Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in DeSoto for 2026, and every one of them is at the Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park. The Tree Lighting is the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 27, the next morning brings train rides and cookie decorating at Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas, The Polar Express plays in the heated pool on December 18, and Breakfast with Santa closes the season on December 19. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Texas Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in DeSoto
- 4 Christmas events for kids in DeSoto, all at McCowan Park
- Tree Lighting: Friday, November 27, 4 to 8 pm
- Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas: November 28, 10 am to 2 pm, with train rides
- The Polar Express pool movie: Friday, December 18, 7 pm
- Breakfast with Santa: Saturday, December 19, 8:30 am
What are you looking for?
All 4 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more DeSoto events researched for you.
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- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Shows
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in DeSoto
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Event hosts: free events are listed first. The #1 spot puts your event at the top of this page.Inquire about the #1 spotAdd your event for free
Tree lighting
DeSoto Tree Lighting
- When: Friday, November 27, 2026, 4 to 8 pm
- Where: Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Check the city listing
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
DeSoto’s holiday season officially starts the day after Thanksgiving with the city’s annual Tree Lighting at McCowan Park. Neighbors gather as the holiday tree is lit for the first time.
It is the opening night of Home for the Holidays, the city’s run of six festive events through November and December.
Parent tip: Make it a two-day weekend: come back the next morning for Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas at the same building.
- Host
- City of DeSoto Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New DeSoto events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in DeSoto daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in DeSoto.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more DeSoto events 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 DeSoto.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in DeSoto 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.
Coming up on this page
- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Shows
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in DeSoto every week.
Holiday family morning
Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas
- When: Saturday, November 28, 2026, 10 am to 2 pm
- Where: Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Check the city listing
- Ages: Kids and families
Expand to see the parent tip
Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas is a hands-on holiday morning with festive train rides, holiday cookie decorating and hot cocoa stations. Kids can help decorate a Charlie Brown-inspired Christmas tree and write letters to Santa.
There is some holiday shopping too, so grown-ups can tick off a gift or two while the kids are busy with sprinkles.
Parent tip: Head to the train ride first, since it is the activity most likely to build a line by late morning.
- Host
- City of DeSoto Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New DeSoto events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in DeSoto daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in DeSoto.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Poolside movie
Holiday Movie Night: The Polar Express (Pool Screening)
- When: Friday, December 18, 2026, 7 to 9 pm
- Where: Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Check the city listing
- Ages: Families, swimmers
Expand to see the parent tip
DeSoto screens The Polar Express in the heated leisure pool at the ARC, so families can float and watch the train classic from the water.
It is a one-of-a-kind take on a family movie night and a fun warm-up for Breakfast with Santa the next morning.
Parent tip: Pack swimsuits, towels and a dry change of clothes for the drive home, since December nights can be chilly after a swim.
- Host
- City of DeSoto Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New DeSoto events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in DeSoto daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in DeSoto.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Breakfast with Santa
Breakfast with Santa
- When: Saturday, December 19, 2026, 8:30 to 11 am
- Where: Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Check the city listing
- Ages: Kids and families
Expand to see the parent tip
Breakfast with Santa wraps up DeSoto’s Home for the Holidays series with a festive breakfast and time with Santa Claus.
It lands the Saturday before Christmas week, so it is a good last chance for kids to share their wish lists in person.
Parent tip: Bring a camera and a final wish list. This is the last Home for the Holidays event before Christmas.
- Host
- City of DeSoto Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way, DeSoto, TX 75115 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New DeSoto events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in DeSoto daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in DeSoto.
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 Texas Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each DeSoto Christmas event for kids happens
Do the Tree Lighting and Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas back to back on Thanksgiving weekend, then return December 18 and 19 for the pool movie and Breakfast with Santa.
- DeSoto Tree LightingDeSoto · Nov 27
- Cocoa, Cookies and ChristmasDeSoto · Nov 28
- Holiday Movie Night: The Polar Express (Pool Screening)DeSoto · Dec 18
- Breakfast with SantaDeSoto · Dec 19
Looking further afield? Our Texas Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Grand Prairie, Dallas, Waxahachie and Arlington. 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 AmazonKeep 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 Texas city.
DeSoto Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in DeSoto this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 4 Christmas events for kids in DeSoto for 2026, all part of the city’s Home for the Holidays series: the Tree Lighting on November 27, Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas on November 28, a Polar Express pool screening on December 18 and Breakfast with Santa on December 19.
When is the DeSoto tree lighting in 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026, from 4 to 8 pm at the Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park, 1400 Academy Way.
Is there a train ride for kids in DeSoto at Christmas?
Yes. Cocoa, Cookies and Christmas on Saturday, November 28, 2026, includes festive train rides along with cookie decorating and letters to Santa.
When is Breakfast with Santa in DeSoto?
Saturday, December 19, 2026, from 8:30 to 11 am at the Aquatic and Recreation Center at McCowan Park.
Who do I contact about DeSoto holiday events?
City of DeSoto Special Events at specialevents@desototexas.gov. For the pool movie, DeSoto Aquatics at aquatics@desototexas.gov.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Texas?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Texas Christmas train rides page.
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 DeSoto on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, restrooms and bad-weather plans.
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.