Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Columbia, MD for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Photos with Santa (from November 14) and Pet Night with Santa (from November 23). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Maryland Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Columbia
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Columbia
- Meet Santa: Photos with Santa (from November 14) and Pet Night with Santa (from November 23)
- Season: November 14 (Photos with Santa) to December 24 (Photos with Santa)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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All 2 events
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Columbia
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Santa visit
Photos with Santa
- When: Saturday, November 14, 2026 to Thursday, December 24, 2026 (Daily from Saturday, November 14 through Thursday, December 24. Hours are not listed on the event page.)
- Where: The Mall in Columbia, Lord & Taylor location, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa sets up at The Mall in Columbia for the season, and families come by for a visit and a holiday photo with him. The mall lists the Santa set at its Lord & Taylor location and takes reservations online through a booking link.
Santa is at the mall daily from Saturday, November 14 through Thursday, December 24, 2026. The event page does not give daily hours or photo prices. It asks families to reserve a spot ahead of time and does not say whether walk-ups are accepted.
Parent tip: The run lasts almost six weeks and ends on Christmas Eve, so the first weeks of the season leave you the widest choice of reservation times. Check the booking page for hours before you go, since the event page lists none.
- Host
- The Mall in Columbia (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- The Mall in Columbia, Lord & Taylor location, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Columbia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Columbia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Columbia.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Columbia event researched for you.
- New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in Columbia.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Columbia before they fill up.
- Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
- Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
- One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.
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Santa visit
Pet Night with Santa
- When: Mon November 23, Tue November 24, Mon November 30, Tue December 1, Mon December 7, Tue December 8, Mon December 14 and Tue December 15, 2026, 4 to 7 pm (Mondays and Tuesdays only, 4 to 7 p.m., from November 23 through December 15.)
- Where: The Mall in Columbia, Lord & Taylor location, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
On Pet Nights the family pet gets its own turn with Santa at The Mall in Columbia. The whole family is invited along, and the photo is built around the animal as the star. It uses the same Santa set at the mall's Lord & Taylor location.
Pet Night runs on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., starting Monday, November 23 and ending Tuesday, December 15, 2026. The mall asks families to book pet photos online in advance. No price is shown on the event page.
Parent tip: Pet Night is limited to a three-hour window on Mondays and Tuesdays and ends on December 15, well before Santa's last day, so do not leave it for Christmas week. If your child is uneasy around animals, choose a regular Santa photo time on another day.
- Host
- The Mall in Columbia (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- The Mall in Columbia, Lord & Taylor location, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Columbia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Columbia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Columbia.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Those are on our Maryland Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Columbia Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Photos with Santa in Columbia on November 14; the last runs to December 24. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Photos with SantaColumbia · Nov 14 to Dec 24
- Pet Night with SantaColumbia · Nov 23 to Dec 15
Looking further afield? Our Maryland Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Brooklyn Park, Baltimore, Severna Park and Gaithersburg. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.
A story for the drive home
A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Columbia
Columbia did not grow up around a crossroads or a depot. Developer James Rouse founded it in 1967 as a planned community of 10 self-contained villages, with The Mall in Columbia and a man-made lake named Lake Kittamaqundi as its centerpiece. At Christmas that same mall is where families go to see Santa.
How Columbia celebrates
The organizer pages for this season both come from The Mall in Columbia, which the town's master plan set at the center of community life. From mid November to Christmas Eve the mall hosts Photos with Santa every day at its Lord & Taylor location, with spots reserved online. On Mondays and Tuesdays from late November to mid December it adds Pet Night with Santa, an early evening session where the family pet joins the picture. The mall's pages do not describe a tree lighting, parade or show, so this guide covers only the Santa visits.
Fun facts about Christmas in Columbia
James W. Rouse founded Columbia in 1967 on land in Howard County between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. With 104,681 residents at the 2020 census, it is the second most populous community in Maryland after Baltimore. Columbia has never incorporated as a city, and the non-profit Columbia Association manages its common areas. Wilde Lake, established in 1967, was the first of its villages.
Traditions today
- Photos with Santa: Santa greets families for photos every day at The Mall in Columbia from November 14 through Christmas Eve.
- Pet Night with Santa: On Monday and Tuesday evenings the mall invites families to bring a pet for its own picture with Santa.
- The Mall in Columbia: The mall was planned as a centerpiece of Columbia and serves as the setting for this season's Santa visits.
