Fourteen interior designers, decorators and specialty retailers are transforming a St. Cloud home into a holiday showcase for the 37th Annual Zonta Christmas House and Winter Marketplace, set for November 20 and 21 at 811 Pebble Creek Drive. The two-day fundraiser pairs immersive holiday displays with a marketplace of handcrafted goods, and every dollar raised supports local programs for women and children.
According to WJON, this year's displays were created by designers and retailers from St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park and Rice, including Modern Barnyard, SOS Thrift Store, Just Peachy Collective and Green Thumb. The Winter Marketplace portion of the event will be stocked with handcrafted items, artisanal baked goods and gourmet cheesecakes, giving visitors a reason to linger beyond the decorated rooms themselves.
Hours run from 2 to 8 p.m. on November 20 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 21. Admission costs $20 per person, with all proceeds benefiting the Zonta Club of St. Cloud to help support local agencies working to support and empower women and children.
A Longtime St. Cloud Holiday Tradition
Zonta Christmas House co-chair Debra Kellerman said the event brings people together and supports women and children in central Minnesota, according to the station's report. The event is billed as an annual St. Cloud tradition, and the nonprofit Zonta Club of St. Cloud describes it as hosting the fundraiser to further its mission of empowering women and girls through education, leadership and service.
The tradition traces back to the first Christmas Inspiration House in 1990, and per the same account, the event has consistently landed on the weekend before Thanksgiving ever since, as 1037 The Loon has noted in past coverage. That consistency has made it something of a kickoff ritual for holiday shoppers in the St. Cloud area, even as the host home and lineup of participating decorators shift from year to year.
Growth From Last Year's Sartell Event
This year's roster of 14 decorators marks an increase from the 12 who participated in 2025, when the event was held at 1408 Antler Creek Court in Sartell. That 2025 edition also included a Winter Marketplace with more than 15 vendors selling baked goods, coffee, jewelry, beauty products and winter greens, according to a separate WJON report on last year's event.
Fundraising from the 2025 event supported Anna Marie's Alliance, Terebinth Refuge, the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center, Crisis Nursery and the Starfish Coaching Program, as reported by the St. Cloud Times.
The event's $20 ticket price and its signature Friday-afternoon-into-evening, Saturday-morning-into-early-afternoon schedule have held steady for several years. In 2024, the house was open Friday, November 22 from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., also at $20 admission, mirroring the format Zonta is using again this year at its new Pebble Creek Drive location.
