Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Glen Ellyn for 2026, and here is what he found: 4 family events, 1 of them free. The magic runs from November 21 (Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol) through December 20, with Letters to Santa Mailbox (from November 27), Elf Holiday Movie (November 28) and Salt Creek Ballet: The Nutcracker (from December 18) along the way. We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Glen Ellyn
- 4 Christmas events for kids in Glen Ellyn
- 1 free event, including Elf Holiday Movie
- Meet Santa: Letters to Santa Mailbox (from November 27)
- Also on the list: 3 Christmas shows
- Season: November 21 (Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol) to December 20 (Salt Creek Ballet: The Nutcracker)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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- 3 Shows
- 2 Zoos and museums
- 1 Santa
- 1 Free
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Free Christmas events for kids in Glen Ellyn
Holiday showFree
Elf Holiday Movie
- When: Saturday, November 28, 2026, 10:30 am to noon (Doors open at 10:00 a.m.)
- Where: Glen Art Theatre, 540 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free; concessions sold separately
Expand to see the parent tip
The Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce screens Elf at the Glen Art Theatre as a no-charge holiday matinee, an outing the Chamber calls a Glen Ellyn tradition. Doors open half an hour before the film, and the concession stand is open for anyone who wants a snack.
The movie is Saturday, November 28, 2026. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. and the showing runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon at 540 Crescent Blvd. Admission is free and concessions are available for purchase. The page does not mention tickets or reservations.
Parent tip: No reservations are mentioned, so treat the 10:00 a.m. door time as your arrival time if you want seats together. Bring a little money if the kids will want a snack, since concessions are the only thing that costs anything.
- Host
- Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Glen Art Theatre, 540 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Glen Ellyn events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Glen Ellyn daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Glen Ellyn.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more Glen Ellyn 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 Glen Ellyn.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Glen Ellyn 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
- 3 Shows
- 2 Zoos and museums
- 1 Santa
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Glen Ellyn every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Glen Ellyn
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday show
Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
- When: Sat November 21 (2 to 3:10 pm), Sat November 21 (5 to 6:10 pm), Sun November 22 (2 to 3:10 pm), Sat November 28 (2 to 3:10 pm), Sat November 28 (5 to 6:10 pm) and Sun November 29 (2 to 3:10 pm), 2026 (Six performances over two weekends; end times are based on the stated 70-minute runtime.)
- Where: Belushi Performance Hall, McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $18 youth, $20 adult
- Ages: Family-friendly
Expand to see the parent tip
College of DuPage Theater stages William J. Norris's adaptation of the Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Amelia Barrett, with a cast of 35 local actors and children. The organizer bills it as a family-friendly show with a 70-minute runtime. After the 5 p.m. performance on Saturday, November 21, the director and actors stay for a post-show talk.
Performances are in Belushi Performance Hall at the McAninch Arts Center on Saturday, November 21 and Saturday, November 28 at 2 and 5 p.m., and on Sunday, November 22 and Sunday, November 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for youth and $20 for adults. The MAC says $2 from each ticket supports College of DuPage music, theater and dance students through the John Belushi Scholarship Fund.
Parent tip: At 70 minutes, this is a manageable length for a child's first play, and the 2 p.m. shows keep it well clear of bedtime. If your kids like asking how a show is made, pick the 5 p.m. performance on November 21 for the talk with the director and cast.
- Host
- McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Belushi Performance Hall, McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Glen Ellyn events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Glen Ellyn daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Glen Ellyn.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Holiday event
Letters to Santa Mailbox
- When: Friday, November 27, 2026 to Sunday, December 13, 2026 (The mailbox is out from November 27 through Sunday, December 13. No hours are listed.)
- Where: Downtown Glen Ellyn, Northeast corner of Main St and Crescent Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
Glen Ellyn's Letters to Santa mailbox returns to the northeast corner of Main Street and Crescent Boulevard, where children can drop off their Christmas wishes. Letters mailed by Sunday, December 13 get a reply from Santa. The mailbox is provided by the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn and the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by the Village of Glen Ellyn, and is featured on the Chamber's Holiday Walk & Tree Lighting page.
The mailbox goes out on November 27, 2026, and stays through December 13. On Monday, December 14 it heads back to the North Pole until next Christmas. The page gives no set hours and mentions no sign-up or fee, and it does not list this year's Holiday Walk and tree lighting times, so check with the Chamber for those.
Parent tip: Have your child print a clear return address on the letter, because that is what Santa needs in order to write back. Drop it off by Sunday, December 13, since the mailbox leaves the next day.
New Glen Ellyn events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Glen Ellyn daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Glen Ellyn.
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Holiday show
Salt Creek Ballet: The Nutcracker
- When: Fri December 18 (7 pm), Sat December 19 (1 pm), Sat December 19 (5 pm), Sun December 20 (1 pm) and Sun December 20 (5 pm), 2026 (Five performances; the organizer marks the 1 p.m. shows on December 19 and 20 as limited availability.)
