On Saturday, November 14, kids at the Pocono Township building on Old Mill Road will add their handprints to a Handprint Tree. The tree then goes on display at TLC Park, where it stays up through the holiday season. Three weeks later, on December 5, the township lights its Christmas tree in the same park.
Up the road, Camelback keeps its own holiday calendar on the same two Saturdays. Neither calendar mentions the other, and the times mostly fit together anyway. On the 14th the township has the afternoon and Camelback has the evening. On December 5 the township has the morning and the evening, Camelback's Santa hours fall in between, and the two only compete from 2 to 5 p.m.
November 14: the township afternoon, then Camelback's evening
The township's Holiday Movie Afternoon featuring The Grinch takes place in the Pocono Township Conference Room at 205 Old Mill Road. Activities start at 2 p.m. sharp: kids make Ugly Sweater ornaments and add their handprints to the Handprint Tree. The Grinch starts at 3 p.m. You have to register, using the QR code on the township's flyer, and Erica at [email protected] answers questions.
Camelback's free 11th annual ULLR Fest runs that evening from 5 to 9 p.m. at Thirsty Camel, 301 Resort Drive. The festival is named for Ullr, the Norse god of skiing and snow. Camelback bills it as a way to "usher in a powder filled winter," with vendors, food and drinks, wood carving, a drone show, and ski decorating. The event page lists it as a free event but also shows a "Buy Tickets" button, so check the page before you go in case some activities cost extra.
Here's how the day fits together:
- 2:00 p.m. Ornaments and handprints at 205 Old Mill Road
- 3:00 p.m. The Grinch, in the same room
- 5:00 p.m. ULLR Fest opens at Thirsty Camel
- After dark The drone show, before the 9 p.m. close
One holiday movie runs about as long as the gap between those two start times. If you have a kid who loves the Grinch and a teenager who'd rather decorate a ski, they can both get their event on the same Saturday.
The tree that ties the township's dates together
The Handprint Tree is the small detail that links the township's two events. Kids add their handprints on November 14, and the tree stays up at TLC Park for the season. On December 5, the park fills up for the township's last event of the year, so families who made a handprint in November can go find it before the lights come on.
TLC Park sits where Routes 611 and 715 meet, at 2658 PA-715. It has a war memorial, a softball field, a playground, three pickleball courts, a registered dog park, and a seasonal splash pad. The township also lists a winter ice rink, open when conditions allow. If you put the address into your phone, use the one from the township's own pages: 2658 PA-715.
The township's annual list has run all year, from a March movie through the June Touch-A-Truck, summer concerts in the park, September's Food Truck Festival, and October's Spooky Walk and Trunk or Treat. The two holiday dates finish that schedule. The Mistletoe Market and Tree Lighting is billed as "our last event of the year."
The week in between belongs to the outlets
Between the two Saturdays comes Thanksgiving week, and The Crossings at 1000 Premium Outlets Drive keeps simple hours. The outlets close on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, and open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Black Friday, November 27. The posted holiday hours are the place to check if that changes.
For anyone splitting their gift budget, the outlet crowds come eight days before the township market, which is set up for a different kind of shopping.
December 4 to 6: when the two calendars run side by side
The first weekend in December is the busiest stretch on both calendars. Here is everything that's scheduled:
| Day | Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Dec. 4 | 4–8 p.m. | Santa's arrival at Camelback, with Mrs. Claus and elves | 193 Resort Drive |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Mistletoe Market, heated tents | TLC Park, 2658 PA-715 |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | 2–6 p.m. | Santa photo appearances at Camelback | 193 Resort Drive |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | 6–8 p.m. | Pocono Township Tree Lighting | TLC Park, 2658 PA-715 |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | Santa photo appearances at Camelback | 193 Resort Drive |
Camelback lists all three of its Santa appearances as free.
What the Mistletoe Market offers
The township's Mistletoe Market is built for gift shopping. Local vendors sell handmade and personalized gifts in heated tents, so the weather matters less than it usually does at an outdoor December market. While you're there, you can enter a free Holiday Basket Raffle Giveaway and get photos with Santa. The township has posted a flyer with more details.
The township's annual list puts a "Food Truck Festival" entry right below December 5, but the event's own page doesn't mention food trucks. If dinner plans depend on food trucks, ask the township first.
The lighting, after dark
The tree lighting runs from 6 to 8 p.m., and the township lists live reindeer, festive music, giveaways for kids, s'mores, and possibly Santa himself to light the tree. There will also be a mailbox for letters to Santa. The township says it will send the letters "straight to the North Pole." Kids can write their letters ahead of time and bring them.
Where the two calendars meet
From 2 to 5 p.m. on December 5, Santa is posing for photos at both places: in the township's market tents at TLC Park and at Camelback's 193 Resort Drive. That's the one window when the two calendars actually compete, and most families only need one Santa photo.
The way the day is scheduled points to one easy route. Browse the Mistletoe Market in the late morning or early afternoon and take your Santa photo there. Then stay in town for the 6 p.m. lighting. If you also want a Camelback photo, Camelback's hours run until 6 p.m., so you could shop the market late in the morning, go to Camelback for a mid-afternoon photo, and get back to TLC Park before the reindeer come out. Families who'd rather spread things out can go to Camelback's Friday arrival from 4 to 8 p.m. or Sunday's appearance from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., which leaves Saturday for the township.
The order of the season
Read together, the two calendars run in a set order. On November 14, the township's afternoon comes first and Camelback's evening follows. Thanksgiving week goes to The Crossings, closed on the holiday and open at 6 a.m. Black Friday. December 4 starts at Camelback. December 5 begins and ends at TLC Park, with Camelback's Santa hours in between. December 6 finishes the weekend with a final morning of photos at Camelback.
If you're mapping out your own Tannersville holiday weekends and want to talk about the park, the market, or which corner of town puts TLC Park closest to your front door, I'd love to hear from you. Kacey Conaty is always glad to hear from neighbors. Contact Kacey to Start Your Pocono Search.
