Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Princeton, NJ for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room (from December 6) and Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night (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 New Jersey Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Princeton
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Princeton
- Meet Santa: Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room (from December 6)
- Season: December 6 (Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room) to December 20 (Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Princeton
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Breakfast with Santa
Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room
- When: Sun December 6, Sun December 13 and Sun December 20, 2026, 8:15 to 10 am (Three Sundays in December)
- Where: Nassau Inn, Yankee Doodle Tap Room, 10 Palmer Square W, Princeton, NJ 08542 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $7 per guest to reserve a seat, plus breakfast buffet at $14 per child or $20 per adult
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa visits the Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn on three December Sunday mornings while families eat from an all-American breakfast buffet. The spread includes scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, breakfast potatoes, pastries, fruit, coffee and juice, and the morning includes holiday activities for kids.
Seatings are on December 6, 13 and 20, 2026, from 8:15 to 10:00 am. A non-refundable $7 ticket per guest holds your seat, and the buffet is separate at $20 per adult or $14 per child, each with one drink. Breakfast is paid when you make the reservation.
Parent tip: Budget for both charges, because the $7 ticket only holds the seat and the buffet is added on top at booking. Tickets are non-refundable, so settle on one of the three Sundays before you buy, and plan for the early 8:15 am start.
- Host
- Nassau Inn (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Nassau Inn, Yankee Doodle Tap Room, 10 Palmer Square W, Princeton, NJ 08542 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Princeton events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Princeton daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Princeton.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Princeton 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 Princeton.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Princeton 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
- 2 Breakfast and treats
- 1 Santa
- 1 Crafts
- 1 Zoos and museums
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Princeton every week.
Holiday crafts
Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night
- When: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 5 to 7 pm (Festival of Trees open 5:00 to 6:00 pm before decorating)
- Where: Morven Museum & Garden, Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $40 family ticket (one gingerbread house and admission for four); $30 for members; extra individual tickets $8, or $5 for members
- Ages: Recommended for ages 3 and older
Expand to see the parent tip
Families tour the Festival of Trees inside Morven Museum & Garden, then head to the Stockton Education Center to decorate a pre-built gingerbread house. Each house stands about 8 inches tall and comes with candy, icing, decorations and four gingerbread people, plus treats and holiday music while you work.
The evening is Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, with the Festival of Trees open from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. A family ticket is $40 and covers one house and admission for up to four people, or $30 for Morven members. Extra individual tickets without a house are $8, or $5 for members, and registration is online.
Parent tip: See the Festival of Trees first, since it is open only until 6:00 pm, and leave the hour Morven recommends for decorating afterward. One ticket means one house, so buy a second family ticket if siblings will not share, and note that the houses contain wheat and soy.
- Host
- Morven Museum & Garden (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Morven Museum & Garden, Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Princeton events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Princeton daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Princeton.
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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 New Jersey Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Princeton Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room in Princeton on December 6; 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.
- Breakfast with Santa in the Tap RoomPrinceton · Dec 6 to Dec 20
- Gingerbread House Decorating & Family NightPrinceton · Dec 9
Looking further afield? Our New Jersey Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Bridgewater, NJ, Plumsted, Rahway and Middletown, NJ. 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 Princeton
Princeton sits near old Kingston and what were once called Queenstown and Princessville, which is one reason a royal prince is considered the likely source of the name it has carried since 1724. At Christmas the town's history becomes the setting, with gingerbread nights at Morven, a former governor's mansion, and breakfast with Santa at the Nassau Inn on Palmer Square.
How Princeton celebrates
Princeton's confirmed 2026 season centers on two downtown hosts. The Nassau Inn, on Palmer Square, holds Breakfast with Santa in its Yankee Doodle Tap Room on December 6, 13 and 20, and its events page also points to Palmer Square's annual tree lighting on November 27, when the Tap Room serves hot cocoa outside, plus dinner packages tied to A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre on December 8 and 22. Morven Museum & Garden, on Stockton Street, hosts Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night on December 9 alongside its Festival of Trees. Morven says holiday decorations adorn the house each year.
Fun facts about Christmas in Princeton
The name Princeton was first used in 1724 and is said to honor Prince William of Orange, though no official document confirms it. Princeton University moved here in 1756 from Newark, and George Washington's victory at the Battle of Princeton came in January 1777. Morven became New Jersey's first governor's mansion in 1945 and later a museum and garden. Today's municipality was formed on January 1, 2013, by merging Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, and it had 30,681 residents at the 2020 census.
Traditions today
- Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room: The Nassau Inn serves a breakfast buffet with a visit from Santa in the Yankee Doodle Tap Room on three December Sundays.
- Festival of Trees at Morven: Morven Museum & Garden opens its Festival of Trees to Family Night guests before the gingerbread decorating begins.
- Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night: Families decorate pre-built gingerbread houses in Morven's Stockton Education Center on December 9, 2026.
