By Michelle Cope
The holiday season always holds a special place in our family’s hearts, we embrace our cherished traditions and joyful memories. It is our time to come together to enjoy both old traditions and new beginnings—celebrating family, friends and the wonderful treasures that Chester County so generously offers to us all.
Our season kicks off by attending the West Chester Christmas Parade. This year we actually were in the parade! My favorite part and which I always get teary eyed is when the West Chester University Marching Band goes by leading the way for the big man to arrive.
West Chester Christmas Parade
As winter wraps Chester County in a cozy embrace, the charm of its holiday markets begins to unfold like a beautifully wrapped gift. Each market, with its own distinctive flair, invites visitors to explore a treasure trove of artisanal creations, making holiday shopping feel like an enchanting adventure rather than a chore.
Get into the holiday spirit at the Kennett Square Holiday Village Market, where it is set against the backdrop of the historic Kennett Creamery. This market offers a delightful homage to the cherished traditions of a German Christmas market. Twinkling lights and Artisans showcase their crafts amidst holiday music, inviting visitors to feel the warmth of community during this holly jolly season. Glide from booth to booth, sip on a warm drink, and find that perfect hand-painted ornament or one-of-a-kind gift for someone special.
Discover the unique charm of the Brandywine Museum of Arts' critter ornaments! Dive into a world of nature-inspired creations that come to life with their unique personalities. Each visit is a treasure hunt, searching for that perfect piece that speaks to you. Among the array of delightful critters, there's always a special connection and mine this year is a Rudolph ornament that begs to be taken home. Don't miss out on this enchanting event that will surely add a touch of magic to your holiday season!
Wiggin's Tree Farm
Our family has a tradition of cutting down our own Christmas Tree. My son goes on his search every year and gets to pick whichever tree he wants whether it’s big, small or even sparse. The goal is family time. We select Wiggins Tree Farm in Cochranville, PA which offers Cut-Your-Own or Pre-cut Douglas Fir Trees. A family selfie is a must before we head across the bridge to the tree farm. We bring our dog Max and snap some great family shots with him. Will one of these be our Christmas Card finalist?
We brought our dog Max this year and snapped some great family shots with him. One of these shots was also our family Holiday card. Can you guess which?
We are crazy for Christmas lights and each year search for homes that have really gone above and beyond with decorations. We usually find these on Facebook message boards in our local area. One must-see each year is the Annual Herr’s Holiday Lights drive thru. This is a free holiday light display the Herr family has generously put together for the past over 30 years with over 600,000 lights!
As we enter, we are wowed by over twenty tree trunks wrapped in various colors and patterns. I always ask everyone which is their favorite; mine this year is the purple and gold striped! Herr’s even created a holiday spot to capture a family photo; another Christmas card winner for our family. You can park in the lot adjacent to the display. There is a gingerbread house with little posing gingerbread men and holiday letters spelling “JOY”.
Herr's Snack Factory Holiday Lights
We head out at dusk and I know we are close when the ooo’ing and ahh’ing starts. As we enter the path, which winds through the Herr’s complex, we are wowed by over twenty tree trunks wrapped in various colors and patterns. I always ask everyone which is their favorite; mine this year is the purple and gold striped! We then drive by my favorite tree which is huge with multicolored lights - it's glorious! Herr’s even created a holiday spot to capture a family photo; another Christmas card winner for our family. You can park in the lot adjacent to the display. There is a gingerbread house with little posing gingerbread men and holiday letters spelling “JOY”. The kids love posing as gingerbread men, hiding under reindeer and fitting into JOY!
We then head to the spectacular Longwood Gardens which is always the highlight of our holidays. No holiday experience can compete with the expanse of dazzling holiday lights, music and majesty of A Longwood Christmas.
A Longwood Christmas at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens has made it easy to maneuver through their expansive grounds with a Holiday Light Trail. This begins as you exit the Visitors Center and follow the path to the right.
Longwood Gardens has made it so easy to visit and navigate with their Holiday Light Trail. This begins as you exit the Visitors Center and follow the path to the right.
We walk down the path past the rose arbors covered in lights and come to a wonderland of trees and snowflakes. The trees seem to be floating on the water as snowflakes twinkle high up in the trees. We then arrive at a favorite spot for Josh – the Canopy Cathedral Tree House. This two-story tree house is all dressed up for the holidays and so fun to explore.
As we travel toward the Italian Water Gardens, we stop and enjoy a hot chocolate. We get our spiked! You then enter the meadow path which ends with a trip through a light tunnel and a fabulous photo op for the family!
No holiday trip to Longwood would be complete without viewing the holiday train display with Thomas and Friends! The tracks travel through miniature models of the Conservatory and Pierre DuPont homes while winding through bridges and tunnels to the delight of Josh and my cousins.
A Longwood Christmas outside Train Display
I could go on and on about all of the holiday experiences in Chester County's Brandywine Valley as we have so many to offer. I wish everyone a merry, festive and healthy holiday season!
