Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Norwich, CT for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Elf on the Bookshelf (from December 1) and Gumdrop Christmas Trees (December 19). 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 Norwich
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Norwich
- Season: December 1 (Elf on the Bookshelf) to December 19 (Elf on the Bookshelf)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
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- 1 Breakfast and treats
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Norwich
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday event
Elf on the Bookshelf
- When: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 to Saturday, December 19, 2026 (All day on library open days, Mondays through Saturdays)
- Where: Otis Library, Children's Department, 261 Main St, Norwich, CT 06360 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: Children
Expand to see the parent tip
A library elf hides somewhere in the Children's Department at Otis Library and moves to a new spot every day. Children search the room to find it, and each return visit earns another chance at a prize.
The hunt runs from Tuesday, December 1 through Saturday, December 19, 2026, and is listed as an all day activity in the Children's Department. The library's date list covers Mondays through Saturdays, with no Sundays. The page lists no fee and no registration.
Parent tip: Because the elf changes places daily and every visit adds a prize chance, short repeat stops work better than one long trip. Tie the search to your regular book returns across the three weeks.
- Host
- Otis Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Otis Library, Children's Department, 261 Main St, Norwich, CT 06360 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Norwich events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Norwich daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Norwich.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Norwich 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 Norwich.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Norwich 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 Crafts
- 1 Story time
- 1 Zoos and museums
- 1 Breakfast and treats
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Norwich every week.
Holiday crafts
Gumdrop Christmas Trees
- When: Saturday, December 19, 2026, 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
- Where: Otis Library, Storytime Room, 261 Main St, Norwich, CT 06360 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; registration opens November 16
- Ages: Ages 6 to 11
Expand to see the parent tip
Children ages 6 to 11 engineer a Christmas tree out of gumdrops and toothpicks in this STEAM building challenge. While they snack, the group plays holiday trivia and listens to a silly holiday story read aloud.
The program meets Saturday, December 19, 2026 from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm in the Storytime Room at Otis Library, and no price is listed. Registration opens at 9:00 am on Monday, November 16. The library notes that food is part of the program and that families are responsible for watching their own allergies.
Parent tip: Mark November 16 at 9:00 am, when registration opens. The session is only 45 minutes and includes candy and a snack, so check with the library first if your child has food allergies.
- Host
- Otis Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Otis Library, Storytime Room, 261 Main St, Norwich, CT 06360 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Norwich events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Norwich daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Norwich.
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 Norwich Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Elf on the Bookshelf in Norwich on December 1; the last runs to December 19. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Elf on the BookshelfNorwich · Dec 1 to Dec 19
- Gumdrop Christmas TreesNorwich · Dec 19
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 New London, Glastonbury, Ellington, CT and Hartford. 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 Norwich
The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first recorded use of the word "Hello" to a Norwich newspaper, The Norwich Courier, on October 18, 1826. The city where three rivers meet has been around since 1659, and in December its library fills the weeks before Christmas with an elf hunt and a gumdrop building morning for children.
How Norwich celebrates
The Christmas programs gathered for Norwich families this season are both at Otis Library on Main Street, and both are aimed at children. From Tuesday, December 1 through Saturday, December 19, 2026, a library elf hides in a new place in the department each day, and children who find it earn chances at a prize. On the last day of the hunt, children ages 6 to 11 gather in the Storytime Room to build Christmas trees from gumdrops and toothpicks, play holiday trivia and listen to a read-aloud. These are small indoor programs, set in a city whose harbor is formed by the Yantic, Shetucket and Quinebaug rivers.
Fun facts about Christmas in Norwich
Norwich was founded in 1659 by settlers from Saybrook Colony, who bought land described as nine miles square from the Mohegan Sachem Uncas. The Yantic, Shetucket and Quinebaug rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River runs south to Long Island Sound. The Norwich and Worcester Railroad was built between 1832 and 1837, and the first electric trolleys arrived in 1892. The 2020 census counted 40,125 residents.
Traditions today
- Elf on the Bookshelf: Otis Library hides an elf in a new spot in its Children's Department each day from December 1 through December 19.
- Prize chances for return visits: Children who come back to look for the elf earn more chances to win a prize.
- Gumdrop Christmas Trees: Children ages 6 to 11 build Christmas trees from gumdrops and toothpicks in the library's Storytime Room.
- Holiday trivia and a read-aloud: The gumdrop program pairs its building project with holiday trivia, a snack and a silly holiday story.
A fact for kids
The first time anyone is known to have printed the word "Hello" was in a Norwich newspaper in 1826. Three rivers flow into Norwich and join to make a fourth river, the Thames.
