Christmas Events for Kids in Houma (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 4 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Houma for 2026, and here is what he found: 3 family events. They are River Region Ballet Presents The Nutcracker (December 1), Tree Lighting Festivities (December 2) and Books, Bells & Mrs. Claus Storytime (December 9). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Louisiana Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Houma

  • 3 Christmas events for kids in Houma
  • Meet Santa: Books, Bells & Mrs. Claus Storytime (December 9)
  • Parades and tree lightings: Tree Lighting Festivities (December 2)
  • Also on the list: 1 Christmas show and 1 story time
  • Season: December 1 (River Region Ballet Presents The Nutcracker) to December 9 (Books, Bells & Mrs. Claus Storytime)
  • Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Houma

Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.

Holiday show

River Region Ballet Presents The Nutcracker

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Dancers from River Region Ballet bring The Nutcracker to the Main Library's Large Meeting Room, carrying the audience into Clara's dream world. The library hands out hot cocoa and popcorn for as long as supplies last.

The performance is Tuesday, December 1, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. The listing is tagged for families, kids and teens and shows no registration and no price.

Parent tip: At one hour in a library meeting room, this is a manageable first ballet for young children. The cocoa and popcorn are only promised while supplies last, so aim to be there a little before 6:00 pm.

Host
Terrebonne Parish Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
Terrebonne Parish Main Library, Large Meeting Room, 151 Library Dr, Houma, LA 70360 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Terrebonne Parish Library (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 2 more Houma events researched for you.

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Coming up on this page

  • 1 Santa
  • 1 Lights
  • 1 Shows
  • 1 Story time

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Tree lighting

Tree Lighting Festivities

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The South Regional Branch sets aside an evening for tree lighting festivities, filed with the library's youth events for a family audience. The calendar entry gives the date, time and room but no description, so the activities planned around the lighting have not been posted.

It is Wednesday, December 2, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, with the branch meeting room as the listed location. The page shows no registration and no price.

Parent tip: The listing does not say what the 90 minutes include or whether the lighting itself happens outside, so ask the branch beforehand and dress the kids to step outdoors after dark just in case.

Host
Terrebonne Parish Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
Terrebonne Parish Library, South Regional Branch, Meeting Room, 4377 Bayouside Dr, Houma, LA 70363 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Terrebonne Parish Library (opens in a new tab)

New Houma events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Houma daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Houma.

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Holiday story time

Books, Bells & Mrs. Claus Storytime

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Mrs. Claus is the guest at this evening story time in the South Regional Branch meeting room, which the library lists as a family youth event. The entry carries no description beyond its title, which promises books, bells and Mrs. Claus.

It is Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. The page shows no registration and no price.

Parent tip: A 6:00 pm start on a school night runs late for toddlers, so feed them early. It is in the same room and at the same hour as the branch's tree lighting one week before, which makes the two an easy pair of Wednesday outings.

Host
Terrebonne Parish Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
Terrebonne Parish Library, South Regional Branch, Meeting Room, 4377 Bayouside Dr, Houma, LA 70363 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Terrebonne Parish Library (opens in a new tab)

New Houma events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Houma daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Houma.

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 Louisiana Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Houma Christmas event for kids happens

The first is River Region Ballet Presents The Nutcracker in Houma on December 1; the last runs to December 9. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.

Looking further afield? Our Louisiana Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, LA and Lake Charles. 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.

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

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 Amazon (opens in a new tab)

2026 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 Houma

Houma is named for the Houma people, the Native American tribe who were living at Ouiski Point, and it grew up in Terrebonne Parish bayou country where sugar cane plantations were set along the waterways. Its Christmas season for families runs through the parish library, with a Nutcracker performance, a tree lighting and an evening with Mrs. Claus in early December.

How Houma celebrates

The 2026 listings all come from Terrebonne Parish Library. On Tuesday, December 1, dancers from River Region Ballet perform The Nutcracker in the Large Meeting Room of the Main Library, with hot cocoa and popcorn while supplies last. The South Regional Branch follows with Tree Lighting Festivities on Wednesday, December 2, and a Books, Bells and Mrs. Claus Storytime on Wednesday, December 9, both starting at 6:00 pm in its meeting room. The library pages do not use annual wording. Houma is the parish seat, and its downtown is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fun facts about Christmas in Houma

Present-day Houma was formed in 1832 and incorporated as a city in 1848. It is the largest city in Terrebonne Parish and the parish seat, with 33,406 residents in the 2020 census, and the city and parish governments consolidated in 1984. The local newspaper, The Courier, was founded in 1878 as Le Courrier de Houma and first appeared in four-page editions that were half French and half English.

Traditions today

  • The Nutcracker at the Main Library: River Region Ballet dancers perform The Nutcracker in the Main Library's Large Meeting Room on December 1, 2026, with cocoa and popcorn while supplies last.
  • Tree Lighting Festivities: The South Regional Branch of Terrebonne Parish Library holds a family tree lighting evening on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
  • Books, Bells and Mrs. Claus: Mrs. Claus visits the South Regional Branch for an evening family story time on Wednesday, December 9, 2026.