- Where: Belushi Performance Hall, McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $48 adult or senior, $38 youth
Expand to see the parent tip
Salt Creek Ballet returns to the McAninch Arts Center with guest artists for a full-scale production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. New Philharmonic plays the score live, which the MAC points out is a rare way to see this ballet. The venue describes elaborate scenery and stage effects and says the production sells out year after year.
There are five performances in Belushi Performance Hall: Friday, December 18 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20 at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are $48 for adults and seniors and $38 for youth. The MAC already lists limited availability for the two 1 p.m. shows, and its box office number is 630.942.4000.
Parent tip: The 1 p.m. performances on December 19 and 20 are marked limited availability, so if a matinee suits your child best, buy now or look at the 5 p.m. shows. The page gives no running time, so ask the box office before choosing the 7 p.m. Friday show for a young child.
- Host
- McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Belushi Performance Hall, McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Glen Ellyn events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Glen Ellyn daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Glen Ellyn.
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 Illinois Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Glen Ellyn Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in Glen Ellyn on November 21; the last runs to December 20. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Charles Dickens' A Christmas CarolGlen Ellyn · Nov 21 to Nov 29
- Letters to Santa MailboxGlen Ellyn · Nov 27 to Dec 13
- Elf Holiday MovieGlen Ellyn · Nov 28
- Salt Creek Ballet: The NutcrackerGlen Ellyn · Dec 18 to Dec 20
Looking further afield? Our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Bloomingdale, Wheaton, Carol Stream and Elmhurst. 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 Glen Ellyn
Trains on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad did not stop in Glen Ellyn at first, and it took landowner Lewey Quitterfield Newton offering land, a depot and a water tank to change that. Today the Metra station sits on Crescent Boulevard near the heart of downtown, the same street where the village's Letters to Santa mailbox and free holiday movie return this season.
How Glen Ellyn celebrates
Christmas in Glen Ellyn centers on downtown and on the McAninch Arts Center. The Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn bring back the Letters to Santa mailbox at Main Street and Crescent Boulevard on November 27, 2026, and the Chamber hosts a free showing of Elf at the Glen Art Theatre on November 28, an outing it calls a Glen Ellyn tradition. At the arts center on Fawell Boulevard, College of DuPage Theater presents A Christmas Carol over two November weekends, and Salt Creek Ballet returns with The Nutcracker, accompanied by New Philharmonic, from December 18 to 20.
Fun facts about Christmas in Glen Ellyn
Glen Ellyn traces back to an 1833 land claim by brothers Morgan and Ralph Babcock, and the settlement went by several names, including Babcock's Grove, Stacy's Corners, Newton's Station, Danby and Prospect Park, before Glen Ellyn was adopted by 1889. The name pairs glen with a Welsh form of Ellen, the name of village president Thomas E. Hill's wife. The village was officially incorporated on May 10, 1892, and had 28,846 residents in the 2020 census. Stacy's Tavern, an inn built in 1846, still stands at Geneva Road and Main Street.
Traditions today
- Letters to Santa mailbox: Children drop letters at the northeast corner of Main Street and Crescent Boulevard, and those mailed by December 13 get a reply from Santa.
- Free holiday movie at the Glen Art Theatre: The Chamber of Commerce calls its free holiday matinee a Glen Ellyn tradition, and the November 28 film this year is Elf.
- A Christmas Carol at the MAC: College of DuPage Theater's 70-minute staging puts 35 local actors and children on the Belushi Performance Hall stage.
- The Nutcracker with a live orchestra: Salt Creek Ballet returns to the McAninch Arts Center with New Philharmonic playing Tchaikovsky's score live.
- Shopping local downtown: The Chamber encourages families to do their holiday shopping and eating at local retailers and restaurants and offers member gift certificates for the season.
A fact for kids
Before it became Glen Ellyn, the village was called Babcock's Grove, DuPage Center, Stacy's Corners, Newton's Station, Danby and Prospect Park. That is six names before the one that stuck.
Questions about Christmas in Glen Ellyn
When was Glen Ellyn founded?
The settlement grew from an 1833 claim by brothers Morgan and Ralph Babcock near the East Branch of the DuPage River, and more settlers arrived in 1834. The Village of Glen Ellyn was officially incorporated much later, on May 10, 1892.
How did Glen Ellyn get its name?
The name combines glen, for the local geography, with a Welsh version of Ellen, the name of village president Thomas E. Hill's wife. It had been adopted by 1889, when Hill and businessman Philo Stacy led a project to dam a stream and create Lake Glen Ellyn, today's Lake Ellyn.
What was Glen Ellyn called before?