Questions about Christmas in Norwich
When was Norwich founded?
The town of Norwich was founded in 1659 on the site of what is now the Norwichtown neighborhood. The settlers came from Saybrook Colony and were led by Major John Mason, James Fitch and Lieutenant Francis Griswold. The town and city of Norwich were consolidated in 1952.
Who did the founders buy the land from?
The settlers purchased the land, described as nine miles square, from the Mohegan Sachem Uncas. One of the co-founders, Thomas Leffingwell, had rescued Uncas when he was surrounded by Narragansett tribesmen, and Leffingwell's son later established the Leffingwell Inn.
What rivers run through Norwich?
The Yantic, Shetucket and Quinebaug rivers flow into the city and form its harbor. From there the Thames River flows south to Long Island Sound. A public landing built at the head of the Thames by 1694 let ships unload goods at the harbor.
What does Norwich have to do with the word Hello?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word "Hello" appeared in The Norwich Courier on October 18, 1826. That makes a Norwich newspaper the earliest known place the greeting was put into print.
Did Norwich have a railroad?
Yes. The Norwich and Worcester Railroad was built between 1832 and 1837 and brought goods and people in and out of the city. By the 1870s the Springfield and New London Railroad also ran trains through Norwich, and electric trolleys began service in 1892.
Why is the old center called Norwichtown?
The first settlement was inland, around the Norwichtown Green, in a farming community. As shipping and mills grew, the center of Norwich moved to the harbor area, the Chelsea neighborhood, by the early 1800s. The former center is called Norwichtown to tell it apart from the current city.
What happens at Christmas for kids in Norwich?
This season's listings are two Otis Library programs. Elf on the Bookshelf runs from December 1 through December 19, 2026 in the Children's Department, and Gumdrop Christmas Trees meets on Saturday, December 19 from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm for children ages 6 to 11.
Where do the Christmas events take place?
Both are inside Otis Library at 261 Main St in Norwich. The elf hunt takes place in the Children's Department, and the gumdrop tree program meets in the Storytime Room. The library says the building was designed to accommodate people of all abilities.
Who organizes the Christmas events?
Otis Library organizes both programs, and the same staff member is listed as the event organizer on each page. Families who need an accommodation are asked to contact that organizer by email. Registration for the gumdrop program opens on Monday, November 16, 2026.
Which Norwich Christmas events are free?
Neither library page lists a price. Elf on the Bookshelf is a drop-in activity with no registration, and Gumdrop Christmas Trees asks for registration but shows no fee. The pages do not use the word free, so confirm with the library if cost matters.
Sources
- Norwich, Connecticut, Wikipedia
- Elf on the Bookshelf, Otis Library
- Gumdrop Christmas Trees, Otis 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.
Norwich Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Norwich to start with?
Start with Elf on the Bookshelf at Otis Library, which runs from Tuesday, December 1 through Saturday, December 19, 2026 and needs no planning beyond a visit to the Children's Department. Children ages 6 to 11 can then finish the season at Gumdrop Christmas Trees on Saturday, December 19 at 11:30 am.
Are there free Christmas activities in Norwich?
The Otis Library pages for Elf on the Bookshelf and Gumdrop Christmas Trees do not list a price for either program. The elf hunt is a drop-in activity in the Children's Department from December 1 to 19, 2026, while the gumdrop program on December 19 asks families to register.
Where can kids meet Santa in Norwich?
Neither of the two events listed here includes Santa. The closest thing to a holiday character is the library elf, who hides in a new spot in the Otis Library Children's Department each day from December 1 through December 19, 2026. Treat these programs as additions to your Santa plans.
Do Norwich Christmas events need registration?
Gumdrop Christmas Trees on Saturday, December 19, 2026 does. Registration opens at 9:00 am on Monday, November 16, and the program is for ages 6 to 11. Elf on the Bookshelf lists no registration, so children can look for the elf whenever they visit the Children's Department during the run.
Is there a Christmas craft or story time for kids in Norwich?
Yes. Gumdrop Christmas Trees at Otis Library on Saturday, December 19, 2026 combines a building project with a story. Children make a tree from gumdrops and toothpicks, play holiday trivia over a snack and hear a silly holiday read-aloud. It runs from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm in the Storytime Room.
What is special about the elf hunt at Otis Library?
The elf does not stay put. Otis Library moves it to a different place in the Children's Department every day between December 1 and December 19, 2026, and each visit earns children another chance to win a prize. Families who stop in often have the best odds.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Norwich?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Connecticut Christmas train rides guide. This Norwich 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.