Mount Vernon Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting

Every December, Mount Vernon turns out for its annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting, a free community celebration on South 1st Street in the heart of downtown. For 2026 the parade carries the theme “Once Upon a Holiday,” with floats, marching bands, and local organizations rolling through the historic district before the evening gathers around the town tree for carols and the official lighting. It is one of those small-town holiday nights that families plan around, and it sits just fifteen minutes from the property.

The event

A downtown holiday

The parade route runs along South 1st Street, where the brick storefronts and the courthouse anchor the town square. Santa arrives, the bands play, and by the time the parade wraps up the crowd has gathered for the tree lighting and Christmas carols. For families, it is the kind of free, low-pressure holiday event that doesn’t ask much of you beyond showing up with a warm coat and a Thermos.

The drive from the property

County Road 1070 to downtown Mount Vernon is about 15 minutes on paved roads through Franklin County. For anyone considering the property as a weekend retreat or full-time home, the fact that a real small-town Christmas celebration sits a quarter-hour from the front gate says something important about the quality of life here. The holidays in Northeast Texas are built around exactly these gatherings, and being close to them is part of what makes the area feel like home.