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Christmas with kids in Everett
In Everett, Santa has arrived by fire truck and by small boat. The city's Christmas story runs from busy downtown department stores in the 1930s and 1940s to a modern season of lights along the waterfront.
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The story of Christmas in Everett
How Everett celebrates
Everett's holiday season today is called Wintertide, the city's free celebration that runs through November and December. It was already in its third year in 2011, so it dates to around 2009. Long before that, downtown was the county's main shopping district, with five department stores that decorated with special lights and window displays. A downtown Christmas parade was photographed in the rain on Dec 3, 1960, and local radio station KRKO read children's letters to Santa on air. In recent years the celebration has shifted toward the waterfront, with a Port of Everett tree lighting and a lighted boat parade.
Christmas last year in Everett
On Friday, Nov 28, 2025, hundreds gathered at Colby and Hewitt avenues for the Wintertide tree lighting. A ballet group performed while the crowd waited, and kids found faux snow, crafts, hot cocoa and cider. Santa arrived on a fire truck, escorted by Everett firefighters, and later took photos at the Historic Everett Theater, where free holiday movies played all night. The month that followed included Holiday Hooves at the Port, Deck the Boughs at Evergreen Arboretum, Wintertide caroling and a Nutcracker at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Holiday on the Bay at the Port came on Dec 6.
Fun facts about Christmas in Everett
In 1950 Everett had just under 34,000 people, and downtown holiday traffic was so heavy that one historian said you could not drive through town. The Evergreen Arboretum lights began with 28 trees in total and grew about 20 percent each year, and by 2024 more than 10,000 people visited every year. The Port's Holiday on the Bay was in its 17th year in 2024, when Santa and an elf arrived by small boat run by the Ocean Research College Academy. The Frozen Fountain Tree glowed in the background.
Trains and Christmas near Everett
Families who love trains will need a drive, since the closest rail museums are outside Everett. In Seattle, the Seattle Center Monorail carries riders on a two-minute elevated trip in trains from the 1962 World's Fair. East of town, the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie keeps a free 1890 depot open every day, and the Great Northern & Cascade Railway in Skykomish offers free miniature train rides with a museum in the historic Great Northern depot.
- Seattle Center Monorail: A two-minute elevated ride on the original 1962 World's Fair trains, a short hop from downtown Seattle.
- Northwest Railway Museum: A working railway museum with a free 1890 depot open every day and weekend train rides between Snoqualmie and North Bend.
- Great Northern & Cascade Railway: A volunteer-run miniature railroad with free ride-on train trips and a museum in the town's historic depot.
Traditions today
- Wintertide Kickoff and tree lighting: Downtown Everett switches on its tree at Colby and Hewitt avenues the Friday after Thanksgiving, with Santa, crafts, cocoa and free movies.
- Evergreen Arboretum Wintertide Lights: A free garden light display on Alverson Boulevard behind Legion Park, open in the evenings through December.
- Holiday on the Bay: The Port of Everett's waterfront celebration with lighted installations, lighted boats, a tree lighting and Santa.
- Holiday Hooves: A Port of Everett holiday display listed on the Wintertide schedule from late November to Dec 23 in 2025.
- Wintertide caroling and Nutcracker: Singing at Bayside and a Nutcracker performance at the Everett Performing Arts Center are part of the Wintertide month.
- Children's party at the Sons of Norway lodge: Normanna Lodge No. 3 holds a Scandinavian bazaar in November and a December julebord feast with a children's party.
A fact for kids
In Everett, Santa has arrived by fire truck and even by small boat. At the Port's Holiday on the Bay in 2024, he and an elf came across the water.
Questions about Christmas in Everett
What is Wintertide in Everett?
Wintertide is the City of Everett's free holiday celebration, running through November and December with lights, family activities and community events. The 2025 season kicked off with a downtown tree lighting on Nov 28 and included a Nutcracker, caroling and gardens of lights. It was already in its third year in 2011.
When did Everett's Wintertide start?
Wintertide was in its third year in December 2011, so it began around 2009. That year it was a free Friday afternoon at the Everett Performing Arts Center with a kids' craft, cookies, hot cocoa, a Navy Band concert and a visit from Santa. Today it has grown into a month of events across the city.
How does Everett light its Christmas tree?
The city holds a Wintertide tree lighting downtown at Colby and Hewitt avenues. In 2025 it was on Friday, Nov 28, just before 5 pm. Hundreds gathered, a ballet group performed, and Santa arrived on a fire truck and helped turn on the lights before heading to photos at the Historic Everett Theater.
How does Santa arrive in Everett?
It depends on the event. At the 2025 Wintertide tree lighting, Santa rode in on a fire truck escorted by Everett firefighters. At the Port of Everett's Holiday on the Bay in 2024, Santa and an elf arrived by small boat. Kids can watch for whichever grand entrance the day brings.
What was Christmas shopping like in old downtown Everett?
Downtown was once the county's main shopping district with five department stores that decorated with special lights and window displays. A historian recalled holiday traffic so heavy that you could not drive through town. Rumbaugh-MacLain even showed a Christmas toy window on Dec 10, 1935, which delighted children walking by.
