Christmas Events for Kids in St. Thomas (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 3 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in St. Thomas for 2026, all at the St. Thomas Public Library on Curtis Street. Tweens decorate ugly sweater cookies on December 7, families build gingerbread houses on December 21, and little ones dress up for a Noon Year’s Eve countdown on December 31. Every date comes from the library’s own events calendar. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in St. Thomas

  • 3 holiday programs for kids in St. Thomas
  • Ugly Sweater Cookies: Monday, December 7, 4 pm, ages 8 to 12
  • Gingerbread Workshop: Monday, December 21, 2 to 4 pm
  • Noon Year’s Eve: Thursday, December 31, 10 am to noon, free
  • Registration opens 7 days before the cookie and gingerbread programs

Free 1Ticketed and paid 2

Free Christmas events for kids in St. Thomas

Kids countdown to noonFree

Noon Year's Eve: Formal and Fancy

Expand to see the parent tip

Little ones get their own New Year's countdown at the library, ringing in the Noon Year with activities through the morning and a countdown to 12 o'clock.

This year's theme is formal and fancy, so kids are invited to show up in a sparkly party dress, a dapper suit or whatever outfit feels special.

Parent tip: No registration is needed, so arrive by 10:30 am to enjoy the activities before the noon countdown.

Host
St. Thomas Public Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
St. Thomas Public Library, Main Level, 153 Curtis Street, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3Z7 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom St. Thomas Public Library (opens in a new tab)

New St. Thomas events every week

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

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 2 more St. Thomas events 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 St. Thomas.
  • Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in St. Thomas 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

Enter your email to get new Christmas events in St. Thomas every week.

Free. One email a week with new events in St. Thomas. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in St. Thomas

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

Event hosts: free events are listed first. The #1 spot puts your event at the top of this page.Inquire about the #1 spotAdd your event for free

Cookie decorating, ages 8 to 12

Middle Makers: Ugly Sweater Cookies

Expand to see the parent tip

The library's Middle Makers club for 8 to 12 year olds goes festive in December, decorating ugly sweater cookies with all the supplies laid out.

It is an after-school hour in the Ingram Room, and supplies are limited, so it suits tweens who have outgrown story time but still want a holiday craft.

Parent tip: Registration opens 7 days before, so set a reminder for November 30 to grab a spot.

Host
St. Thomas Public Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
St. Thomas Public Library, Ingram Room, Lower Level, 153 Curtis Street, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3Z7 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom St. Thomas Public Library (opens in a new tab)

New St. Thomas events every week

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

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

Family gingerbread houses

Gingerbread Workshop

Expand to see the parent tip

On the first Monday of the winter break, the library hands each registered family a kit to build and decorate a gingerbread house together in the Carnegie Room.

Because the library supplies everything, there is no shopping or cleanup at home, just two hours of icing, candy and family time a few days before Christmas.

Parent tip: Registration opens 7 days ahead and allows one spot per family, so sign up on December 14 and bring a box or tray to carry the house home.

Host
St. Thomas Public Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
St. Thomas Public Library, Carnegie Room, Lower Level, 153 Curtis Street, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3Z7 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom St. Thomas Public Library (opens in a new tab)

New St. Thomas events every week

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

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? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists Santa trains and holiday rides across the country.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each St. Thomas Christmas event for kids happens

Register on the opening day for the cookie and gingerbread programs, and keep New Year’s Eve morning free for the drop-in Noon Year countdown.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for London, Norfolk County, Brantford and Kitchener-Waterloo. 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)

The story of Christmas in St. Thomas

St. Thomas, the Railway City, has had an Optimist Club Santa Claus Parade for nearly four decades, and in 2025 its floats were built around A Charlie Brown Christmas. At the Elgin County Railway Museum, more than 300 decorated Christmas trees once filled the halls in a single December.

A 39th Optimist parade with a Charlie Brown Christmas theme on November 22, 2025

The St. Thomas Optimist Santa Claus Parade marked its 39th year on Saturday, November 22, 2025, starting around 6 pm at Talbot Street and First Avenue and heading west through downtown. The theme was A Charlie Brown Christmas, and community groups built floats inspired by the Peanuts gang. Optimist Club member Gar Shaw said volunteers spend nearly a year organizing it.

