Christmas Through Lowell was built around opening weekend of deer season, and in 2026 the two fall on separate weekends. Michigan's regular firearm deer season opens Sunday, Nov. 15. The 34th annual Christmas Through Lowell runs the following Friday through Sunday, Nov. 20, 21 and 22. With more than 80 homes and businesses taking part, this year's event is the largest the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce has advertised, and it has the weekend to itself.
The weekend it was built around
The event started small. In 2024, Lowell's First Look described how it began as a gathering hosted by Jody Haybarker and friends, "designed as a fun shopping event for women during the opening weekend of deer hunting season." Last year The Lowell Ledger still described CTL as an event that "celebrates deer hunting season as much as it does the upcoming Christmas holiday."
The last three years show how the dates have moved:
| Year | Christmas Through Lowell | Firearm deer opener, Nov. 15 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fri. Nov. 15 – Sun. Nov. 17 | Friday, day one of CTL |
| 2025 | Fri. Nov. 14 – Sun. Nov. 16 | Saturday, day two of CTL |
| 2026 | Fri. Nov. 20 – Sun. Nov. 22 | Sunday, five days before CTL |
Michigan's firearm opener is traditionally Nov. 15, so it falls on a different day of the week each year. The 2026 season runs Nov. 15 through 30. In 2026 it lands on a Sunday, and CTL is set for the next weekend.
From living rooms to three communities
The event has outgrown the small gathering it started as. Here is how the counts have changed in local coverage:
- 2016: 33 homes and churches, plus 16 downtown businesses, according to Lowell's First Look.
- 2024: more than 60 homes and businesses and more than 350 artists and crafters.
- 2025: a record of more than 70 homes, churches and businesses, including 13 new locations, eight of them homes, according to WOOD TV8.
- 2026: more than 80 homes and businesses and more than 350 artists and crafters, per the Chamber.
New houses have driven most of that growth. "Adding new homes each year keeps Christmas Through Lowell fresh and exciting," then-Chamber Executive Director Shannon Kennedy told Lowell's First Look in 2024. That same story said planning starts in January, and by May vendors and homeowners are already getting their spaces ready.
The route now covers the City of Lowell, Lowell Charter Township and Vergennes Township. Last year's downtown stops had letters and the outlying stops had numbers. Downtown, Lowell Arts was I, Flat River Gallery & Framing was H, and the Lowell Area Historical Museum was K. Out in the townships, "Home for the Holidays" was 18 and "Hangin' With Friends" was 20. A letter means you can walk it from Main Street. A number usually means a drive.
How a house becomes a stop
The home stops are what set CTL apart. Each host runs its own stop. The Chamber says location hosts set their own booth rates, can jury applicants and ask for product photos, and can turn down any vendor. The Chamber also notes that it does not book food trucks directly.
That's why each stop has its own feel. In its 2025 recap, The Lowell Ledger described "Hangin' With Friends," a Cumberland home showing work by 12 area artists. Studio 506, location 31, held "Christmas in the garage," with a table for Lowell Friends of the Flat raising money to fight invasive Eurasian milfoil in the Flat River. At Fallasburg Village's schoolhouse, location 7, there was a food truck, acoustic Christmas music, a local author room and s'mores by the fire pit. The paper also reported that some shoppers had more fun touring the homes than buying gifts.
Popular home stops also have to handle traffic. The Ledger reported that "Home for the Holidays" had parking challenges in 2025 because so many people came. For the downtown portion, the Chamber posts a map of City of Lowell parking lots next to its event map.
Planning around the hours
Event-wide hours are Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Not every stop keeps all of them. The Chamber says some locations are open Friday and Saturday only, and some churches keep shorter hours. Sunday has the shortest hours and the fewest stops.
The Chamber's 2026 host sheet, dated Oct. 30, lists these locations as open all three days:
- Main Street Inn, 117 W. Main St.
- Frosty Boy of Lowell, 503 E. Main St.
- Lowell Moose Lodge, 1320 E. Main St.
- Studio 506, 506 Lafayette
- Studio of Original Lisa, 208 S. Hudson St. SE
- Holiday Haven, 4622 Deerhaven Park Dr.
- Franciscan Life Process Center, 11650 Downes St. NE
- The Grand Christmas at the Kent County Youth Fair, 13801 Cascade Rd.
- Santa's Rustic Workshop, 8280 Alto Way Dr. SE, Alto
- Christmas Porch Pots & Crafts, 8475 Fawn Crest Dr., Alto
The same sheet lists Lowell United Methodist Church at 621 E. Main St. and St. Mary Church at 402 Amity St. SE as open Friday and Saturday only. If those are on your list, see them before Sunday.
Every stop's hours are in the full route, which is in the 2026 digital brochure and on the Chamber's event page, along with an interactive map. The Chamber says printed brochures will be handed out at the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, 113 Riverwalk Plaza, and at participating locations while supplies last. The Chamber also warns makers about Facebook messages and emails selling booth space. Hosts work directly with the Chamber, and vendors should book only with a host.
Main Street after the shopping weekend
Downtown has a new place to eat this year. Fratelli's Italian Kitchen is at 123 W. Main St., next door to Main Street Inn. In June, WOOD TV8 reported that it would be owner Maria Cannizzo's second location, after the original on Bridge Street NW in Grand Rapids. According to WGRD, the restaurant held its grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 1, the same week as Lowell's Homecoming. In October, Lowell's First Look called it the city's newest restaurant. That month the City Council unanimously approved adding Fratelli's to the downtown social district. As The Lowell Ledger reported, that approval lets the restaurant apply for the state liquor license endorsement it needs.
Two weeks after CTL, Main Street hosts the next big event. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Chamber's Christmas Festivities bring Santa to the Showboat from 2 to 4 p.m. The nighttime Santa Parade starts at 6 p.m. on S. Broadway and heads east on Main Street to Lowell United Methodist Church. The Chamber also lists more Santa visits on Dec. 9, 11, 12, 16 and 19. The Dec. 11 visit is part of Nite of Cheer.
That makes four busy weekends in a row downtown: the deer opener Nov. 14–15, CTL Nov. 20–22, Thanksgiving, then the parade Dec. 5. In 2024, Lowell's First Look described CTL as an economic boost for local businesses heading into the slower winter months. In 2026 that boost comes on its own weekend.
Homes on the CTL route have been staged for strangers since May, and that's how I think about presentation, too. If a CTL stop inspires an idea for your own holiday table or entry, I'd love to hear about it. Kristina L Tanner is always glad to talk about Lowell's design details over coffee on Main Street. Let's Connect.
