Shop Uptown Westerville. The Westerville Uptown Merchants Association. Home for the Holidays.

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Westerville is our home, our community. And, this 2008 holiday season is the perfect time to celebrate our world, our country, our community, our family, our friends, our lives.

You are invited to bundle up in your coziest winter warm and join the City of Westerville/Westerville Parks & Recreation, the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Westerville Uptown Merchants Association, for this cozy, fun, spirited holiday hometown event, as we light up Westerville's 2008 holiday season on December 5th with Home for the Holidays.

Home for the Holidays begins with the City Tree Lighting Ceremony in front of City Hall (21 S. State) at 7 p.m. and will include performances from the Westerville Community Band and Otterbein Kinderchor along with the placement of the U.S. Bicentennial (1976) and Celebrate Westerville (2008) time capsules in the City Hall courtyard.

The holiday season kickoff also features candlelight & holiday carols, hot chocolate & cookies from Westerville Sertoma, and arrival via firetruck of a very special, very honored, North Pole-based, jolly old guest!

After the tree lighting, please join the Westerville Uptown Merchants Association for a hometown evening -- make holiday memories in Uptown Westerville and enjoy our beautifully decorated shops & businesses, dinner, drink & dessert, shopping, holiday specials, horse-drawn carriage rides, music, and other holiday treats....

▪ Secret Santa Gift Shop at Gallery 202, 38 N. State, Upstairs

▪ Special Kid-size hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

▪ Kid-size Gift Shopping with prices from $2 to $20

▪ Santa will be welcoming holiday wishes at North Pole: Westerville at

Java Central, 20 S. State St.

▪ Free Horse-drawn Carriage Rides from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

▪ Carriage Rides are sponsored by:

▪ Amish Originals Furniture Co.

▪ Morgan's Treasure

▪ Suite 59 Hair Design

▪ Union Savings Bank

▪ Westerville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association

▪ Westerville Dental Associates:

Dr. Brian Stickel, DDS

Dr. Gretchen Zody, DDS

Dr. Jason Kahan, DDS

Carriage Ride Stations are located at E. Home & N. State in the parking lot behind Rotary Park and at Winter and S. State in the Union Savings Bank parking lot.

The 1st 100 carriage riders at E. Home & N. State will receive a flyer with a $1-off coupon on a hot beverage at Java Central (20 S. State) or Serendipity (33 E. College).

▪ Uptown Merchants Holiday Shopping with Extended Hours

▪ Cookie Decorating for Kids at A Gal Named Cinda Lou, 20 N. State

▪ Westerville North High School Notables' Strolling Carolers

▪ Westerville Public Library Storyteller with Booker the Bunny at Amish Originals Furniture Co., 38 N. State

▪ Mail Letters to Santa at It's All In The Name, 20-K S. State

▪ Westerville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Westerville Bobbies

▪ Westerville Police Explorers

A great holiday gift idea! Create fond memories, set new traditions... give the gift of an Uptown Westerville shopping experience.

The Uptown Gift Card. It's the perfect gift anytime!

Accepted and available for purchase at a host of select Uptown businesses.

Click here for details.

It's a holiday parade! Have family fun, warm your hearts, and help those in need in our community on Sunday, December 7th with the Westerville Sertoma/Jaycees Annual Children's Christmas Parade.

Beginning at 1 p.m. (at Heatherdown and S. State), and heading north on State Street, this year's parade theme is WARM Your Heart This Christmas, focusing on raising food donations and money for WARM (Westerville Area Resource Ministry) and Westerville Caring & Sharing.