- Lake Kittamaqundi: The man-made lake shares the center of Columbia's master plan with the mall.
- The village centers: Each of Columbia's villages has its own shopping center, community center and a system of walking and bike paths.
A fact for kids
The land for Columbia was bought in secret, using made-up company names like the Alaska Iron Mines Company. Before the plan was announced, some neighbors guessed the land would become a giant compost heap.
Questions about Christmas in Columbia
When was Columbia, Maryland founded?
Developer James W. Rouse founded Columbia in 1967 and presented it at an unveiling on June 21 of that year. He described it as a planned new city complete with jobs, schools, shopping, medical services and a range of housing choices.
Who was James Rouse?
James W. Rouse was a developer from Easton, Maryland, whose company built shopping centers and malls before he set out to create a model city. He wanted Columbia to avoid the problems of ordinary subdivisions and to end racial, religious and class segregation.
How many villages does Columbia have?
Columbia's master plan called for ten self-contained villages. Wilde Lake came first in 1967, followed by Harper's Choice in 1968 and Oakland Mills in 1969. Each village has a shopping center, recreation facilities, a community center, paths and homes.
Is Columbia a city?
Not officially. Columbia has never incorporated, and the Census Bureau tracks it as a census-designated place in Howard County. The non-profit Columbia Association manages common areas and works like a homeowner association. Efforts to incorporate in 1979 did not succeed.
How many people live in Columbia?
The 2020 census counted 104,681 residents. That makes Columbia the second most populous community in Maryland, behind only Baltimore. It lies between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and is counted as part of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
How was the land for Columbia put together?
Rouse's company bought 14,178 acres, about 10 percent of Howard County, from 140 separate owners. To keep prices low the purchases were made quietly through dummy corporations. The plan was revealed to county residents in October 1963.
What happens at Christmas in Columbia for kids?
This season's listings are Santa visits at The Mall in Columbia. Photos with Santa runs daily from November 14 through December 24, 2026, and Pet Night with Santa is held on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. between November 23 and December 15.
Who organizes the Santa visits in Columbia?
The Mall in Columbia hosts both Photos with Santa and Pet Night with Santa and lists them on its own events pages. Reservations are made online through the mall's booking link. The Santa set is at the mall's Lord & Taylor location.
Where is The Mall in Columbia?
The mall is at 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia, Maryland. In the community's master plan, the mall and man-made Lake Kittamaqundi were named as the centerpiece of Columbia, with the ten villages arranged around daily life.
Sources
- Columbia, Maryland, Wikipedia
- Photos with Santa, The Mall in Columbia
- Pet Night with Santa, The Mall in Columbia
Keep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Maryland city.
Columbia Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Columbia to start with?
Photos with Santa at The Mall in Columbia is the simplest place to begin. Santa is there daily from Saturday, November 14 through Thursday, December 24, 2026. Families with animals can also book Pet Night with Santa on Mondays and Tuesdays between November 23 and December 15.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Columbia?
The two Columbia listings in this guide are both Santa photo sessions at The Mall in Columbia, and the mall's event pages do not list prices for either one. Neither page describes the visit as free, so check the booking page for current photo options.
Where can kids meet Santa in Columbia?
Santa is at The Mall in Columbia on Little Patuxent Parkway, at the mall's Lord & Taylor location. He is there daily from November 14 through December 24, 2026. The mall takes reservations online through the Book now link on its event page.
Can we bring our dog to see Santa in Columbia?
Yes, on Pet Nights. The Mall in Columbia holds Pet Night with Santa on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., beginning November 23 and ending December 15, 2026. The whole family is welcome in the visit, and the mall asks you to book ahead online.
Do Santa photos in Columbia need a reservation?
The mall's pages for both Photos with Santa and Pet Night with Santa ask families to reserve a spot online. The pages do not say whether walk-ups are taken, so booking a time is the safer plan, especially for the limited Pet Night hours.
Why is the mall such a big part of Christmas in Columbia?
Columbia is a planned community founded in 1967, and its master plan named The Mall in Columbia as a centerpiece of the town. That makes the mall a natural gathering place, and this season it hosts Santa from November 14 through December 24, 2026.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Columbia?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Maryland Christmas train rides guide. This Columbia guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
How do you confirm these events?
We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked every listing on November 10, 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.
Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.