Did Everett have a Christmas parade long ago?
Yes. A photographer captured a downtown Christmas parade on a rainy afternoon on Dec 3, 1960. It was part of an era when downtown Everett was packed with holiday shoppers. Today the city's traditions center more on the Wintertide tree lighting and the waterfront at the Port of Everett.
What did radio do for Santa in Everett?
Local radio station KRKO read children's letters to Santa on the air, a holiday tradition recalled in a Daily Herald look back at old Everett Christmases. It gave kids a way to send wishes to the North Pole from home, years before the days of online letters and email.
What is Holiday on the Bay?
Holiday on the Bay is the Port of Everett's waterfront celebration. In 2025 it was held Dec 6 from noon to 6 pm at Pacific Rim Plaza with lighted installations, lighted boats on display, a tree lighting and Santa. It was the 17th annual in 2024, so it began around 2008.
What is the Frozen Fountain Tree?
The Frozen Fountain Tree is a feature at the Port of Everett that appeared in the background when Holiday on the Bay celebrated its 17th year on Dec 7, 2024, as Santa and an elf stepped off a small boat. Families heading to the Port's waterfront lights may spot it there too.
Where can kids see Christmas lights in Everett?
Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens at 145 Alverson Blvd lights its garden behind Legion Park in the evenings through December, free of charge, and the Port of Everett has waterfront lights as well. In 2024 the arboretum reported more than 10,000 visitors a year. See our Everett Christmas events guide on this page for this year.
How did the Evergreen Arboretum lights begin?
Lighting the garden was once a pipe dream until COVID-19 hit, when the city asked for ways to help people gather while staying apart. Wintertide Lights began with 28 trees in total, and the display grew about 20 percent each year. By 2024, its fifth year, more than 10,000 people visited the arboretum each year.
How big is the Evergreen Arboretum garden?
The garden is 3.5 acres with 12 themed gardens and ADA-approved pathways, maintained by a volunteer group with help from the city. The wide, accessible paths can make the evening easier for families with strollers or little ones, and the display is free to visit in the evenings through December.
Is Everett's Wintertide free?
Yes, the City of Everett describes Wintertide as free, and the 2025 kickoff tree lighting had no admission. Some events inside the season, like a Nutcracker performance at the Everett Performing Arts Center, can have their own ticket prices. Check each listing in our Everett Christmas events guide on this page.
What did Wintertide include in 2025?
The 2025 schedule included the Nov 28 kickoff, Holiday Hooves at the Port from Nov 29 to Dec 23, Deck the Boughs at Evergreen Arboretum all of December, caroling at Bayside on Dec 5, the Wintertide Festival on Dec 13 and the Nutcracker on Dec 13 and 14 at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
What is the julebord at the Sons of Norway lodge?
The Normanna Lodge No. 3 of Sons of Norway holds a December julebord, a Scandinavian Christmas feast, with a children's party. The lodge also hosts a Scandinavian bazaar each November. Families curious about Scandinavian Christmas customs can ask the lodge about its holiday dates and who may attend before planning a visit.
How do I explain Wintertide to a young child?
Say that Wintertide is the month when Everett turns on its lights, sings carols and puts out special treats like hot cocoa. Let them pick one thing to look for, such as Santa on his fire truck or the glowing trees in the arboretum. Giving kids a small job makes the evening easier.
Is there a train museum near Everett?
The closest rail attractions are a drive away. The Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie has a free 1890 depot open every day and weekend train rides to North Bend, and the Great Northern & Cascade Railway in Skykomish offers free miniature train rides. Always check seasons before you go.
Can kids ride the Seattle Center Monorail?
Yes. The Seattle Center Monorail still runs its two original trains from the 1962 World's Fair on a two-minute elevated ride between downtown Westlake Center and Seattle Center. It is a short trip for families from Everett who want a small train adventure during the holidays.
How many people lived in Everett in the old Christmas shopping days?
In 1950 Everett had a population just under 34,000, compared with about 109,000 when the Daily Herald wrote its look back in 2018. Even with fewer residents, downtown department stores drew crowds from around the county at Christmas, which is why the traffic was so heavy.
Where can we find Everett Christmas events this year?
Start with our Everett Christmas events guide on this page, which lists confirmed family events with dates. Big seasonal traditions to watch for are the Wintertide kickoff tree lighting the Friday after Thanksgiving, the lights at Evergreen Arboretum and Holiday on the Bay at the Port of Everett in early December, though 2026 dates were not confirmed.
Sources
- Before the malls, Christmas shoppers flocked to Everett, The Daily Herald
- Winter wonderland: Everett lights up downtown with annual tree lighting, The Daily Herald
- Wintertide in Everett starts today, My Everett News
- Everett rolls out Wintertide on Friday, The Daily Herald
- Evergreen Arboretum's Wintertide Lights sparkle into fifth year, The Daily Herald
- Bright and merry at the Port, Snohomish County Tribune
- Holiday events guide 2025, Community Transit
- Northwest Railway Museum, Rally Takes the Train
- Great Northern & Cascade Railway, Rally Takes the Train
- Seattle Center Monorail, Rally Takes the Train