Calendar Avenue Is the Center of La Grange's 2026 Holiday Season

Artists are dropping off work at 122 Calendar Avenue this week. The La Grange Art League set October 27 through 31 as drop-off days for its Holly Market, so by Halloween the gallery will have the handmade ornaments, pottery and jewelry it plans to sell through the holidays. In five weeks, a carousel and a kiddie train will run on that same street for the Holiday Walk.

Most of downtown La Grange's 2026 holiday calendar happens on or within a short walk of that one stretch of Calendar Avenue, between the Art League gallery, Village Hall and Stone Avenue Station. This year the calendar also adds something new. The La Grange Business Association is putting on its first Sweets Stroll the Saturday after the Holiday Walk. The day after that, the Art League's Deck the Walls tour ends with a party back at the gallery. In past years the holidays here centered on one Saturday night. In 2026 there are three downtown events within nine days in December, with a six-week market running around them.

The season at a glance

Six weeks of the Holly Market

The Holly Market comes first and stays open the longest. The La Grange Art League runs it in its gallery and studio at 122 Calendar Ave. from November 10 through December 23, 2026. The opening reception is Friday, November 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Art League asked makers for small handcrafted pieces meant for holiday gifts, such as pottery and ceramics, handmade ornaments and decorations, jewelry and one-of-a-kind items. Every piece must be original work by the artist who submits it. Submissions went through a jury, and artists were told whether they were accepted by October 23. The listing gives a date range but not daily hours, so check with the Art League before making a weekday trip.

Because the market runs so long, it overlaps every other event this season. Anyone heading downtown for the Holiday Walk, the Sweets Stroll or the Deck the Walls party will pass a gallery that is already open for holiday shopping.

Saturday, December 5: the Holiday Walk, hour by hour

The La Grange Holiday Walk runs from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. The La Grange Business Association runs it and credits the Village of La Grange's staff and trustees as partners. The evening takes place in three spots: Calendar Avenue for rides, Village Hall for the tree lighting and Santa, and Stone Avenue Station for the ice carving and Letters to Santa. Here is the published schedule:

1. 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Kiddie train rides and carousel rides on Calendar Avenue.
2. 5:00 p.m. The Lyons Township High School Madrigals perform on the steps of Village Hall.
3. 5:30 p.m. The Village Tree Lighting Ceremony begins.
4. 5:35 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive, approximately.
5. 5:40 p.m. All Village Sing.
6. 6:00 to 7:45 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus meet and greet inside Village Hall, with photos in Santa's Village. The Salt Creek Orchestra plays for families waiting in line.
7. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Letters to Santa drop-off at Stone Avenue Station.

Families with young children should plan around two details. First, the meet-and-greet line closes at 7:45 p.m. so Santa and Mrs. Claus can get back to the North Pole. Arriving at 7:30 means that line is the only thing you have time for. Second, the Letters to Santa page asks children to write a clear return address on their letters so Santa can write back.

There is more to see between the scheduled moments. The ice carving demonstration takes place near Stone Avenue Station. A giant light display is set up for family photos, and the organizers promise a new sleigh for pictures. The schedule says it is subject to change without notice, and it lists "more events to be announced" for the 6 to 8 p.m. window. Check the page again the week of the event.

Saturday, December 12: the first Sweets Stroll

The new event is the reason this year's holiday stretch runs longer than one weekend. The La Grange Sweets Stroll is set for Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the La Grange Business Association calls it the first one. Ticket holders walk from one participating "Sweet Spot" to the next and pick up a baked treat, dessert or other surprise at each stop. Treats can be eaten on the way or taken home.

Plan ahead for two reasons. Tickets must be bought in advance, and as of the page's late-October posting they had not gone on sale yet. The LGBA page has an email sign-up for an alert when sales open. The page also has a sign-up form for businesses that want to be stops. To take part, a business must be licensed to serve food in the Village of La Grange.

The timing works well with the Holiday Walk a week earlier. The Holiday Walk happens in the evening and centers on Village Hall. The Sweets Stroll is a late-morning walk past downtown's food businesses. Together they bring people downtown on two Saturdays in a row at very different times of day.

Sunday, December 13: Deck the Walls

The day after the Sweets Stroll, the La Grange Art League holds Deck the Walls 2026, its holiday home and art tour. The tour includes decorated homes in La Grange and in neighboring La Grange Park. It ends with a gallery party at 122 Calendar Ave., where the Holly Market will be open as well.

The ticket page lists two different times. The heading says 4 to 8 p.m., and the event details put the home tour at 3 to 7 p.m. and the gallery party at 4 to 8 p.m. If you want to see every home, plan around the 3 p.m. start and ask the Art League if you are unsure.

The tour wraps up on Calendar Avenue, where the season began. With the Holiday Walk on December 5, the Sweets Stroll on December 12 and Deck the Walls on December 13, downtown hosts events on three of those nine days, two of them back to back.

Newer stops along the route

Some of the storefronts you will pass this season are new or have changed in the past year.

Swell House sells curated vintage, antique and modern home décor. Its downtown storefront opened in April 2026. The shop held its official grand opening June 3 through 6, starting with a ribbon cutting on June 3, according to the La Grange Business Association. This will be its first holiday season downtown, and it carries the sort of decorations and gifts that a Deck the Walls tour tends to bring to mind.

Balkan Bakery at 541 S. La Grange Road finished a renovation this summer without closing, adding indoor and outdoor seating, La Grange Patch reported in August. The bakery had planned an expanded menu for September, the La Grange Business Association noted. The bakery also plans an online specialty grocery called The Gourmet Vault. La Grange Daily reported in August that no launch date had been set, and the site still has a sign-up for launch updates. The new seating means there is now a place to sit down with a pastry on a December morning.

Vibes Body & Soul Wellness Club is the new identity of what used to be Vibes Café. It now offers wellness services and memberships, the La Grange Business Association reported on October 21.

I'm writing this from Burr Ridge, and I appreciate how much of La Grange's December happens within a few blocks of Calendar Avenue. If the Deck the Walls tour has you thinking about how your own home would look to visitors, or you're wondering whether this season is the right time to make a change, Smith Partners & Associates would be glad to talk it through with you, at the pace and on the timeline that works for you. Contact Us.