Residents

    • Santa Claus on his way to help light Gresham's Christmas tree
    • Spirit of Christmas participants
    • Spirit of Christmas choir singers
    • Spirit of Christmas participant with hot cocoa
    • City of Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis with event emcee Greg Matthews
    • Spirit of Christmas attendees
    • Santa Claus with a visitor to the City's Spirit of Christmas event

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    • Oh, what fun! we have celebrating the holidays with you. See Gresham's tree lit through early January on the Arts Plaza, and thank you for shopping local in our wonderful historic Downtown, Civic and Rockwood town centers. 

Spirit of Christmas

  • Saturday, Nov. 24
    Historic Downtown Gresham

    The 27th annual Spirit of Christmas tree lighting rings in Gresham’s holiday season with a free, family-friendly program that includes live music, hot cocoa, photos with Santa and the lighting of the 60-foot Ponderosa pine on the Arts Plaza. 

    Arts Plaza directions

    Sponsorships

    Thanks to our local sponsors, the City can continue this beloved community tradition.  

    • Schedule of Events
    • Downtown Fun and Activities
    Schedule of Events
    10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Photos with Santa at the Gresham History Museum

    2:30 - 4:00 pm

    Historic Downtown business activities, crafts, treats for youth and open houses. See the "Downtown Fun and Activities" tab for more details.

    5:00 - 6:30 pm

    Music, free refreshments and activities on the Arts Plaza 

    6:00 pm

    The tree is lit promptly at 6:00 pm.

    At the Arts Plaza, Santa will greet the crowd, listen to the children's wish lists, pose for photos and assist Mayor Shane Bemis in leading the countdown to the tree lighting. Live music performances include local groups and schools. Free hot dogs, cookies, popcorn and more will be served, thanks to our generous Spirit of Christmas sponsors. 

    At the event, the City will collect canned goods to support Fill-a-Bag food drive. Last year, East County residents donated over 555,000 pounds of food for the needy. Just 5¢ buys 1 pound of food, so bring that spare change, too.

    Downtown Fun and Activities

    Make a day of it – food, shops and free family fun!

    Celebrate Small Business Saturday in historic downtown Gresham, just blocks from the Arts Plaza.

    10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Photos with Santa at the Gresham History Museum

    2:30 - 4:30 pm
    • Amiton Furniture: open house with cookies and cider
    • Accent on Attitude: open house with treats
    • Anderson Martial Arts: board-breaking and face painting
    • Blondies Pizza: pizza dough activity
    • Feather Your Nest: ornament-making
    • Frenzi Frozen Yogurt: decorate tree ornaments
    • Gresham Library: craft activities
    • iCandy: gingerbread cookie decorating
    • KMO: children's crafts
    • Pediatric Therapy: cookie decorating
    • SALT Academy: holiday bazaar, letters to Santa and more
    • St. Henry's Church: Advent paper chain-making
    • SugarCubed Cakes: decorate your own mini cupcake
    • Tsuru Island: Games, slide show and garden tour at Main City Resource Center
    • USWC Taekwondo: kids' wonderland with crafts, bounce house, obstacle course and more
    6:30 - 9:30 pm
    • Hoppy Brewer: Tim Paxton Quartet

  • More information

    Contact Event Coordinator Shannon Chisom at Shannon.Chisom@gmail.com or 503-750-3785.