MERIDIAN, ID – 'Tis the season for fun and festivity as the City of Meridian rings in the holidays with an exciting variety of Christmas in Meridian activities.

Santa’s Mailbox (November 18 – December 15)
Children are invited to drop a letter to Santa into Santa’s Mailbox outside Meridian City Hall beginning Monday, November 18. Letters with a legible return address that are placed in the mailbox through Sunday, December 15, will receive a response in the mail from Santa before Christmas. The festive red Santa’s Mailbox will be located along Broadway Avenue near Meridian City Hall’s outdoor plaza at 33 E. Broadway Avenue in downtown Meridian. 

Produced by Meridian Parks and Recreation.

Salvation Army Angel Tree Toy Drive (Nov 25 – Dec. 9) – As it does each year, the City of Meridian will 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. 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 inside Meridian City Hall’s main lobby. 

Presented by the Salvation Army and Meridian Parks and Recreation.    

Ornament Drop and Seek (December 5 & 6)
The Meridian Arts Commission will once again 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 5 and Friday, December 6, for others to find and keep as a gift. Ornaments can be hung from trees, propped on window sills, or placed in any number of creative locations for someone else to find. Consider bringing an ornament to hide when you come downtown for the parade and tree lighting on Friday night. For added excitement, more than 50 fused glass tree ornaments created by Fusion Art Glass will be “dropped” downtown prior to the start of the Winter Lights Parade and Tree Lighting 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.

Produced by the Meridian Arts Commission

Winter Lights Parade and Tree Lighting (Friday, December 6)
Meridian’s signature holiday event - the Winter Lights Parade & Christmas Tree Lighting – will take place the evening of Friday, December 6. This year’s theme is So Bright You Gotta Wear Shades. Families are invited to enjoy the brightly lit parade of floats, walkers and bands which will begin at 7:00 pm in downtown Meridian. The City of Meridian’s official Christmas tree will be lit in Generations Plaza immediately following the parade.

Consider arriving early for the Ornament Drop and Seek. For added excitement, more than 50 fused glass Christmas tree ornaments will be “dropped” downtown prior to the start of the Winter Lights Parade and Tree Lighting.  Families are encouraged to bring a handmade ornament from home to share. Also, unBound (Meridian’s Tech-Focused Library located on 2^nd Street and Idaho) will offer karaoke and free hot cocoa from 6:00 - 7:00 pm to enjoy before the start of the parade. A variety of food trucks will be set up in Meridian City Hall’s front parking lot and free hot cocoa will be offered along the parade route by ten different local organizations. A map of these locations can be found at meridiancity.org/christmas.

This year’s parade will be commentated by Mayor Robert Simison and Michelle Heart of 107.9 Lite FM.  Long-time Meridian residents Joe and Sharon Borton will serve as Grand Marshals of the Winter Lights Parade. Joe, a former Meridian City Councilman and current district judge, and Sharon, a dedicated local educator and school administrator, have both served the community in a variety of capacities over the years, supporting education and city events, as well as a variety of local non-profit organizations. 

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.

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

Produced by Meridian Parks and Recreation and sponsored by TDS.

Children’s Winterland Festival (Saturday, December 14)
Families will want to bring the little ones out to the FREE Meridian Children's Winterland Festival on Saturday, December 14, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, at its new location at the Meridian Homecourt (936 W. Taylor Avenue) to capture the holiday spirit! This event features a variety of Christmas-themed games, crafts and activities. Kids can also enjoy visits with Santa and have their pictures taken with him by a professional photographer. Admission to this event is free, but we ask that you bring along a $1 cash donation per child or a canned food donation for the Meridian Food Bank who will be on-site that day. Learn more at meridiancity.org/christmas.

Produced by Meridian Parks and Recreation. 

Other Holiday Happenings in Meridian
Looking for more? A variety of other holiday activities and events, ranging from Christmas bazaars to living nativity scenes to an interactive map of Meridian’s best Christmas lights, 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, as well!