Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in New Holland for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events, 1 of them free. They are STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone (December 12) and Family Movie Matinee: The Polar Express (December 19). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Pennsylvania Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in New Holland
- 2 Christmas events for kids in New Holland
- 1 free event, including STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone
- Season: December 12 (STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone) to December 19 (Family Movie Matinee: The Polar Express)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Free Christmas events for kids in New Holland
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STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, noon to 1 pm (Registration opens November 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.)
- Where: Eastern Lancaster County Library, NHD Community Room, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, registration required
- Ages: All ages; children must attend with an adult
Expand to see the parent tip
The ELANCO Library treats gingerbread as an engineering project. Builders of any age design a gingerbread house, decorate it and carry it home, with children and grown-ups welcome to build side by side.
It takes place on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the NHD Community Room at 11 Chestnut Drive. Registration is required and opens November 28 at 10:00 a.m., and the listing shows a price of $0. Every person who will build needs a separate registration, children and adults alike, while family members who only watch do not.
Parent tip: Count your builders before registration opens on November 28, because each child has to be signed up separately and a watching parent does not need a spot. Adults must stay for the hour, and the library cannot promise the food is free of tree nuts, soy or other allergens.
- Host
- Eastern Lancaster County Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Eastern Lancaster County Library, NHD Community Room, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
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Rally researches Christmas events in New Holland daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in New Holland.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more New Holland event researched for you.
- New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in New Holland.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in New Holland before they fill up.
- Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
- Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
- One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.
Coming up on this page
- 1 Shows
- 1 Crafts
- 1 Breakfast and treats
- 1 Free
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in New Holland
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday show
Family Movie Matinee: The Polar Express
- When: Saturday, December 19, 2026, 2 to 4 pm
- Where: Eastern Lancaster County Library, NHD Activity Room, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: All ages; children must attend with an adult
Expand to see the parent tip
The ELANCO Library screens The Polar Express, rated G, as a pajama matinee the Saturday before Christmas. Families are invited to wear cozy pajamas and bring blankets or pillows, and the library puts out snacks while welcoming any movie treats you bring along.
The screening runs on Saturday, December 19, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the NHD Activity Room at 11 Chestnut Drive. No registration is required. The page does not list a price, and it asks adults to stay with their children, with no drop-offs.
Parent tip: Seating is whatever you make of it, so bring the blankets and pillows the library suggests and claim a patch of floor before 2:00 p.m. The library notes it cannot guarantee its snacks are allergen free, so pack your own if that matters for your child.
- Host
- Eastern Lancaster County Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Eastern Lancaster County Library, NHD Activity Room, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New New Holland events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in New Holland daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in New Holland.
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We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Those are on our Pennsylvania Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each New Holland Christmas event for kids happens
The first is STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone in New Holland on December 12; the last runs to December 19. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- STEM Gingerbread House Construction ZoneNew Holland · Dec 12
- Family Movie Matinee: The Polar ExpressNew Holland · Dec 19
Looking further afield? Our Pennsylvania Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Adamstown, Lancaster, PA, Kennett Square and Brogue. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.
A story for the drive home
A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in New Holland
Before it was New Holland, this Lancaster County borough went by Hog Swamp, Earltown and New Design. The name that stuck later went onto farm machinery, and at Christmas the borough's families gather on Chestnut Drive, where the library trades tractors for gingerbread engineering and a train ride to the North Pole on screen.
How New Holland celebrates
The family listings gathered here for Christmas in New Holland come from the Eastern Lancaster County Library, known as the ELANCO Library, on Chestnut Drive. On Saturday, December 12, 2026, it hosts the STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone in its NHD Community Room, where registered builders of all ages design and decorate a house to take home. On Saturday, December 19, the NHD Activity Room becomes a cinema for a pajama screening of The Polar Express, with snacks provided and no registration needed. The library, formerly called New Holland Library, is a member of the Library System of Lancaster County, and both programs ask adults to stay with their children.
Fun facts about Christmas in New Holland
Brothers John Michael and John Phillip Ranck settled New Holland in 1728. Abe Zimmerman founded the New Holland Machine Company here in 1895, and it later became New Holland Agriculture. The borough is a terminus of the New Holland Secondary, a Norfolk Southern rail line that branches off Amtrak's Keystone Line just east of Lancaster. The 2020 census counted 5,762 residents, and New Holland has been the twin city of Longvic, France, since 1967.
Traditions today
- STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone: The ELANCO Library invites builders of all ages to design and decorate a gingerbread house and take it home.
