GVACC Christmas in July announces 2026 dates for business owners

BY KADIE TAYLOR

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

CHAMBERS COUNTY — The Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce is giving local business owners a head start on Christmas plans through the Christmas in July announcement. Rockingfest on the Square will be held on Nov. 14, the Window Decorating Contest will be judged on Dec. 2. and the Christmas Parade will be held on Dec. 10.

“This year’s theme is Gingerbread Town, so business owners can take that how they want,” GVACC Executive Director Carrie Wood said. “A gingerbread theme comes kind of like a Candy Land decoration to me. Everything’s gingerbread this year.”

Wood said she decided to announce the Christmas events and dates in July after hearing the enthusiasm and excitement from community members and business owners for what is to come.

“We have had so many calls, texts and emails requesting information about the parade and really for the theme this year,” she said. “We started that last year, and I think people were excited about it, but knowing that’s going to be coming every year has everyone hip to it that there was actually a theme last year. We’ve never done that before here, so the excitement has just been crazy.”

Wood said through announcing the theme and information on the window decorating contest, she hopes business owners will have more time to prepare and participate.

“If they decorate their window, they have to let us know and we’ll put out some more information,” she said. “There will be a date that they have to let us know by, and then the judging date will be Wednesday, Dec. 2. However, it all has to be synced with our theme, so if you’re decorating your window, that’s fine, but if you want to be entered in the contest it has to be with our theme, and we do want to encourage everybody to decorate their window fronts whether they’re entering in the contest or not… This is the first year that we’ve had calls wanting to know the theme and information for Christmas events, so that really does something to my heart because that tells me they’re excited and they want to participate this year.”

With the Chambers County community joining together to support small businesses, Wood said she is excited to invite people from across East Alabama to spend the holiday season in Chambers County.

“This event is something for not only the chamber to be proud of, but for our community to be proud of,” she said. 

For more information, follow the Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.