NOWOMAHA / LOCAL FIELD NOTES
Gretna’s holiday stretch: Vala’s market, a free downtown lighting, and The Cloisters
Vala's Thanksgiving Market is Nov. 24-25, Reflect's free market is Dec. 1, Greenery and Glitter is free on Dec. 6, and Cloisters tickets are $25 on Dec. 13.
Gretna’s November and December calendar now has several events posted on the organizers’ own pages, starting with Vala’s Thanksgiving Market and running through a free downtown tree lighting and a ticketed afternoon at The Cloisters on the Platte.
Vala’s Exit Barn, at 12102 S. 180th Street, lists Thanksgiving Market hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25. The official page says online pre-orders for pies, cider, donuts and kettle corn run “through Saturday, November 22nd” for those pickup days. November 22, 2026, falls on a Sunday, so treat that as the page’s own wording and confirm the cutoff with Vala’s. Market prices are not posted there.
The Reflect Collective, at 105 Enterprise Drive, holds a free Christmas Market on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m., with pop-up vendors, discounts, treats and giveaways, per the studio’s event page.
Greenery and Glitter, on the City of Gretna site, is Sunday, Dec. 6, from noon to 6 p.m. and is listed as free and open to everyone. Holiday fun and the Handmade Holiday Market run noon to 4 p.m. on McKenna Avenue. Peterson Park takes over from 4 to 6 p.m., and Mayor Evans lights the tree at 5:45 p.m.
The Cloisters on the Platte, at 23332 Fishery Road, sells tickets to A Very Merry Cloisters Christmas on Sunday, Dec. 13, at $25 a person. You choose the 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. session or the 4 to 6 p.m. session; choir performances are at 3:15 or 4:45 p.m. Tickets are on the official Qgiv event page.
Times, prices and the Vala’s cutoff wording come from those official pages, checked Nov. 14, 2026. A Nebraska Crossing Santa listing was in this week’s pack, but the outlet’s site could not be verified today, so those hours are not included here.