Lake Forest lights its tree on Saturday, December 12. Most of the City's December calendar has already filled or closed by then. The City of Lake Forest's Winter 2026/27 Leaflet lists the season's events with sign-up deadlines that mostly fall between December 1 and December 9. The busiest of those is Friday, December 4, when two separate Santa programs stop taking requests.
For Camden Square, Taylor Morrison's gated community of 72 single-family homes on 7 acres off Portola Parkway near Whiting Ranch, nearly all of these events are a drive away on the City's campus at Civic Center Drive and Rancho Parkway. They work best planned backward, starting from the cutoff dates. The first cutoff falls on December 1, and the Santa programs with early-December deadlines are already taking requests.
The calendar runs on sign-up deadlines
Here is the order to act in, sorted by each deadline.
- December 1: Last day to register for the Holiday Wreath Workshop
- December 2 at 10:30 a.m.: Registration opens for The Clubhouse's Fashion Island excursion
- December 3: Senior Santa & Friends at The Clubhouse ends
- December 4: North Pole Calling reservations close
- December 4: Letters to Santa must be received
- Before December 5: Breakfast with Santa registration, with no day-of sign-ups
- December 9: Toy drive drop-off ends, and so does registration for the Winter Wonderland Preschool Party
- December 18: Holiday Lights Competition entries close, after opening November 23
Six of those eight items fall between December 1 and December 5. The details follow, starting with the busiest deadline.
Friday, December 4 closes two Santa programs
The first is North Pole Calling, a City program that books phone calls from Santa for children ages 3 to 8. The calls take place Wednesday, December 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The program is free for Lake Forest residents. Every reservation has to go through the online form at lakeforestca.gov/northpolecalling, which opened November 2 and closes December 4. The Leaflet notes that space is limited.
The second is Letters to Santa, which run on mail. Address letters to City of Lake Forest, Attn: Santa Claus, 100 Civic Center Drive, Lake Forest, CA 92630, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the reply. Letters must be received by December 4 to get an answer, so anything mailed late in the week may miss the cutoff.
The day after, Breakfast with Santa enforces the season's strictest rule.
Breakfast with Santa won't take day-of registrations
Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, December 5, at The Clubhouse on the Civic Center Campus, 100 Civic Center Drive. It has two seatings, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. under Activity #15083 and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. under Activity #15084. The program includes holiday melodies, cookie decorating and storytime. Tickets are $15 per person for residents and $20 for non-residents.
The Leaflet states the registration rule plainly:
"Day of registration will not be accepted, so be sure to register early. Adults and children ages 3 and older must be registered."
The rule continues past that line. Any child under 3 who will take a seat, eat, or take part also needs a registration. That means a household of two adults, a 6-year-old and a toddler who wants pancakes registers four people, or $60 at the resident rate. You can register online, by mail or in person, and The Clubhouse answers questions at (949) 461-3408.
That makes December 4 the practical deadline for breakfast as well. Taken together, a household planning the full Santa sequence of a letter, a call and a breakfast has one day to remember.
December 1 and December 9 close the rest
Monday, December 1 is the last day to register for the Holiday Wreath Workshop, for ages 13 and up. The workshop is Tuesday, December 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lake Forest Recreation Center, 28000 Rancho Parkway, under Activity #15116. It costs $25 for residents and $30 for non-residents. The City provides all materials and step-by-step guidance, and you can bring extra supplies.
Wednesday, December 9 closes two things. It is the last day to drop off gifts at Lake Forest City Hall for the City's toy drive, which supports families of the 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, or 1st ANGLICO, a U.S. Marine Corps unit at Camp Pendleton. The drive accepts unwrapped toys or gift cards for children from newborns to age 13. It is also the registration deadline for the Winter Wonderland Preschool Party. That party is for ages 3 to 5 with parent participation required, and it runs Saturday, December 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Recreation Center under Activity #15135. The fee is $15 for residents and $20 for non-residents, and the City suggests an ugly Christmas sweater.
