If your neighborhood is renowned for its holiday season decorations, consider this a challenge to up your game. 

The City’s Office of Neighborhood Empowerment invites neighborhood groups to decorate their homes, porches, lawns, mailboxes and driveways for the inaugural Knoxville’s Neighborhood Holiday Trails beginning Nov. 30. 
  
“With COVID-19 very much present our community, we all have to look at different ways to celebrate the holidays with our neighbors,” said Eden Slater, Assistant Coordinator of the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment. “We know decorating for the holidays is a spirited, sometimes competitive, seasonal pursuit, and we want to encourage neighborhoods to best themselves and help area residents enjoy the results in a safe way.” 

Participating neighborhoods will be identified on a Neighborhood Holiday Trails map posted on the City’s website and shared through the Neighborhood Advisory email newsletter and social media. To be included on the map, neighborhoods should:

- Register before Nov. 13, by contacting Eden Slater at [email protected]

- Choose one or two streets or intersections that will be the center of the decorated area;

- Identify highlights of your neighborhood’s decor, like a giant inflated snowman, a Rudolph on a roof, a gazebo covered in twinkly lights, and any other eye-catching features. These landmarks will be included in a scavenger hunt game available for residents to play as they visit decorated neighborhoods. 

For more information on Knoxville’s Neighborhood Holiday Trails and other Christmas in the City celebrations that have been adapted for pandemic safety protocols, visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/Christmas.