Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Ellington, CT for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Homeschool Humbug, Part 1: Ghosts of the Holidays (December 3) and Homeschool Humbug, Part 2: Presenting Our Stories (December 10). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Connecticut Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Ellington
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Ellington
- Season: December 3 (Homeschool Humbug, Part 1: Ghosts of the Holidays) to December 10 (Homeschool Humbug, Part 2: Presenting Our Stories)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Ellington
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Holiday story time
Homeschool Humbug, Part 1: Ghosts of the Holidays
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 1 to 2 pm (First of two sessions; Part 2 is December 10)
- Where: Hall Memorial Library, Children's Program Room, 93 Main St, Ellington, CT 06029 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; registration required
- Ages: Homeschool students; listed for children, no age range given
Expand to see the parent tip
A presenter the library calls Mr. Ryan runs this like a classroom lesson on A Christmas Carol, walking homeschool students through Scrooge, the three spirits and the reason ghost stories became part of Christmas. The hour ends with homework of the fun kind: over the following week each student starts writing a version of the tale in which they are the one being visited.
Part 1 meets Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM in the Children's Program Room, and no price is listed. Registration is required, and the listing showed 15 seats available. The page is tagged In-Person but also carries a line calling it an online event with a link emailed after sign-up, so confirm the format with the library.
Parent tip: Sign up for the December 10 session at the same time, since Part 2 is where children read the stories they begin here. The form asks for your child's age and any allergies, so have those ready.
- Host
- Hall Memorial Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Hall Memorial Library, Children's Program Room, 93 Main St, Ellington, CT 06029 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Ellington 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 Ellington.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Ellington 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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Holiday story time
Homeschool Humbug, Part 2: Presenting Our Stories
- When: Thursday, December 10, 2026, 1 to 2 pm (Second of two sessions; Part 1 is December 3)
- Where: Hall Memorial Library, Children's Program Room, 93 Main St, Ellington, CT 06029 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; registration required
- Ages: Homeschool students; listed for children, no age range given
Expand to see the parent tip
One week after the Dickens lesson, the same group of homeschool students comes back to read aloud the holiday ghost stories they wrote, each one starring its own author in the Scrooge role. The library frames it as a friendly, festive classroom where classmates are the audience.
Part 2 meets Thursday, December 10, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM in the Children's Program Room, and no price is listed. Registration is required, and the listing showed 15 seats available. As with Part 1, the page is tagged In-Person yet also mentions an online event link sent by email, so check the format when you register.
Parent tip: This session only works for children who came on December 3 and wrote a story during the week. Have yours read the draft aloud once at home so sharing it in front of the group feels easier.
- Host
- Hall Memorial Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Hall Memorial Library, Children's Program Room, 93 Main St, Ellington, CT 06029 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ellington events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ellington daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ellington.
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 Connecticut Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Ellington Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Homeschool Humbug, Part 1: Ghosts of the Holidays in Ellington on December 3; the last runs to December 10. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Homeschool Humbug, Part 1: Ghosts of the HolidaysEllington · Dec 3
- Homeschool Humbug, Part 2: Presenting Our StoriesEllington · Dec 10
Looking further afield? Our Connecticut Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Somers, Windsor, CT, Hartford and Glastonbury. 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 Ellington
Before it was Ellington, this part of Tolland County went by Weexskashuck, a native name meaning Great Marsh, and the earliest settlers simply called it Great Marsh or Goshen. This December, Christmas for kids here takes a bookish turn at Hall Memorial Library on Main Street, where homeschool students dig into A Christmas Carol and then write ghost stories of their own.
How Ellington celebrates
The Christmas programs we could confirm in Ellington this season are both run by Hall Memorial Library in its Children's Program Room. Homeschool Humbug is a two-part series. On Thursday, December 3, 2026, a presenter the library calls Mr. Ryan guides students through A Christmas Carol and the custom of telling ghost stories at Christmas, and on December 10 the students return to read their own versions aloud. Registration is required, and each listing showed 15 seats. The library's address is on Main Street, the stretch of Route 286 that turns east at the center of town.
Fun facts about Christmas in Ellington
Ellington was incorporated in May 1786 after splitting from East Windsor, and it had been set up as a parish of Windsor back in 1733. Its first settler was Samuel Pinney, whose name survives on Pinney Road. A seven-mile rail line built in 1876 once ran through town between Vernon and Melrose before going out of use in the middle of the 20th century. The 2020 census counted 16,426 residents.
Traditions today
- Homeschool Humbug, Part 1: On December 3 homeschool students study A Christmas Carol at Hall Memorial Library and begin a ghost story with themselves as the main character.
- Homeschool Humbug, Part 2: On December 10 the same students come back to read their finished holiday ghost stories to one another.
- The Children's Program Room: Both sessions are listed for the Children's Program Room at Hall Memorial Library.
