Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Lake Zurich for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are A Charlie Brown Christmas (December 2) and Grinch Craft (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 Illinois Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Lake Zurich
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Lake Zurich
- Season: December 2 (A Charlie Brown Christmas) to December 9 (Grinch Craft)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Lake Zurich
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday show
A Charlie Brown Christmas
- When: Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 7 to 8 pm (Registration was full when checked; a waitlist is open)
- Where: Ela Area Public Library, Meeting Room A and B, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; registration required (currently waitlist only)
- Ages: All ages; families welcome
Expand to see the parent tip
Chris White and his jazz trio come back to the Ela Area Public Library to play the whole Vince Guaraldi score from A Charlie Brown Christmas, live. It is a sit-down concert of familiar piano tunes, and the library says families are welcome alongside teens and adults.
The concert is Wednesday, December 2, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM in Meeting Room A and B at 275 Mohawk Trail. When the page was checked the event was marked full, with a button to join the waitlist. No fee is mentioned.
Parent tip: Put your family on the waitlist now if you want a seat, since the room has already filled. A 7:00 PM start on a school night and an hour of listening suits children who can sit through a full album.
- Host
- Ela Area Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Ela Area Public Library, Meeting Room A and B, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Lake Zurich events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Lake Zurich daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Lake Zurich.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Lake Zurich 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 Lake Zurich.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Lake Zurich 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 Shows
- 1 Crafts
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Lake Zurich every week.
Holiday crafts
Grinch Craft
- When: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 4 to 7 pm
- Where: Ela Area Public Library, Children's Program Room A, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; no registration
- Ages: Kids of all ages with an adult
Expand to see the parent tip
Children make a greeting card kind enough to soften a Grinch, using supplies the library sets out in its children's program room. It is a simple card-making table themed on the Dr. Seuss character, and kids work alongside a grown-up.
The craft is available Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM in Children's Program Room A. No registration is needed, and children of any age may take part as long as an adult is with them. The page does not mention a fee.
Parent tip: The three-hour window runs past dinner time, so you can come straight after school or stop in later in the evening. An adult has to stay with each child, so plan to sit down and make a card too.
- Host
- Ela Area Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Ela Area Public Library, Children's Program Room A, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Lake Zurich events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Lake Zurich daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Lake Zurich.
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 Lake Zurich Christmas event for kids happens
The first is A Charlie Brown Christmas in Lake Zurich on December 2; 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.
- A Charlie Brown ChristmasLake Zurich · Dec 2
- Grinch CraftLake Zurich · Dec 9
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 South Barrington, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg and West Dundee. 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 Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is named for the lake that sits entirely inside the village, a body of water first called Cedar Lake until settler Seth Paine renamed it. In December the village's Ela Area Public Library hosts a live Charlie Brown Christmas concert and a Grinch craft for families.
How Lake Zurich celebrates
The Christmas events listed for families in Lake Zurich are both at the Ela Area Public Library on Mohawk Trail. On December 2, 2026, Chris White and his jazz trio return to the library's meeting room to perform the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, a concert that had already filled its registration and opened a waitlist. A week later, on December 9, the children's program room is set up for Grinch Craft, a walk-in session where kids and adults make cards together. The library shares its name with Ela Township, which honors George Ela, one of the area's early pioneers.
Fun facts about Christmas in Lake Zurich
Settlers of European descent first arrived in the Lake Zurich area in the 1830s, and the village was incorporated on September 29, 1896. A railroad reached the village in 1910 but the line closed ten years later. Rand Road arrived in 1922 and Half Day Road in 1927, turning Lake Zurich into a convenient summer resort. The 2020 census counted 19,759 residents.
Traditions today
- A Charlie Brown Christmas: Chris White and his jazz trio return to the Ela Area Public Library on December 2, 2026 to play the full Vince Guaraldi soundtrack.
- Grinch Craft: Kids and adults make cards with library supplies in the children's program room on December 9, 2026, with no registration.
- Ela Area Public Library: The library at 275 Mohawk Trail hosts both December programs and carries the name of early settler George Ela's township.
- The lake itself: The body of water called Lake Zurich lies completely inside the village and gave the community its name.
