Watson has no town government, so nobody in Watson organizes a Christmas parade or a tree lighting. Its holiday events come from the towns, farms and fairgrounds around Watson, each running on its own calendar, and those calendars line up in a narrow stretch.
That stretch runs from Thanksgiving weekend to Sunday, December 13. The cut-tree farms open, the Walker parade and the Denham Springs parade each take a Saturday, and the region's drive-through light show starts its run on Florida Boulevard. After the 13th, the closest choose-and-cut farm with a fixed schedule is closed and both parades are over. That leaves the lights and Christmas Eve. If you plan December from Watson, you're really planning three weekends.
The tree farms set the deadline
The firmest deadline of the season belongs to a tree farm. Yawn Station Christmas Tree Farm, at 29400 Ruby Purvis Road in Independence, posts its 2026 season as November 21 through December 13. It's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Thanksgiving Day is the exception, with hours of 2 to 5 p.m. The farm sells its own cypress trees alongside Fraser firs that are shipped in. Weekends add a vendor market, and the grounds include train rides, a playground, goats, concessions, picnic tables and a gift shop.
Yawn Station's one ticketed holiday event is Cookies With Santa, set for Sunday, December 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. It costs $20 per child, which covers cookies, juice, an ornament, a coloring book and a teddy bear. Parents get in free.
Heading northwest instead, Windy Hills Farm sits at 8380 Highway 963 in Ethel. It opens for the 2026 season on Friday, November 27, at 10 a.m. It runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, then Saturdays and Sundays at the same hours while trees remain. The farm's tree varieties page lists Leyland Cypress, Murray Cypress and Carolina Sapphire. Like Yawn Station, it's choose-and-cut. According to Explore Louisiana, the farm supplies the saws and takes cash or any card except American Express.
The two farms end their seasons differently:
- Yawn Station closes on a set date, December 13, and it's open every day until then.
- Windy Hills runs weekends only and closes when the trees are gone, with no end date posted.
So a family that wants Yawn Station's weekend market has four Saturdays to choose from: November 21 and 28, then December 5 and 12. Two of those are parade Saturdays.
Florida Boulevard runs every night, at two prices
The Merriest Mile is the one holiday fixture that runs nightly. The drive-through light show is in its third season at the Livingston Parish Fairgrounds, 13325 Florida Boulevard, from November 27 through December 27. The show plays music while the lights move with it. One of its light tunnels is 500 feet long, and hidden alligators and crawfish are placed throughout for kids to find and count.
The price depends on the night. Tickets are $30 per vehicle Monday through Thursday and $40 Friday through Sunday. From December 18 through 27, every night is $40. Each vehicle can carry up to eight people, tax included, and an unlimited 2026 season pass costs $100. Gates open at 6 p.m. Most nights close at 9 p.m., but the show stays open until 10 p.m. on December 11 and 12 and every night from December 18 through 26.
New this year are themed nights, and all four fall on a Monday:
| Night | Date | Ticket price that night |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Paws Night | Monday, November 30 | $30 weeknight rate |
| Jeepin Thru the Lights | Monday, December 7 | $30 weeknight rate |
| Jingle Jammies | Monday, December 14 | $30 weeknight rate |
| Grinchmas Night | Monday, December 21 | $40 peak rate |
Three of the four themed nights cost the weeknight rate. Grinchmas lands inside the peak stretch. Livingston Parish Tourism lists an early online discount of $5 with the code VIPMERRYEARLY, good through November 26. If you buy tickets this week, the season pass compares with three or four single visits, depending on which nights you'd pick.
December 5 goes to Walker
The first parade Saturday has a new route. As WBRZ reported, the 2026 Kiwanis of Walker Christmas Parade starts at Walker High School on Burgess Avenue and travels down Highway 447. It crosses Florida Boulevard and finishes near the Walmart on Walker South Road. WBRZ gave the parade time as 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. Times sometimes change, so check the city's announcements that week.
Walker Christmas in the Park follows from 3 to 8 p.m. at Sidney Hutchinson Park. Admission is free. Families can take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, get hot chocolate, browse food vendors and a Christmas vendor market, and visit a Kids Village with hayrides. The night ends with a Christmas movie on a big screen outdoors.
The same weekend fills up around it. Yawn Station's Saturday market is running, Cookies With Santa is the next afternoon, and The Merriest Mile is open both nights at the $40 weekend rate. The parade route crosses Florida Boulevard, and the fairgrounds sit on that same road farther east in Livingston. With a parade at 1 p.m., the park until 8 and the lights closing at 9 that night, December 5 can easily become a long day.
December 12 goes to Denham Springs, with one turn closed
The second parade Saturday belongs to the Denham Springs Kiwanis Christmas Parade, which steps off at 2 p.m. on December 12. Float lineup starts at 9 a.m., the safety meeting is at 1 p.m., and entries and sponsorships are due December 8.
Drivers from Watson heading to Denham Springs will meet a closure that started on Monday, November 9. Under a notice from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the right-turn lane from northbound LA 16 onto Centerville Street NE is fully closed for concrete work from November 9, 2026, through January 9, 2027, weather permitting. No turns are allowed there. The posted detour sends eastbound Centerville Street NE traffic along US 190 East to LA 1031, which is Hatchell Lane, and back to Centerville Street NE. The closure covers the whole holiday season, so plan the detour into a Saturday that already has a 2 p.m. start time.
That evening, The Merriest Mile is on one of its late nights and stays open until 10 p.m. The next day, Sunday the 13th, is Yawn Station's last day of the season. That gives the second parade weekend a real deadline. A family that hasn't picked a tree from Yawn Station by Sunday afternoon is down to Windy Hills, whose weekends continue only while trees last.
After the 13th, Christmas comes back to Watson
Once that weekend passes, both parades and the fixed-date farm season are over. The Merriest Mile moves into its peak stretch, with $40 tickets from December 18 through its last night on the 27th and the gates open until 10 p.m. through December 26. The last themed night, Grinchmas, falls on December 21, just four days before Christmas.
Closer to home, the Christmas page for Live Oak Church in Watson lists Christmas Eve services at 3:30, 5:00 and 6:30 p.m., with no year given. Check the page as the date gets closer to confirm the times for 2026.
Here are the dates Watson's December depends on:
- November 21: Yawn Station opens.
- November 27: Windy Hills Farm and The Merriest Mile open.
- November 30: Santa Paws Night at The Merriest Mile.
- December 5: Walker parade and Christmas in the Park.
- December 6: Cookies With Santa at Yawn Station.
- December 7: Jeepin Thru the Lights at The Merriest Mile.
- December 12: Denham Springs parade.
- December 13: Last day at Yawn Station.
- December 14: Jingle Jammies at The Merriest Mile.
- December 18: Peak pricing begins at The Merriest Mile.
- December 21: Grinchmas Night at The Merriest Mile.
- December 24: Christmas Eve, with Live Oak Church's listed service times to confirm.
- December 27: Last night of The Merriest Mile.
At Magnolia Key Realty & Co, we live and work along these same roads, and planning around them is part of how we serve our neighbors. If you're weighing a move to Watson, or out of it, before the new year and want someone who knows how the area's calendar works, schedule a free consultation with our team.
