. 4-29, 2027, by leaf zone: see trash and recycling.

WCPSS traditional-calendar students are out from Monday, Dec. 21, through Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, according to the district’s 2026-27 calendar.

More: New Year’s Eve in Holly Springs and Black Friday and holiday shopping.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a menorah lighting in Holly Springs?

Yes. Light the Springs, 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at the Holly Springs Cultural Center, opens with a menorah lighting and ends with Santa and the mayor lighting the town tree.

Where can kids see Santa in Holly Springs?

At Light the Springs on Dec. 5, at the free sensory-friendly Santa Cares visit 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, and on the Holly Day Express, when Santa rides a float through neighborhoods with fire engines in early December.

When does the Holly Day Express come to my neighborhood?

The town says 2026 details are coming. In 2025 Santa toured Holly Springs neighborhoods Dec. 7-12, and children could follow him on an online Santa tracker.

Is there a drive-through Christmas light show in Holly Springs?

The town does not run one. Downtown light poles are wrapped in garland and topped with wreaths, and a 9-foot ornament bench stood in front of Town Hall in 2025. We list other displays once their organizers post dates.