’Tis nearly the season to be merry and bright in McAdenville, North Carolina, a tiny town with an outsized role in the history of the textile industry. Each year, the modest-sized community transforms into a glowing, festive wonderland. Red, green and white lights drape trees, homes, bridges and lampposts, turning the town into a living greeting card known as Christmas Town U.S.A.
“I think one of the things that makes us really special is the humble beginnings and the way it continues to be a very humble town,” says Christy Gliddon, executive vice president of human resources at Pharr, the company that sponsors Christmas Town U.S.A. “People today that bring their children used to come when they were children.”
According to the Christmas Town U.S.A. website, the first Christmas event began in 1949 with the Yule Log parade and ceremony. In 1956, the McAdenville Men’s Club, with permission from town officials and W. J. Pharr, founder and then-president of Pharr Yarns, decorated a few trees around the McAdenville Community Center. Pharr’s wife, Catherine, suggested the signature red, green and white color scheme and later added the manger scene.
Today, nine illuminated trees float on McAdenville Lake as a tribute to the originals. But it is the small-town charm and shimmering lights that keep visitors coming back. “A lot of people liken it to a Hallmark movie,” Gliddon says. “Because you feel like you're stepping back in time a bit.”
You can drive the lighted route, but traffic can be slow. Gliddon recommends walking the 1.3-mile loop to fully immerse yourself in the small-town charm, including holiday music playing from the 1883 bell tower. “I think you get more of that special vibe if you arrive in town early enough, experience some of the shops, maybe grab a bite to eat, have some hot chocolate and really just kind of take it in on foot.”
Approximately 100 homes participate in displaying holiday de?cor, according to Gaston County Tourism, with more than 250 evergreens and a half-million lights attracting an estimated 600,000 visitors each year. Decorations range from toy soldiers and candy canes to such pop culture references as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Festivities kick off with the Christmas Town 5K on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. “Our elves have to have all the lights up by Thanksgiving, actually,” Gliddon says with a laugh. On December 1, the tree lighting ceremony at McAdenville Lake features a giant switch to illuminate the main tree, with local schoolchildren competing for the honor of flipping the switch.
Another highlight is the December 11 Yule Log Parade. Children pull a sled carrying the log, accompanied by a horse and carriage and a high school band, to the outdoor fireplace at Legacy Park where it’s lit. “If you love music and you love Christmas time, the Yule Log Parade is the time to come,” Gliddon says. Hot chocolate and kettle corn make it even sweeter.
“The lights are for all ages,” says area resident Sue Young, who attended for the first time in 2024. “Seeing the wonderment on the kids’ faces made driving through worth it, but next time I plan to walk it to really experience the holiday magic.”
Lights shine nightly from Dec. 1 to Dec. 26 in this town 16 miles west of Charlotte, which sprang up around McAden Mill, considered to be the first truly modern textile mill when it was built in 1881.Some visitors turn their trip into a full holiday weekend. “Alongside McAdenville’s lights, you can enjoy Holidays at the Garden (at the Daniel Stowe Conservancy in Belmont), plus unique seasonal activities like snowless sledding at The Chutes (at Crowders Springs in Kings Mountain) and ice skating at the U.S. National Whitewater Center” in Charlotte, says Melissa McCauley, marketing manager for Gaston County Tourism.
McAdenville “is a very small town where volunteers and groups are coming together,” Gliddon says. “The sponsors, the people who put the lights on the trees, Gaston County Schools, law enforcement — we all come together to make this happen.” And in true Hallmark fashion, that sense of community is what makes Christmas Town U.S.A. shine brightest.