- Polar Express pajama matinee: Families come to the library in pajamas with blankets and pillows to watch The Polar Express on the Saturday before Christmas.
- Building together: The gingerbread program registers adults as builders too, and both library programs are planned for children and grown-ups to attend together.
- The ELANCO Library on Chestnut Drive: Formerly known as New Holland Library, the Eastern Lancaster County Library is where both of the borough's listed Christmas programs take place.
A fact for kids
New Holland used to be called Hog Swamp. A railroad line still ends in town, branching off from the tracks that Amtrak trains use near Lancaster.
Questions about Christmas in New Holland
When was New Holland founded?
New Holland was settled in 1728 by two brothers, John Michael and John Phillip Ranck. It is a borough in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, surrounded on all sides by Earl Township, with Pennsylvania Route 23 running through it as Main Street.
What was New Holland called before?
Before it became known as New Holland, the settlement was called Hog Swamp, Earltown and New Design. The sources used here list those earlier names but do not explain how the name New Holland was chosen.
What is New Holland known for?
Farm machinery. Abe Zimmerman founded the New Holland Machine Company in the borough in 1895, and it later became New Holland Agriculture. The company is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The borough also hosts the annual New Holland Farmers Fair, first held in 1927.
What happens at Christmas for kids in New Holland?
The ELANCO Library hosts two family programs in December 2026. The STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone is on Saturday, December 12, from noon to 1:00 p.m., and a pajama screening of The Polar Express follows on Saturday, December 19, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Where are New Holland's Christmas programs held?
Both take place at the Eastern Lancaster County Library, 11 Chestnut Drive. The gingerbread program uses the NHD Community Room and the movie matinee uses the NHD Activity Room. The library was formerly known as New Holland Library.
Who organizes the Christmas programs in New Holland?
The Eastern Lancaster County Library, a member of the Library System of Lancaster County, runs both programs. Its listings name Brittany Howe as the contact, and the library's phone number is (717) 354-0525 for questions about registration or accessibility.
What is free at Christmas in New Holland?
The library's listing for the STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone on December 12, 2026, carries a price of $0, with registration required. The Polar Express matinee on December 19 has no price on its page, requires no registration, and includes snacks provided by the library.
Does New Holland have a railroad?
Yes. New Holland is a terminus of the New Holland Secondary rail line, which splits from Amtrak's Keystone Line just east of Lancaster. Norfolk Southern Railway owns the line, and it serves businesses along the way, including two in Leola.
How many people live in New Holland?
The 2020 census counted 5,762 residents, up from 5,378 in 2010. The borough covers 1.9 square miles on a low ridge, and it has been the twin city of Longvic, France, since 1967 because of a Case New Holland plant there.
Sources
- New Holland, Pennsylvania, Wikipedia
- STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone, Library System of Lancaster County
- Family Movie Matinee, Library System of Lancaster County
Keep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Pennsylvania city.
New Holland Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in New Holland to start with?
Both are at the ELANCO Library on Chestnut Drive. The STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone on Saturday, December 12, 2026, lets each registered builder make a house to take home. A week later, on December 19, the Family Movie Matinee shows The Polar Express to an audience in pajamas.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in New Holland?
The library's listing for the STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone on December 12, 2026, shows a price of $0, though registration is required. The page for the Polar Express matinee on December 19 does not list a price, needs no registration, and says snacks will be provided.
Where can kids meet Santa in New Holland?
Neither library listing gathered here includes a Santa visit. The closest thing is the Family Movie Matinee on Saturday, December 19, 2026, when the ELANCO Library screens The Polar Express, the story of a boy's Christmas Eve train ride to the North Pole.
Is there a Christmas movie or show for kids in New Holland?
Yes. The ELANCO Library screens The Polar Express, rated G, on Saturday, December 19, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in its NHD Activity Room. Families are encouraged to come in pajamas with blankets or pillows, snacks are provided, and no registration is required.
Which New Holland Christmas events need sign-up?
The STEM Gingerbread House Construction Zone on December 12, 2026, requires registration, which opens November 28 at 10:00 a.m. Each person building a house, child or adult, must be registered separately. The Polar Express matinee on December 19 needs no registration.
Can parents drop children off at the ELANCO Library's Christmas programs?
No. The library states that both the gingerbread program on December 12, 2026, and the movie matinee on December 19 are designed for children with accompanying adults, and that drop-offs are not permitted. Adults who only watch the gingerbread building do not need to register.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near New Holland?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Pennsylvania Christmas train rides guide. This New Holland guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
How do you confirm these events?
We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked every listing on November 10, 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.
Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.