Here is a list of your daily activities for the Parade. 

Where to have breakfast?  Try Ruslters in Lynden.  They serve the original Pannenkoeken Dutch pancake back from the Old Dutch Mothers restaurant.  

 Lynden’s Lighted Parade
Lynden’s 21st annual holiday celebration begins at 6:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of December with the beloved Lighted Christmas Parade. This event captures the ultimate charm of a farming community and honors Lynden’s Dutch roots. John Deere tractors, farm equipment, milk trucks, fire trucks, and antique cars are wrapped in Christmas lights and joyfully paraded through town as onlookers clap and cheer. The procession starts at Fairway Center and travels along Front Street throughout downtown Lynden.

Visitors should bundle up in warm clothes and bring their hot cocoa and lawn chairs! In addition, don’t forget to take a tour of unique light displays and decorated storefronts throughout the city during Lynden in Lights; illuminated designs including Nativity sets, Dutch children, poinsettias, and windmills shine brightly throughout the holiday season for all to see.

Here is a list where you can find some of the illuminated designs around Lynden. Starting at the cemetery is a dazzling display of poinsettias,  at Bender Fields, you will find two displays, another one at the Chamber in Downtown, and of course the tulips lined on Front.

A SURVIVORS GUIDE FOR THE 2021 Northwest Lighted Christmas Parade: Presented by Edaleen Dairy:

Bundle up, Patience, and Spread Some Christmas Joy Edition
( A special request at the bottom, for those that know the rest)
IN WHAT could turn out to the most unhelpful idea ever, except for inside-out hot dogs, Chia pets, and last year’s parade and parking lot extravaganza, we’re re-using this little map and text to give you an idea of what’s to be expected and how to prepare for the Northwest Lighted Christmas Parade tomorrow evening.

*DRESS WARM, BRING BLANKETS, AND MITTEN UP! Temps should be around freezing by the 6 p.m. parade start, with mostly clear skies and a slight breeze from the northwest. Great ambiance, but a bit chilly on the bones, especially for the young youngsters. Hand warmers are a wonderful thing!

* BRING THE GIFT OF PATIENCE! There is a number of fellow spectators expected, and with all the street closures, traffic flow becomes a bit of a challenge. Don’t be a Grinch, come early and walk around Fairway and downtown, DO NOT BLOCK DRIVEWAYS OR ALLEY’S, expect to play hide and seek for parking, and after the parade, enjoy the conversation in the car about which entry was best.

* PARK NORTH OF GROVER: When looking for a place to park, think north of Grover Street. The area between 10th and 15th is usually pretty “light” (Get it? We make this same joke every year) on people, so not only is parking generally easier to find, you can land your posterior under the trees, in case some sprinkles arrive.

* KOK ROAD/ 17th St. IS LIMITED ACCESS: Kok Road through to 17 St. and across Front St. is a bit of a bugger, as it crosses the Parade route. BUT, you can park in the Lettered streets (C, D and E) between B.C. Avenue and Stremler, and view the parade from the south side of Front St., and still be under the trees!

* HERE COMES THE BRIDE! For you wedding shindig attendees heading to the Mt. Baker Rotary building at the Fairgrounds. Front St. will be closed, so take Kok Road to 17th St, then left on C, D, or E Street’s, to Stremler Drive and the Rotary Building Parking lot.

*START TIME: Lighted entries start leaving the Fairgrounds promptly at 6:00 p.m. They reach downtown around 6:10 p.m. EXPECT CROWDS & ARRIVE EARLY! Yes, even earlier than that. There’s cocoa to be drank, treats to be eaten, gifts to ponder and purchase, and friendly people to visit!

* PLEASE EXIT WITH CAUTION! There are lots and lots and lots of really excited little and sugared up people darting around, and SLOOOOWWWW is the safest speed, so drivers PLEASE use EXTRA caution as you wouldn’t want a bag of coal this year!

*THANKS TO ALL THE ENTRIES AND VOLUNTEERS! We have about the perfect number of entries, and we are very grateful to all those who take the time to decorate a unit, and those that take the time to help with safety and staging of the units before hand, for each helps to make this “Kick-Off to Christmas” happen! Please share your appreciation when you see them!

* HAVE FUN!!! If we need to explain this, well, you’ve got bigger issues than we are prepared to deal with right now. So shake off the sad, cloak yourself in glad, forget about the outside stuff, and have soak in some hometown fun!

* AND NOW, by the power invested in us by no legal authority whatsoever, and under rules we totally made up, each of you are asked, in a really nice way, to greet those you know, and those you don’t know, with a hearty “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”!

For more information on Lynden check out our Local Guide, and be sure to enjoy your day before you head back north to your cozy getaway at the Oostema Farmstead. We will keep the light on for you