Reporting by Harrison Jones, Hanover Evening Sun
With plenty of jolly Christmas traditions, Hanover has long been known by many of its festive residents as a real-life “Hallmark Christmas town.” But now, thanks to a Hallmark contest, it could be the star of its very own Hallmark film.
Hanover has been named as one of the 25 official Hallmark Christmas Towns in the United States, according to a release by the Hallmark Channel, with a public vote to decide which of the 25 towns will be named as the “Merriest Christmas Town.”
The winning town from that vote will win the grand prize of being featured as the setting of a Hallmark original movie, Hallmark announced.
Voting for Hallmark’s “Merriest Christmas Town of 2026” is open from Aug. 14 through Sept. 4, 2026, according to Hallmark.
Each person can cast a vote once daily throughout the voting period, Hallmark shared.
Voting takes place on the Hallmark Channel website at merriestchristmastownscontest.hallmarkchannel.com.
What makes Hanover Borough a Hallmark Christmas town
In the entry listed on Hallmark’s Christmas website, Hanover is noted for its annual Christmas in Hanover Festival, featuring the annual Santa parade, Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and the opening of the Hanover Santa Cabin.
“In Hanover, Pennsylvania, Christmas is not simply a holiday, it is a celebration of community, history, and the traditions that connect generations,” the entry shares.
In 2025, the Christmas festival welcomed 6,199 attendees downtown, according to the entry.
Hanover’s Christmas festivities date back 90 years to 1936, when Santa first arrived to his cabin in downtown Hanover, followed by the start of the annual parade in 1937.
In the time since, the festivities have grown by the year to now include Christmas caroling, custom Christmas decorations across buildings and utility poles, and the town’s own yearly Christmas tree.
Atop the Hanover Christmas tree, tree toppers alternate each year between a traditional star and a large pretzel, with the pretzel representing Hanover’s “Snacktown” identity.
Since 2025, the Hanover Christmas festival now coincides with “Small Business Saturday,” a day celebrating local businesses as they feature sales to kickstart the holiday shopping season.
Hanover even has its own “Christmas in Hanover” committee, a group of community volunteers that support and guide the annual holiday festivities across the town.
“What makes Christmas in Hanover unforgettable is not just the event, it is the people,” the entry reads.
“It is the volunteer writing a letter from Santa, the shop owner decorating their window, the family returning year after year, and the child experiencing the wonder of Christmas for the first time.”
The national search for the “Merriest Christmas Town” comes as part of the Hallmark Channel’s 25th birthday celebration, with the channel first launching in 2001.
Other towns joining Hanover Borough on the list include several others from the northeastern United States, such as Cape May in New Jersey; Berlin in Maryland; and Lewisburg in West Virginia.
Harrison Jones is the Hanover Reporter for The Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun.
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