Earlier names included Babcock's Grove, DuPage Center, Stacy's Corners, Newton's Station, Danby and Prospect Park. Danby came from Danby, Vermont, the birthplace of a local landowner, and Newton's Station referred to the depot that Lewey Quitterfield Newton built beside the railroad.
How did the railroad shape Glen Ellyn?
The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was finished through the area in 1849, about a mile south of the original crossroads, but trains did not stop at first. Lewey Quitterfield Newton offered land for a right-of-way and built a depot and water tank, and the community's center shifted to the station.
What is Stacy's Tavern?
Moses Stacy, a soldier in the War of 1812, built the inn in 1846 at a five-cornered intersection as a halfway stop between Chicago and the Fox River Valley. It is now a historical monument at the intersection of Geneva Road and Main Street.
What happens at Christmas in Glen Ellyn?
The 2026 season includes the Letters to Santa mailbox downtown from November 27 to December 13, a free showing of Elf at the Glen Art Theatre on November 28, A Christmas Carol at the McAninch Arts Center on November 21, 22, 28 and 29, and The Nutcracker there from December 18 to 20.
Where do Glen Ellyn's Christmas events take place?
The downtown events are on Crescent Boulevard: the Glen Art Theatre is at 540 Crescent Blvd., and the Santa mailbox is at the corner of Main Street and Crescent Boulevard. The stage shows are in Belushi Performance Hall at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd.
Who organizes Christmas events in Glen Ellyn?
The Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce hosts the holiday movie and, with the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn, provides the Letters to Santa mailbox, which the Village of Glen Ellyn sponsors. The McAninch Arts Center presents the stage shows, performed by College of DuPage Theater and by Salt Creek Ballet with New Philharmonic.
Which Glen Ellyn Christmas events are free?
The Elf matinee on November 28 has no admission fee, though concessions cost extra. The Chamber's page mentions no charge for dropping a letter in the Santa mailbox. A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker at the McAninch Arts Center both require paid tickets.
What is the link between College of DuPage and John Belushi?
College of DuPage, whose main campus is in Glen Ellyn, counts comedian John Belushi and his actor brother James Belushi among its alumni. The McAninch Arts Center says $2 from each A Christmas Carol ticket supports student performers through the John Belushi Scholarship Fund, and the show plays Belushi Performance Hall.
How big is Glen Ellyn?
Glen Ellyn had 28,846 residents in the 2020 census. The village lies about 24 miles due west of downtown Chicago in DuPage County and covers roughly 7 square miles, with Metra's Union Pacific West Line stopping at the Crescent Boulevard station downtown.
Sources
- Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Wikipedia
- Holiday Walk & Tree Lighting, Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce
- Elf - FREE Holiday Movie, Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce
- College of DuPage Theater: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, McAninch Arts Center
- Salt Creek Ballet: The Nutcracker with New Philharmonic, McAninch Arts Center
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 Illinois city.
Glen Ellyn Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What is the best Christmas event for kids in Glen Ellyn to start with?
Start with the Elf holiday movie on Saturday, November 28, 2026, at the Glen Art Theatre, 540 Crescent Blvd. Doors open at 10:00 a.m., the film starts at 10:30 and admission is free. The same trip downtown can include the Letters to Santa mailbox at Main Street and Crescent Boulevard, which goes out on November 27.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Glen Ellyn?
The Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce's Elf matinee on November 28 is free to attend, with concessions sold separately. The Letters to Santa mailbox, out from November 27 to December 13, has no fee mentioned on the Chamber's page. Children simply drop off a letter with a legible return address.
Where can kids reach Santa in Glen Ellyn?
The organizer pages for this season do not give times for an in-person Santa visit. What they do offer is Santa by mail: letters dropped in the mailbox at the northeast corner of Main Street and Crescent Boulevard by Sunday, December 13 receive a reply. The mailbox returns to the North Pole on December 14.
Are there holiday shows for families in Glen Ellyn?
Two holiday productions play Belushi Performance Hall at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd. College of DuPage Theater's 70-minute A Christmas Carol runs November 21, 22, 28 and 29, and Salt Creek Ballet's The Nutcracker, with New Philharmonic playing live, runs December 18 to 20.
Which Glen Ellyn Christmas events need tickets?
Both McAninch Arts Center shows are ticketed. A Christmas Carol is $18 for youth and $20 for adults, and The Nutcracker is $48 for adults and seniors and $38 for youth, with the 1 p.m. shows on December 19 and 20 already marked limited availability. The Elf matinee and the Santa mailbox pages mention no tickets.
Can you take the train to Christmas events in Glen Ellyn?
Glen Ellyn's Metra station on the Union Pacific West Line is at 551 Crescent Blvd., near the heart of the downtown business district. The Glen Art Theatre, home of the free Elf matinee on November 28, is at 540 Crescent Blvd., and the Letters to Santa mailbox is at Main Street and Crescent Boulevard.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Glen Ellyn?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois Christmas train rides guide. This Glen Ellyn 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.