A fact for kids

Houma sits only 10 feet above sea level, and many families in the nearby communities still make their living from the Gulf, harvesting shrimp, oysters, crabs and fish.

Questions about Christmas in Houma

When was Houma founded?

According to the Wikipedia article, present-day Houma was formed in 1832 and the city was incorporated in 1848. Before European colonization the area was settled by the Chitimacha and then the Houma. In the years before the Civil War it was developed for sugar cane plantations.

How did Houma get its name?

The city was named after the Houma people, a historic Native American tribe believed to be related to the Choctaw, who were at Ouiski Point. The United Houma Nation is recognized by the state of Louisiana today, though it has not achieved federal recognition.

How many people live in Houma?

The 2020 census counted 33,406 people in the city. Several unincorporated areas next to Houma, the largest being Bayou Cane, are not included in that figure. With those urbanized places added, the total would be more than 60,000 residents.

What is Houma known for?

Houma and the communities around it blend French, Native, Cajun, African and Creole influences. Traditional Cajun culture there includes the French language, Cajun cuisine and Catholic festivals such as Mardi Gras. Many residents work in shrimping and fishing, the oil industry and shipbuilding.

What is there to see in downtown Houma?

Downtown Houma is a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It offers a walking tour and attractions including the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum, the Folklife Culture Center, the Regional Military Museum, Southdown Plantation and the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

Have any movies been filmed in Houma?

Yes. The 2022 film Where the Crawdads Sing was filmed in and around Houma, and several scenes from the 2013 film The Butler were shot downtown. The Skeleton Key from 2005 is set in Houma, and the Swamp Thing comic books use the area as their setting.

What is the weather like in Houma at Christmas?

Houma has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and humid, and winters are described as generally mild and sometimes warm. That makes evening outings such as the December 2 tree lighting at the South Regional Branch library fairly easy for families to manage.

What happens at Christmas for kids in Houma?

Terrebonne Parish Library has three family events in early December 2026: River Region Ballet's Nutcracker performance on December 1, Tree Lighting Festivities on December 2 and a Books, Bells and Mrs. Claus Storytime on December 9. All three begin at 6:00 pm.

Where are Houma's library Christmas events held?

The Nutcracker performance is in the Large Meeting Room at the Main Library. The tree lighting and the Mrs. Claus story time are both in the meeting room at the South Regional Branch. All of the events are listed as in-person programs.

Who organizes these Christmas events in Houma?

Terrebonne Parish Library posts all three on its events calendar, each with a named library staff organizer. The Nutcracker is performed by an outside group, River Region Ballet, and the library adds the hot cocoa and popcorn for the audience.

Are Houma's library Christmas events free?

The three library listings show no admission price and no registration requirement, though none of the pages states outright that the event is free. The Nutcracker page offers cocoa and popcorn while supplies last and names no charge for them.

Sources

  1. Houma, Louisiana, Wikipedia
  2. River Region Ballet Presents the Nutcracker, Terrebonne Parish Library
  3. Tree Lighting Festivities, Terrebonne Parish Library
  4. Books, Bells & Mrs. Claus Storytime, Terrebonne Parish 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 Louisiana city.

Houma Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What is the best Christmas event for kids to start with in Houma?

Start with River Region Ballet Presents The Nutcracker on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library. It is a one-hour performance tagged for families, kids and teens, and the library serves hot cocoa and popcorn while supplies last.

Are there free Christmas events for kids in Houma?

None of the three Terrebonne Parish Library listings shows a price or a registration step. That includes The Nutcracker on December 1, Tree Lighting Festivities on December 2 and the Books, Bells and Mrs. Claus Storytime on December 9. The pages do not use the word free, so check with the library if you need to be sure.

Where can kids meet Santa in Houma?

The library listings collected here do not include a Santa visit. The closest is the Books, Bells and Mrs. Claus Storytime on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the meeting room at the South Regional Branch, where Mrs. Claus is the featured guest.

Are there Christmas shows or tree lightings in Houma?

Yes, one of each in the first week of December 2026. Dancers from River Region Ballet perform The Nutcracker at the Main Library on Tuesday, December 1 at 6:00 pm, and the South Regional Branch holds Tree Lighting Festivities on Wednesday, December 2, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

Do Houma's library Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?

The listings for The Nutcracker on December 1, Tree Lighting Festivities on December 2 and the Mrs. Claus story time on December 9 show no ticketing or registration. The Nutcracker page does note that cocoa and popcorn are served only while supplies last, so arriving early is sensible.

Which library branches host Christmas events in Houma?

Two Terrebonne Parish Library locations share the 2026 schedule. The Main Library hosts The Nutcracker in its Large Meeting Room on December 1. The South Regional Branch hosts Tree Lighting Festivities on December 2 and the Books, Bells and Mrs. Claus Storytime on December 9, both in its meeting room.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Houma?

Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Louisiana Christmas train rides guide. This Houma 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.

Kelsey Cecil
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