Christmas in Polk: Carols, movies and where to find Santa Claus

The holidays have a way of bringing communities together to share the season's joy.

Here's a list of Christmas events happening across Polk County:

Three events this Friday

• Downtown Lakeland will present "First Friday: Hometown Holiday" in downtown Lakeland Friday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Families can take free photos with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus while enjoying free activities, games and live music in Munn Park at 210 E. Main St. A Maker's Market featuring artisan wares will be on North Kentucky Ave. with a Classy Car show on Main Street and Tennessee Avenue.

• Mulberry's annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Cookie Stroll will be Friday at 6 p.m. It will kick off with a musical presentation at the Gem Theater, 118 NW 1st Ave., and includes a stroll for holiday cookies from downtown businesses. The event is free.

• One More Child hopes to spread cheer with its Night of Lights, a free drive-thru Christmas Light Experience, on from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday. The drive through's entrance is located at 1015 Sikes Blvd. in Lakeland.

'Snow' arrives on Saturday

• Frostproof will host a Holiday Market on Wall Street Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Arts and crafts vendors will set up in two locations: Florida Wildflowers Studios and Ramon Theatre.

• Main Street Winter Haven hosts its 33rd annual Carols in the Park Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown's Central Park at 1- 35 4th St. NW in Winter Haven. Browse artisans and specialty food vendors while local choral groups sing holiday songs to kick the holiday season.

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• Lakeland's 42nd annual Snowfest returns to Lake Mirror 5 p.m. Saturday. Residents can take a stroll in the "snow" along the Frances Langford Promenade while visiting vendors and food trucks. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be available for pictures. Attendees are asked to bring canned food donations for Senior Orphans of Polk County, a nonprofit organization helping senior residents on low fixed incomes.

• Haines City rings in the holidays with its annual Glitter, Glisten & Snow on Saturday from 6-9 p.m., at Lake Eva Park, located at 555 Ledwith Ave. Visitors can countdown to the lighting of the city's 31-foot Christmas tree while shopping arts and crafts vendors, food trucks. There will also be a visit by Santa Claus.

• Watch Winter Haven's lakes light up with holiday cheer at the annual Christmas Boat Parade at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. No registration is required for participants. Viewers can watch the parade as its moves from Lake May into Lake Shipp, back to Lake May and ending circling Lake Howard.

The celebration continues Dec. 9

• The 11th annual Make it Magical event will take over historic downtown Lake Wales' Main Street to ring in the 2022 season on Dec. 9 from 5-8 p.m. There will be a variety of local arts and crafts vendors, kids crafts, activities and live performances. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be making an appearance for photos. More information can be found online at www.lwmainstreet.com.

• Festive Flix will take over the Lake Mirror Amphitheater at 121 S. Lake Ave. in Lakeland, for a free outdoor screening of the Christmas classic "The Grinch" starting 7 p.m. on Dec. 9.

Spreading cheer on Dec. 10

• Lace up your sneakers for the 10th Holly Jolly Jingle Ball Jog 5K at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 10 at the Cleveland Heights Golf Course, located at 2900 Buckingham Ave. in Lakeland. The event will be followed by the Reindeer Dash Kid's Fun Run starting at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 10. Registration is $35 for the 5K, $10 for the kids run with all proceeds benefiting the 3 Parks Trail Perpetual Care Fund. Festive attire is encouraged. Registration is available online at jbjog.com through Dec. 7.

• Grab a Selfie with Santa on Dec. 10 from 9:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Lakeland's Hollis Gardens at 702 E. Orange St. There will be multiple staged photo areas with a full "Santa's Check List" of games to play. The first 100 attendees will receive a unique Hollis Garden ornament, with a limit of one per group. Donations will be collected for One More Child, with a full list of requested items available online at lakelandgov.net/events/selfies-with-santa.

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• Davenport's annual Winterfest will take place Dec. 10 from 4-9 p.m., at the Tom Fellows Community Center, located at 207 North Blvd. in Davenport. Join Santa Clause for snow, vendors and more. More information is available at mydavenport.org.

• Downtown Lakeland will host its annual Holiday Night Market on Dec. 10 from 5-10 p.m. The event is a collaboration between Lakeland Downtown Development Agency, Buena Market, Punk Rock Flea Market and Art Crawl that will offer vastly different experiences. There will be more than 150 artists and makers, spirit tasting, to-go beverages and live performances in downtown Lakeland in the Munn Park area.

• Lakeland's Santacon, the city's most festive pub crawl, will kick off at 5 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Swan Brewing, located at 115 W. Pine St. Participants are encouraged to don a holiday outfit for the 6:30 p.m. costume contest and pick up a passport that provides a self-guided tour to participating downtown's drinking establishments. Tickets are $15 with all proceeds going to kidsPACK, a charity that provides meals to children on weekends.

• Mulberry's annual Christmas Village will take over Spence Park at 1100 NE 1st St. on Dec. 10, from 7-9 p.m. Enjoy a whimsical shopping experience with local vendors, a bonfire and meet Santa Claus.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Holiday events in Polk County: Carols, movies, where to find Santa