Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in La Grange, IL for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Jingle Jams (from December 1) and Holiday Tree Lighting (December 8). 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 La Grange
- 2 Christmas events for kids in La Grange
- Meet Santa: Holiday Tree Lighting (December 8)
- Parades and tree lightings: Holiday Tree Lighting (December 8)
- Season: December 1 (Jingle Jams) to December 9 (Jingle Jams)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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All 2 events
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- 1 Story time
- 1 Breakfast and treats
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in La Grange
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday story time
Jingle Jams
- When: Tue December 1, Thu December 3, Mon December 7 and Wed December 9, 2026, 9:30 to 10 am (Tuesday's program repeats on Thursday and Monday's repeats on Wednesday; the 9:30 AM time is confirmed for December 1, so check the library calendar for the other sessions)
- Where: La Grange Public Library, Tyler Duelm Activity Room, 10 W Cossitt Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers and children
Expand to see the parent tip
Jingle Jams is the library's December musical storytime, mixing picture books with instruments and music drawn from a range of genres. A fresh program is introduced each week, and each one is offered twice so that more children get a turn.
Sessions are listed for December 1, 3, 7 and 9, 2026, in the Tyler Duelm Activity Room at 10 W Cossitt Ave, with the December 1 session running from 9:30 to 10:00 AM. Tuesday's program repeats on Thursday and Monday's repeats on Wednesday. Space is capped at the first 15 children and their caregivers, and the page lists no fee or registration.
Parent tip: With room for only 15 children and no sign-up shown, arrive before 9:30 AM to claim a spot. The Thursday session repeats Tuesday's and Wednesday repeats Monday's, so choose one from each pair if you want to hear both programs.
- Host
- La Grange Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- La Grange Public Library, Tyler Duelm Activity Room, 10 W Cossitt Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New La Grange events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in La Grange daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in La Grange.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more La Grange 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 La Grange.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in La Grange 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
- 1 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Story time
- 1 Breakfast and treats
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in La Grange every week.
Tree lighting
Holiday Tree Lighting
- When: Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 6 to 7 pm
- Where: Waiola Park, 536 East Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No admission price listed; buying a tree to decorate costs $85
Expand to see the parent tip
The Park District of La Grange switches on the lights at Waiola Park in what it bills as an old-fashioned tree lighting. There is holiday entertainment, a visit from guests from the North Pole and an appearance by the Grinch. Families sip hot cocoa and eat cookies while looking over trees that local families and groups have decorated.
The lighting is Tuesday, December 8, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at Waiola Park, and the page lists no admission charge. Groups that want a tree of their own in the display pay $85 and register at the Recreation Center by Monday, November 23. Each tree comes with lights and can be decorated any time from Wednesday, December 2.
Parent tip: This is a full hour outdoors on a December evening, so bundle children up and bring mittens that can still hold a cocoa cup. If your kids would love to find their own family tree in the park, buy one by November 23 and decorate it before the lighting.
- Host
- Park District of La Grange (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Waiola Park, 536 East Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New La Grange events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in La Grange daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in La Grange.
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 La Grange Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Jingle Jams in La Grange 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.
- Jingle JamsLa Grange · Dec 1 to Dec 9
- Holiday Tree LightingLa Grange · Dec 8
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 Lemont, Elmhurst, Chicago and Glen Ellyn. 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 La Grange
Before it was La Grange, the railroad's stop here was a milk stop called Hazel Glen, and the local post office went by Kensington. The village that founder Franklin Cossitt laid out now opens the Christmas season with a tree lighting at Waiola Park and musical storytimes at the library on Cossitt Avenue.
How La Grange celebrates
The Park District of La Grange opens the season with what it calls an old-fashioned Tree Lighting at Waiola Park on Tuesday, December 8, 2026, with holiday entertainment, visitors from the North Pole, the Grinch, hot cocoa and cookies. Families and groups can buy a tree through the Recreation Center and decorate it from December 2, so the trees on display are trimmed by neighbors. At the La Grange Public Library on Cossitt Avenue, Children's Services runs Jingle Jams, a musical storytime with books and instruments, on December 1, 3, 7 and 9.
Fun facts about Christmas in La Grange
The first settler, Robert Leitch, arrived in 1830, and the village was incorporated on June 11, 1879. Founder Franklin Dwight Cossitt named it for La Grange, Tennessee, where he was raised, after learning that another Illinois community already used the name Kensington. The first rail link to Chicago dates to 1864, and the village has held its Pet Parade every year since 1947. The 2020 census counted 16,321 residents.
Traditions today
- Holiday Tree Lighting at Waiola Park: The Park District of La Grange lights the park on December 8, 2026 with holiday entertainment for families.
- Decorate your own tree: Families, friends and groups buy a tree from the park district and decorate it in the days before the lighting.