A fact for kids
The lake in Lake Zurich used to be called Cedar Lake. In the movie Gravity, the astronaut played by Sandra Bullock comes from Lake Zurich.
Questions about Christmas in Lake Zurich
How did Lake Zurich get its name?
The village is named after the lake called Lake Zurich, which lies completely inside the village limits. The lake was originally known as Cedar Lake. Seth Paine, an early pioneer who set up several businesses in town, later renamed it Lake Zurich.
When was Lake Zurich founded?
People of European descent first settled the area in the 1830s. Yankee farmers came in the 1830s and 1840s, and German immigrants followed in the middle of the 19th century. The village of Lake Zurich was incorporated on September 29, 1896.
Who was George Ela?
George Ela was one of three early pioneers of the Lake Zurich area named in the Wikipedia article, along with Seth Paine and Nathan Kowitt. Ela Township is named after him, and the Ela Area Public Library carries the same name.
Did Lake Zurich have a railroad?
Briefly. The village was connected to the railroad in 1910, but the line closed ten years later. The Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad, now defunct, also served the community. Highways that arrived in the 1920s did more to shape the town.
What happens at Christmas for kids in Lake Zurich?
The Ela Area Public Library hosts a live performance of the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, and a walk-in Grinch Craft on Wednesday, December 9, 2026. The concert welcomes families, and the craft is for kids of all ages with an adult.
Where are Lake Zurich's Christmas events held?
Both listed events take place at the Ela Area Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail. The December 2 concert is in Meeting Room A and B, and the December 9 Grinch Craft is in Children's Program Room A.
How many people live in Lake Zurich?
The 2020 census counted 19,759 residents in Lake Zurich, a northwest suburb of Chicago in Lake County. Housing development began in the 1950s, and the population grew through the later part of the 20th century. About 38 percent of households had children.
What is Alpine Fest?
Alpine Fest is the annual summer festival in Lake Zurich. According to Wikipedia, the Lake Zurich Lions Club hosted the first one in 1942. It is a summer event, separate from the December programs at the library.
Do I need to sign up for the Grinch Craft?
No. The Ela Area Public Library lists Grinch Craft on December 9, 2026 as a no-registration program. Families can come to Children's Program Room A between 4:00 and 7:00 PM, and each child needs an adult with them.
Sources
- Lake Zurich, Illinois, Wikipedia
- A Charlie Brown Christmas, Ela Area Public Library
- Grinch Craft, Ela Area Public 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 Illinois city.
Lake Zurich Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What Christmas events for kids are in Lake Zurich, Illinois?
The Ela Area Public Library has two in early December 2026. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a live jazz concert on Wednesday, December 2, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Grinch Craft is a walk-in card-making session on Wednesday, December 9, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.
Is there a Christmas concert for families in Lake Zurich?
Yes. Chris White and his jazz trio perform the complete A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi at the Ela Area Public Library on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The library says families are welcome. The event was listed as full, with a waitlist open.
Which Lake Zurich holiday events need registration?
A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 2, 2026 takes registration, and the page showed it as full with a waitlist you can join. Grinch Craft on December 9 needs no registration at all. Families can walk into Children's Program Room A any time between 4:00 and 7:00 PM.
Are there Christmas crafts for kids in Lake Zurich?
Grinch Craft at the Ela Area Public Library on Wednesday, December 9, 2026 gives children materials to make a card meant to make a Grinch's heart grow. It runs from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, and kids of all ages can join with an adult.
What is a good Christmas activity for toddlers in Lake Zurich?
Grinch Craft on December 9, 2026 is open to kids of all ages as long as an adult comes along, and families can arrive whenever suits them during the three hours. The December 2 jazz concert is an evening sit-down performance, better for children who can listen quietly for an hour.
Where is the Ela Area Public Library?
The library is at 275 Mohawk Trail in Lake Zurich. A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 2, 2026 is in Meeting Room A and B, and Grinch Craft on December 9 is in Children's Program Room A. The library takes its name from Ela Township, named for early settler George Ela.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Lake Zurich?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois Christmas train rides guide. This Lake Zurich 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.