Create The Most Magical Oregon Christmas with These Tips
Are you ready to create the most magical Oregon Christmas you can imagine? I bet you are! If you are anything like me you are forever hoping to bring back the holiday spirit of our youth and bring the pure magic of Christmas to your children (or maybe yourself). This holiday season let’s make that happen! Let’s create the most magical time of year in the Pacific Northwest!
Whether you are dreaming of a winter wonderland, wanting to see all the light displays you can or you are looking for where to hear the best holiday live music, look no further than this list of things to do to create the most magical Oregon Christmas yet! We are going to talk about the best places to visit, the most magical Christmas towns in the area, and even the largest light show in the state! Get ready to do some fun Oregon traveling, my friends, because we will be including places in this list that are not in the Portland area, but well worth the drive to see them!
Create The Most Magical Oregon Christmas with These Tips
I like the call the following my perfect Christmas wish list of activities to do to make Christmas perfect!
Head To One of the Many Christmas Tree Farms in the State
We live in Oregon, y’all. That means we are blessed to be surrounded by fir trees! The best trees there are! There is nothing quite like cutting down your own Christmas tree. This is a tradition that my family and I follow every year. It’s so much fun to grab some cocoa or cider and stroll through the endless lanes of trees looking for the perfect one.
A quick search should tell you where your local Christmas tree farms are, but I want to share some of my favorites with you here:
Christmas Mountain Choose and Cut
Quail Creek Ranch Christmas Trees
Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm
If a tree farm isn’t your style, you can always get a Christmas tree permit from the forest department and go on a search for your own perfect tree, a la Christmas Vacation. 😉
Go Visit A Christmas Light Display
Here in Oregon, we are blessed to have many beautiful Christmas light displays available to visit during the holiday season! You have probably heard of the Peacock Lane display or Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo, but did you know that the Portland International Raceway offers one of the largest drive-through light displays in the country? Go check out this post on Christmas Light Displays in the Portland area to get more ideas!
If you are looking for Christmas lights in the Salem area, check out this post for light displays closer to Salem.
Most light displays start to open up around Thanksgiving weekend.
Head to the Silverton Christmas Market
The Silverton Christmas Market, formerly known as Christmas in the Garden is one of the best places to visit in Oregon during the holidays. This event is held at the Oregon Garden Resort and it is a simply magical place to be during Christmastime. Once you enter the Silverton Christmas market, you’ll quickly find that you have come here for more than the bright lights. Not only will you find great things like Santa Clauses to visit, snowless tubing, an awe-inspiring light display, but you’ll also find yourself experiencing an authentic German Christmas market. It’s an experience that you do not want to miss.
Check out this post to learn more about the Silverton Christmas Market.
Find Some Snow and Go Sledding
There is just something about the holidays and snow, am I right? Why not take the opportunity of the holiday season to take the whole family on a sledding trip! Check out this post for great places to go sledding in Oregon.
Head Down to The Willamette River and See The Christmas Ship Parade
The Christmas Ship Parade on the Willamette River is a wonderful activity for families this holiday season! This annual event is a great way to experience something a little bit different during the holidays. Check it out here.
Find Out Where and When You Can Find Your Local Tree Lightings
Here’s a fun fact. Most towns do a tree-lighting ceremony. So, even if you don’t want to travel far for holiday activities, you can definitely look into when your town does its annual tree lighting and your family can enjoy that. I live in a small town in Oregon and they do theirs on the same date each year. If you are closer to the metro area, I know that downtown Portland has some great tree lightings every year!
​Find the Best Christmas Towns in Oregon
​Have you ever thought about finding a cute Christmas Town to spend time in during the holidays? Check out this great list of the Most Magical Christmas Towns in the Pacific Northwest.
Take a Train Ride
Head on over to this post and see where you can find your nearest Christmas Train Experience! Oh, how I wish I could have experienced a Christmas train ride as a kid!
Go to a Holiday Concert
I just love holiday music, don’t you? A quick Google search should bring up plenty of options local to you for a great holiday concert! You can also check out local churches too!
Visit Your Local Craft Fairs
I am a craft fair junkie! I absolutely love them! Be sure and check your Facebook event page for upcoming craft fairs in your area.
Have a Christmas Movie Marathon
Make some fudge, grab a hot chocolate, and snuggle in for a wonderful Christmas movie marathon with those closest to you! We do at least 2 Christmas movie marathon days every year (I actually think we did 4 of them last year) and it’s something that we look forward to every single year. My kids talk about it all year long leading up to the holidays.
Take a Trip to The Oregon Coast
While you will rarely see snow at the Oregon coast, it’s still a great place to have a merry Christmas! Plus, I always pass a Christmas store when I’m at the coast, so it’s a good place to shop for fun gifts and decor!
​Book a House at Sunriver
Have you ever visited Sunriver in Central Oregon? It’s a great place to visit year-round, but it is a really great place to be during the Christmas season. There is something magical about the resort community blanketed in snow! They also have some really great Christmas activities such as ice skating, snowshoeing, and more!Â
What is your favorite way to plan the perfect Oregon Christmas?