- Hot cocoa and cookies: Cocoa and cookies are served while families look over the decorated trees.
- North Pole visitors and the Grinch: The park district promises special visitors from the North Pole and the Grinch at the tree lighting.
- Jingle Jams: The La Grange Public Library holds a musical storytime with books and instruments on four December mornings.
A fact for kids
About 14,000 years ago the land under La Grange was the shore of a giant lake called Lake Chicago. A street named Bluff Avenue marks where the old shoreline ran.
Questions about Christmas in La Grange
When was La Grange, Illinois founded?
The first settler, Robert Leitch, came in 1830. Franklin Dwight Cossitt bought several hundred acres of farmland in 1870 and laid out a planned suburban village with streets, trees, and land for churches and schools. La Grange was officially incorporated on June 11, 1879.
How did La Grange get its name?
Cossitt's development was first served by a post office called Kensington. When he learned another Illinois community already had that name, he chose La Grange, after La Grange, Tennessee, where he had been raised. Kensington survives as the name of a major avenue.
What is La Grange's railroad history?
When the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad came through, the stop was a milk stop called Hazel Glen. The first rail link to Chicago dates to 1864. Today BNSF tracks cross the north end of the village, and Metra commuter trains serve two La Grange stations.
What is the La Grange Pet Parade?
It is an annual parade held every year since 1947 that marches through downtown with dogs, cats, hamsters, birds and farm animals. Past grand marshals have included elephants and donkeys from the Brookfield Zoo in 1948.
What happens at Christmas in La Grange?
The Park District of La Grange holds a Holiday Tree Lighting at Waiola Park on Tuesday, December 8, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. The La Grange Public Library runs Jingle Jams, a musical storytime, on December 1, 3, 7 and 9.
Where is the La Grange tree lighting held?
It is at Waiola Park, a 3.5-acre park that is one of the Park District of La Grange's 11 locations. The 2026 lighting is on Tuesday, December 8, with entertainment, hot cocoa, cookies, visitors from the North Pole and the Grinch.
Who organizes Christmas events in La Grange?
The Park District of La Grange runs the tree lighting and takes tree registrations at its Recreation Center, 536 East Avenue. The La Grange Public Library's Children's Services team runs Jingle Jams at 10 W Cossitt Ave.
Are La Grange Christmas events free?
Neither page lists an admission charge. The one price mentioned is $85 for a group to buy a tree to decorate for the lighting, due by November 23, 2026. Jingle Jams lists no fee but is limited to the first 15 children and their caregivers.
Did Frank Lloyd Wright design homes in La Grange?
Yes. The La Grange Village Historic District includes more than 1,000 buildings, and a few of its homes were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. One is a so-called bootleg house he designed on the side while he was employed by architect Louis Sullivan.
How many people live in La Grange?
The 2020 census counted 16,321 residents. La Grange is a village in Cook County about 13 miles west of Chicago, and its population has been fairly stable since reaching a peak of 17,814 in the 1970 census.
Sources
- La Grange, Illinois, Wikipedia
- Jingle Jams, La Grange Public Library
- Holiday Tree Lighting, Park District of La Grange
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.
La Grange Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in La Grange, Illinois?
Start with the Park District of La Grange's Holiday Tree Lighting at Waiola Park on Tuesday, December 8, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, with entertainment, North Pole visitors and the Grinch. For little ones, the La Grange Public Library's Jingle Jams musical storytime meets on December 1, 3, 7 and 9.
Where can kids meet Santa in La Grange?
The park district says its Holiday Tree Lighting on December 8, 2026 at Waiola Park will have special visitors from the North Pole, along with the Grinch. The page does not name Santa outright or mention photos, so treat it as a chance to spot holiday characters.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in La Grange?
Neither organizer lists an admission charge. The tree lighting page for December 8, 2026 names only one price, $85 for groups that want to buy and decorate a tree. The library's Jingle Jams page shows no fee, though space is limited to the first 15 children.
Is there a tree lighting in La Grange?
Yes. The Park District of La Grange holds what it calls an old-fashioned Tree Lighting at Waiola Park on Tuesday, December 8, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. There is holiday entertainment, hot cocoa and cookies, and decorated trees to look at.
Do La Grange Christmas events need sign-up?
The Jingle Jams page shows no registration step, but the storytime is limited to the first 15 children and their caregivers. The tree lighting page mentions registration only for groups buying an $85 tree to decorate, with a deadline of Monday, November 23, 2026.
Can our family decorate a tree for the La Grange tree lighting?
Yes. Families, friends or groups can buy a holiday tree for $85 through the Park District of La Grange by Monday, November 23, 2026. Each tree comes with lights, and you can decorate yours any time from Wednesday, December 2, ahead of the lighting on December 8.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near La Grange?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois Christmas train rides guide. This La Grange 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.