Cashiers Note

Lights on the Green

Each year, The Village Green installs thousands of lights, a towering spruce in
the center of the park and illuminated trees and sculptures throughout the lawn.
From dusk through the evening, you can wander the paths, sip cocoa, and let kids
burn off sugar in what feels like a Hallmark movie, minus the scripted dialogue.

• When: Typically, Thanksgiving weekend through the Christmas.
  check the “Christmas On the Green” page for exact dates.
• Where: The Village Green, right off the Cashiers crossroads.
• Info:
  
  villagegreencashiersnc.com/christmas-on-the-green
  

Cashiers Christmas Tree Lighting

On the evening after Thanksgiving, Cashiers does the big flip of the switch. The
annual tree lighting on the Gazebo Lawn features music, S’mores, hot cider, and
Santa helping light the central spruce.

• When: Evening after Thanksgiving (usually 5:30–6:30 p.m.).
• Where: Gazebo Lawn at The Village Green.
• Details:
  
  Cashiers Christmas Tree Lighting
  

Pro tip: Go once on the official night for the energy, then again on a random
weeknight in December for the quiet version.

Mistletoe Market at The Village Green

Inside Lewis Hall at The Village Green, the Mistletoe Market brings together local
artisans and makers—jewelry, textiles, woodwork, ornaments, and small-batch foods.
It’s warm, indoors, and the antidote to mall holiday shopping.

• When: Typically the same weekend as the tree lighting.
• Info: Look for “Mistletoe Market” on the Village Green
  
  Events calendar
  

Santa on the Green & Festival of Trees

On select December weekends, The Village Green hosts Santa visits, photo sessions,
and Festival-of-Trees–style displays and raffles. Kids get their Santa moment in a
mountain park instead of a mall, and local nonprofits benefit from tree sponsorships
and raffles.

Details vary by year; Village Green and local event calendars (Discover Jackson NC,
Laurel Magazine) will list the specific dates.

Cashiers Christmas Parade

The Cashiers Christmas Parade marches along US 64 and NC 107 with floats, fire
trucks, school groups, classic cars, church entries, dogs in sweaters, and candy
flying into kids’ mittens. It’s exactly what you want from a mountain-town parade.

• When: Early December (often the first Saturday).
• Route: Typically Frank Allen Road & 64 W → crossroads →
  107 S toward the school.
• Info:
  
  Discover Jackson NC – Cashiers Christmas Parade
  
  
  Cashiers Area Chamber event listing
  

Churches, Concerts & Giving

Local churches and nonprofits run toy drives, concerts, and outreach all December.
Expect Christmas Eve services, chorale performances, and community-wide giving
campaigns that quietly anchor the season behind the marquee events.

If you’re on the plateau for Christmas, consider plugging into at least one
local concert or outreach event. It’s the fastest way to feel less like a visitor
and more like a neighbor.

Light Up the Park & Highlands Christmas Parade

Highlands’ holiday season kicks off with Light Up the Park & Main at
Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park—carols, treats, readings, Santa on a firetruck,
and the lighting of the park—followed by the Highlands Christmas Parade down
Main Street.

• Light Up the Park & Main: Thanksgiving weekend evenings.
• Highlands Christmas Parade: Early December, usually a
  Saturday morning.
• Info:
  Holidays in Highlands – Highlands Chamber
  

Home for the Holidays & The Bascom Holiday Market

Around Highlands’ Performing Arts Center, Mountain Theatre Company stages
“Home for the Holidays,” a music-and-dance holiday revue. At the same time, The
Bascom’s Holiday Market turns the art center into a seasonal gallery of regional
makers.

• Home for the Holidays:
  
  mountaintheatre.com/home-for-the-holidays-2025
  
• Bascom Holiday Market:
  thebascom.org/holiday-market