The preschool party ends at 1 p.m. on December 12, two hours before the tree lighting starts.
The tree lighting lists no fee
The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony runs Saturday, December 12, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Civic Center Campus, 100 Civic Center Drive. The program includes entertainment, games, kids' arts and crafts, and special guests. Unlike the other events above, the Leaflet lists it without a fee or an activity number.
Searches for "Lake Forest tree lighting" also return a November 27 celebration at Market Square. That event is in Lake Forest, Illinois. The Orange County event is December 12 at the Civic Center.
The Holiday Lights Competition has the longest window
The City's 2026 Holiday Lights Competition opens Monday, November 23, and accepts photos of decorated homes through Friday, December 18. Neighbors, coworkers and community groups can also nominate a display. Each entry needs an address so the home can go on the City's Holiday Lights Map. Public voting runs Saturday, December 19, through Sunday, December 27, and the City announces the winner Monday, December 28. The winning display gets featured on the City's social media, and the City Council presents a commemorative yard sign at a future meeting. Entries go through pollunit.com/polls/LFholidayslights2026.
Entries open the Monday of Thanksgiving week, so a display finished over the holiday weekend can be submitted right away. The map grows as entries come in through December 18. That gives entries posted early the most time to draw visitors before voting starts.
The Clubhouse's senior calendar has its own deadlines
The Clubhouse's December 2026 through February 2027 calendar follows the same pattern. Senior Santa & Friends works with the County of Orange's Operation Santa Claus program to send gifts to older adults, and it runs from November 2 through December 3. The December mini excursion goes to Fashion Island to see its 90-foot white fir, which is decorated with 19,000 lights and ornaments. The trip runs Tuesday, December 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and registration opens Wednesday, December 2, at 10:30 a.m. The Holly Jolly Holiday Luncheon is Thursday, December 10. The menu is cheese ravioli, and guests can wear holiday attire.
The Clubhouse is closed for maintenance Monday, December 21, through Thursday, December 24, and closed again on Thursday, December 31.
The full calendar, by date
| Date | Event | Where | Act by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through Thu, Dec 3 | Senior Santa & Friends | The Clubhouse | Dec 3 |
| Fri, Dec 4 | Letters to Santa deadline | Mail or drop off at 100 Civic Center Dr. | Received by Dec 4 |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Breakfast with Santa | The Clubhouse, 100 Civic Center Dr. | Before Dec 5, no day-of |
| Tue, Dec 8 | Holiday Wreath Workshop | Recreation Center, 28000 Rancho Pkwy. | Dec 1 |
| Tue, Dec 8 | Fashion Island excursion | Departs The Clubhouse | Registration opens Dec 2, 10:30 a.m. |
| Wed, Dec 9 | Toy drive drop-off ends | Lake Forest City Hall | Dec 9 |
| Thu, Dec 10 | Holly Jolly Holiday Luncheon | The Clubhouse | See Clubhouse calendar |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Winter Wonderland Preschool Party | Recreation Center | Dec 9 |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony | Civic Center Campus | No fee listed |
| Wed, Dec 16 | North Pole Calling | By phone | Dec 4 |
| Dec 19 to 27 | Holiday Lights public voting | Online | Enter by Dec 18 |
The last City holiday program happens after the decorations come down. CR&R collects holiday greenery curbside from December 26, 2026, through January 16, 2027. Trees under 6 feet go inside the organics cart, and taller trees go at the curb on your regular collection day. All lights, ornaments and tinsel need to come off first. Flocked trees are collected but not composted. If you miss the window, CR&R's Lake Forest customer service at (949) 520-6005 schedules bulky item pickups.
If this year's light display is on a home you're planning to sell in 2027, the holiday season is a good time to learn what that home is worth before the spring market starts. The Harter Group can prepare a valuation in December so you have the numbers in January. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