- Main Street: The library sits on Main Street, which the Wikipedia article describes as the part of Route 286 running east from the center of Ellington.
A fact for kids
On New Year's Day in 1967, dozens of people in Ellington drove to the town's dark airstrip and lit up the runway with their car headlights so a pilot lost in thick fog could land safely.
Questions about Christmas in Ellington
When was Ellington founded?
Ellington incorporated as its own town in May 1786, when it split from East Windsor. Its roots go back further: the area was established as a parish of the town of Windsor in 1733, and East Windsor had itself separated from Windsor in May 1768.
What was Ellington called before it was Ellington?
Native people called the land Weexskashuck, which translates to Great Marsh. The earliest settlers used the names Great Marsh or Goshen for the area before it became the parish, and later the town, of Ellington.
Who was the first settler in Ellington?
Samuel Pinney is recorded as the first settler in what is now Ellington, and Pinney Road in town carries his name. Windsor had purchased the land in 1671, but the article notes that nobody tried to settle it for another 50 years.
Did Ellington ever have a railroad?
Yes. A seven-mile rail line built in 1876 ran from Vernon to Melrose, roughly alongside Pinney Street and Sadds Mill Road, until it went out of use in the middle of the 20th century. Today the New England Central Railroad only clips the far eastern edge of town and makes no stops.
What happens at Christmas for kids in Ellington?
The confirmed programs this season are the two Homeschool Humbug sessions at Hall Memorial Library. On December 3, 2026, students explore A Christmas Carol and the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, and on December 10 they return to share stories they wrote during the week.
Where are the Christmas programs in Ellington held?
Both sessions are listed for the Children's Program Room at Hall Memorial Library on Main Street. The pages also include a note about an online event link, which conflicts with the In-Person label, so families should confirm the format with the library when registering.
Who organizes the Christmas programs in Ellington?
Hall Memorial Library runs Homeschool Humbug and lists its own staff as the event organizer. The sessions are led by a presenter the pages call Mr. Ryan, and registration is handled through the library's online calendar, with 15 seats shown for each date.
What is Crystal Lake in Ellington?
Crystal Lake is in the eastern section of town, inside a panhandle that reaches toward the Willimantic River. That part of Ellington was for a while a popular summer resort location, and the lake is still used by many people for boating.
How big is Ellington?
The 2020 census counted 16,426 people in Ellington, which covers 34.6 square miles. Long known as a farming community with cattle and corn, it grew quickly as it entered the 21st century, with the sixth fastest growth rate among Connecticut towns.
What happened at Hyde Field in 1967?
On January 1, 1967, a pilot with engine trouble could not find a runway in fog that cut visibility to 200 feet. Directed by the resident state trooper, dozens of residents gathered at the unlit Hyde Field airstrip and lit the runway with headlights, and the pilot landed safely.
Sources
- Ellington, Connecticut, Wikipedia
- Homeschool Humbug - Part 1: Ghosts of the Holidays, Hall Memorial Library
- Homeschool Humbug - Part 2: Presenting Our Stories, Hall Memorial Library
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 Connecticut city.
Ellington Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What Christmas events for kids are happening in Ellington in 2026?
Hall Memorial Library has a two-part program called Homeschool Humbug. Part 1, Ghosts of the Holidays, is Thursday, December 3, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Part 2, Presenting Our Stories, is Thursday, December 10, at the same time. Both center on A Christmas Carol and on ghost stories the students write themselves.
Who is Homeschool Humbug for?
The program is written for homeschool students and is listed for a children's audience. The pages give no age range, but students follow the story of Scrooge on December 3 and then draft their own version over the next week, so some comfort with writing helps. The registration form asks for the child's age.
Do you need to register for Homeschool Humbug?
Yes. Registration is required for both the December 3 and December 10 sessions through the library's online calendar, and each listing showed 15 seats available. The form asks for the child's name and age, a parent or guardian name, a phone number, an email address and any allergies. Each part has its own sign-up page.
Is Homeschool Humbug in person or online?
The listings are tagged In-Person and give the Children's Program Room at Hall Memorial Library as the location. The same pages also carry a line saying it is an online event with a link sent by email after registration. Because the two statements conflict, ask the library which applies when you sign up.
Are the Ellington library Christmas programs free?
The library's pages do not list a price for either Homeschool Humbug session, and they do not state that the program is free. What they do say is that registration is required and that 15 seats were available, so the practical step is to register early for December 3 and December 10.
Is there a Santa visit or tree lighting in Ellington?
None is confirmed in our listings for Ellington this season. The two dated programs we could verify are the Homeschool Humbug sessions at Hall Memorial Library on December 3 and December 10, 2026, which focus on Charles Dickens and Christmas ghost stories instead of Santa.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Ellington?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Connecticut Christmas train rides guide. This Ellington 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.