Christmas at Union Station (The Durham Museum)

The Durham Museum occupies Omaha's grand 1931 Union Station, and each holiday season its soaring Art Deco waiting room becomes the setting for Christmas at Union Station. The centerpiece is a live tree close to 40 feet tall, billed as the region's largest indoor Christmas tree and known as Omaha's official tree. The 2025 season marked the 50th Christmas at Union Station.

The season opens with a tree lighting party on the Friday after Thanksgiving. From then into January, the great hall is ringed by cultural trees decorated for holiday traditions around the world, and kids can glide around a Sock Skating Pond on the polished floor.

Santa has a cabin in the hall, with special Family Nights with Santa on Tuesday evenings in December. A Holiday Cultural Festival brings music, food and traditions from many communities, and a concert series fills the hall on weekends and Tuesday nights. On December 31 the museum throws a Noon Year's Eve for kids with a balloon drop at noon.

For the 2026 season the museum also opens a White Christmas exhibition on November 27.

Highlights

• Nearly 40-foot live tree in the Art Deco great hall
• Tree lighting celebration the Friday after Thanksgiving
• Holiday Cultural Trees from around the world
• Sock Skating Pond and Santa's Cabin
• Holiday Cultural Festival and concert series
• Noon Year's Eve with a balloon drop for kids

Tips for going

• 2026 tree lighting: Friday, Nov 27, 4 to 8 p.m.; register in advance through the museum.
• Family Nights with Santa are Tuesdays Dec 1, 8, 15 and 22 in 2026.
• Noon Year's Eve tickets sell out; watch for the on-sale date in early December.
• The museum is closed Mondays most of the year and on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Free parking is available in the museum lot; it fills during big events, so arrive early.
• Walk a few blocks to the Old Market for lunch or to see the downtown holiday lights.