Like many parts of Lancaster County, Quarryville has a plethora of unique traditions that its residents observe every winter during the holiday season. Local businesses and community members participate in annual events and festivities to get into the Christmas spirit, including time-honored customs and new traditions created in recent years.

One of Quarryville's holiday traditions is Midnight Gladness, an event that takes place on the weekday before Christmas Eve every year. During Midnight Gladness, businesses such as Good's Store, Martin Appliance, Berkshire Hathaway and Britain Hill Venue & Vineyard remain open later than normal to offer special promotions, serve hot chocolate and offer local residents an opportunity to finish their last-minute Christmas shopping. Although some businesses don't stay open all the way until midnight, each participant offers its visitors various discounts and activities for the evening. In addition to local businesses, nonprofits such as New Hope Community Closet participate in Midnight Gladness, which will take place on Monday, Dec. 23, this year.

Midnight Gladness was started by Good's Store in 1995, and it has continued to be held annually with the exception of a brief hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The goal of the event was to offer modified prices and promotions at each of Good's Store's locations, which include storefronts in Quarryville, Schaefferstown and East Earl. In addition to offering different promotions at specific times throughout the day, the stores typically give small presents to children ages 12 and under and complimentary snacks to shoppers. "It always feels like a festive atmosphere," said Daniel Zimmerman, marketing manager at Good's Store. "The idea right from the start was to make this a fun evening to invite people into our stores."

Good's Store's East Earl and Schaefferstown locations are close to other businesses such as Shady Maple and Dutch-Way Farm Market, and the store's neighbors normally collaborate to make Midnight Gladness a large event. But the Good's Store in Quarryville is located in a standalone building instead of a complex or shared lot. Over the years, Good's Store has reached out to local businesses throughout Quarryville to make Midnight Gladness a community event that involves the whole town. "People often come from as far as Maryland or York County," Zimmerman said. "We're looking forward to having it again."

One of Quarryville's more recently established Christmas traditions is Christmas in Q-ville, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Solanco Fairgrounds on Park Avenue. The event will be held from 2 to 7 p.m., and it will feature food trucks, fireworks, gingerbread house competitions, Christmas light displays, a live Nativity and other holiday activities.

Christmas in Q-ville is the brainchild of Michelle Evans of the Quarryville Borough Authority, who proposed creating an annual, community-wide Christmas celebration. The first event took place in December 2022, and thousands of attendees have continued to enjoy its festivities every year since.

For more information about Christmas in Q-ville, visit http://www.quarryvilleborough.com.