Insider Tips and Discounts To Santa's Village in Lake ... Santa's Village History. Santa's Village originally opened on Memorial Day weekend in 1955. Glen Holland, a local Crestline resident, built the original park on 15 acres of the total 230 acres, which were leased to Santa's Village by the Henck Family. The holiday theme park operated for approximately 23 years and became the first franchised theme park in the country.