Everyone knows the Christmas town of Leavenworth, WA, is the place to be during Christmas time. Leavenworth comes in 2nd, behind McAdenville, North Carolina, in the top 3 Christmas towns in the entire country. Each winter, Leavenworth glows with over half a million beautiful lights from 6 AM to 11 PM daily, Thanksgiving through February. Free to enjoy, this Bavarian snow globe scene is magical to see anytime. The Village of Lights celebration is a big deal, with its weekend lighting ceremonies and live music, unique locally owned shops and restaurants to explore, and it’s a winter wonderland attracting hundreds to thousands of tourists.
The full Leavenworth Christmas lighting display starts on Thanksgiving Day (November 27th) and continues daily through February 28, 2026. While the lights are always on, specific Christmastown Festivities will run from November 28 to December 24, 2025. The “always on” approach was adopted to avoid the large crowds that gathered for the traditional “flip the switch” ceremony, so visitors can enjoy the lights daily for a longer period.
Leavenworth’s Christmas history began in the mid-1960s when the town, struggling after the decline of its timber industry, came up with a Bavarian theme to boost its tourism. The first Christmas Lighting Festival was held in 1966, a one-day event with a dramatic lighting of the town in December. This tradition grew, and the festival eventually expanded into the current “Village of Lights,” where lights stay on for the season.
My co-writer, Aimee, and I are both experiencing the craziness of tourists during Christmas time as workers. I work at the Woodshop, Wurlygigs, and the Hat Shop downtown. The Wood Shop is the hottest spot for Christmas gifts, mainly for kids, with toys, games, puzzles, and more.
But that also comes with a lot of downsides, including the need for more staff and needy customers. There are babies and kids crying and yelling all the time, lines of people around the doors, people calling on the phone to ask random questions, and hundreds of customers a day coming in and out, knocking stuff over, making a mess, and bringing in food and ice cream. All the chaos causes us a lot of stress and overstimulation.
There are upsides to working in Leavenworth at Christmas, too, though. During busy times we get to work more hours to help us make more money. My boss pays us time and a half on Saturdays in December. We are always happy to help every customer and love the money that the people bring in, every smile on kids’ faces when they get their favorite toy, or when grandpa gets his authentic German hat. It’s definitely worth all the stress to not just make money but bring people joy and make the store an enjoyable, welcoming experience.
I work at Louie’s, a restaurant in Leavenworth. It is known for serving the best breakfast and drinks in town. It is not always the easiest to work in a restaurant in Leavenworth during busy seasons. I have worked as a busser, host, and food runner for two years and will never get used to getting yelled at by some Karen. I enjoy seeing people enjoy the food and environment of my work, especially during the summertime, working on the patio. But some needy customers always want something every time you walk by,and they never tell you right away what they want. They always want something when you’re already busy doing something else and people waiting pile up as you speak. The stress builds up, but always a blast working in Leavenworth, seeing tourists enjoying your place of work and Leavenworth.