- Palmer Square tree lighting: The Nassau Inn describes Palmer Square's tree lighting on November 27, 2026, as an annual event and serves hot cocoa outside beforehand.
- A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre: The Nassau Inn pairs a prix fixe dinner with McCarter Theatre's A Christmas Carol on December 8 and 22, 2026.
A fact for kids
Long ago, the towns around Princeton had royal names too: Kingston, Queenstown and Princessville. A famous tree called the Mercer Oak stood on Princeton's battlefield for more than two hundred years.
Questions about Christmas in Princeton
When was Princeton founded?
Europeans settled the area in the late 1600s, and Henry Greenland built the first house within the future town's bounds in 1683. The name Princeton was first used in 1724. The present municipality dates to January 1, 2013, when Princeton Borough and Princeton Township consolidated.
How did Princeton get its name?
No official record settles it. The town is said to be named after Prince William of Orange, and a royal namesake seems likely because nearby places were called Kingston, Queenstown and Princessville. Earlier spellings included Princetown and Prince's Town.
When did Princeton University come to town?
The school, then called the College of New Jersey, moved to Princeton in 1756 from its earlier home in Newark. An 1850 account said the town had not grown to any considerable size until the college was established there.
What happened at the Battle of Princeton?
In January 1777, George Washington's forces won a pivotal battle here that pushed the British out of southern New Jersey. General Hugh Mercer was mortally wounded on January 3, 1777, and Mercer County, where Princeton sits, is named for him.
What is Morven?
Morven is a historic house on Stockton Street that became New Jersey's first governor's mansion in 1945. Drumthwacket replaced it as the official residence in 1982, and Morven became a museum and garden. It now hosts the Festival of Trees and a family gingerbread night.
What happens at Christmas for kids in Princeton?
Confirmed for 2026 are Breakfast with Santa at the Nassau Inn on December 6, 13 and 20, and Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night at Morven Museum & Garden on Wednesday, December 9, which includes a visit to the museum's Festival of Trees.
Where are Princeton's Christmas events held?
Breakfast with Santa is in the Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square West. The gingerbread night is at Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, with decorating in the Stockton Education Center. Stockton is one of Princeton's major streets.
Who organizes Princeton's Christmas events for families?
The Nassau Inn runs Breakfast with Santa and partners with McCarter Theatre on dinner and show evenings for A Christmas Carol. Morven Museum & Garden organizes the gingerbread night, and its curator of education and public programs, Greer Luce, is the listed contact.
Is there a tree lighting in Princeton?
The Nassau Inn's events page refers to Palmer Square's annual tree lighting on November 27, 2026. Before it, the inn's Yankee Doodle Tap Room serves hot cocoa outside from 3:30 to 6:00 pm. The inn's page does not give the lighting time itself.
Why are there streets named Stockton and Witherspoon in Princeton?
Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon, two signers of the Declaration of Independence, lived in Princeton. The town honored them by naming two downtown streets after them. Morven Museum & Garden, home of the gingerbread night, stands on Stockton Street.
Sources
- Princeton, New Jersey, Wikipedia
- Events, Nassau Inn
- Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night, Morven Museum & Garden
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 New Jersey city.
Princeton Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Princeton to start with?
Two ticketed favorites for families are confirmed for 2026. Breakfast with Santa in the Tap Room at the Nassau Inn runs on December 6, 13 and 20 from 8:15 to 10:00 am, and Morven Museum & Garden holds Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night on Wednesday, December 9, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Princeton?
Both confirmed events are paid. The Nassau Inn's event page does mention Palmer Square's annual tree lighting on November 27, 2026, with the Yankee Doodle Tap Room serving hot cocoa outside from 3:30 to 6:00 pm beforehand. Check Palmer Square for the lighting details.
Where can kids meet Santa in Princeton?
Santa comes to Breakfast with Santa in the Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn on Palmer Square. It is offered on three Sundays, December 6, 13 and 20, 2026, from 8:15 to 10:00 am, with a breakfast buffet and holiday activities.
How much does Breakfast with Santa at the Nassau Inn cost?
The Nassau Inn lists a non-refundable ticket of $7 per guest, which holds the seat only. The breakfast buffet is charged separately at $20 per adult and $14 per child, each including one drink, and is paid when you reserve.
Which Princeton Christmas events need tickets?
Both do. Breakfast with Santa on December 6, 13 and 20 requires a ticket for every guest. Morven's Gingerbread House Decorating & Family Night on December 9 sells family tickets at $40, or $30 for members, each covering one gingerbread house and admission for four.
What is the Festival of Trees at Morven?
It is the holiday display inside Morven Museum & Garden on Stockton Street. On Family Night, Wednesday, December 9, 2026, ticket holders can visit the Festival of Trees between 5:00 and 6:00 pm before decorating gingerbread houses in the Stockton Education Center.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Princeton?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s New Jersey Christmas train rides guide. This Princeton 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.