Throwing candy is not allowed, to keep children along the route safe. Santa made his annual appearance, joined by members of the St. Thomas Fire Department collecting non-perishable food for the local food bank, and Canada Post was on hand to collect letters for Santa.

A drive-through stationary parade in Pinafore Park in 2020 and 2021

When crowds could not gather, the Optimist Club turned the parade inside out. In 2020 and again from December 3 to 5, 2021, Pinafore Park became a winter wonderland where families drove past more than 50 stationary parade displays each night from 4 to 9 pm, with Santa sitting in his sleigh. Volunteers from St. Thomas Christmas Care and the fire department collected cash and food, and a Canada Post mailbox stood by Santa's sleigh for last-minute letters.

Pinafore Park has long been a Christmas lights spot. In 2015 its Light the Night display ran nightly from 5 to 11 pm until December 31, and that year a home display at 64 Greenway Boulevard drew visitors every evening too.

Santa on a fire truck at City Hall and Light Up Talbot every November

Downtown St. Thomas starts its season with Light Up Talbot, when Talbot Street from East Street to Ross Street fills with decorated windows, warming stations and horse-drawn wagon rides. In 2024 it was held on November 15 with the City Hall tree lighting. In 2026 it is on Friday, November 13, from 5 to 8 pm: kids drop off letters for Santa at City Hall from 5 pm, Santa arrives on a city fire truck at 5:45 pm and lights the Christmas tree at 6 pm, with cookies and milk and the Mitchell Hepburn and John Wise choirs.

The St. Thomas Public Library adds hands-on holiday programs, from Ugly Sweater Cookies on December 7 to a family Gingerbread Workshop on December 21, 2026.

300 lit trees at the railway museum and the Santa Treats Train to Port Stanley

Trains have run through St. Thomas since the London and Port Stanley Railway was finished in 1856, and more than 26 railways have passed through the city, so Christmas here often comes with a railway twist. In December 2024 the Elgin County Railway Museum displayed more than 300 lit Christmas trees for its Community Christmas Tree Spectacular and collected donations for the St. Thomas Food Bank.

Just south of the city, Port Stanley Terminal Rail has run a Santa Treats Train Ride for years. In 2015 it departed on six December Saturdays and Sundays, and by 2024 it ran on a dozen days from November 23 to December 22.

Traditions today

  • Optimist Santa Claus Parade: An evening parade along Talbot Street organized by the St. Thomas Optimist Club, in its 39th year in 2025, with Santa and the fire department collecting food at the end.
  • Light Up Talbot and the City Hall tree: One November night of lit storefronts, wagon rides and warming stations downtown, with Santa arriving on a fire truck to light the tree. In 2026 it is November 13.
  • Community Christmas Tree Spectacular: More than 300 decorated trees filled the Elgin County Railway Museum in December 2024, with donations going to the St. Thomas Food Bank.
  • Santa Treats Train Ride: Holiday train rides with Santa on Port Stanley Terminal Rail, on weekends from late November to just before Christmas.
  • Noon Year's Eve at the library: A morning countdown to 12 o'clock for little ones at the St. Thomas Public Library on December 31, with a formal and fancy dress-up theme in 2026.

A fact for kids

In St. Thomas, Santa does not arrive at the Christmas tree by sleigh. He rides up to City Hall on a big red city fire truck, then flips the switch to light the tree.

Questions about Christmas in St. Thomas

When was the 2025 St. Thomas Santa Claus Parade?

The St. Thomas Optimist Santa Claus Parade was held on Saturday, November 22, 2025, starting around 6 pm at Talbot Street and First Avenue and travelling west through downtown. It was the parade's 39th year. In 2024 the downtown Santa Claus Parade took place on November 23.

What was the theme of the 2025 St. Thomas Santa Claus Parade?

The 2025 theme was A Charlie Brown Christmas, so floats were inspired by the Peanuts gang. Float registration stayed open until November 12, 2025, with a fee of $35 for non-profits and $50 for businesses to help cover costs, according to the St. Thomas Optimist Club.

How long has the St. Thomas Santa Claus Parade been running?

The St. Thomas Optimist Santa Claus Parade was in its 39th year in 2025, which makes it one of the Optimist Club's biggest community events and a hallmark of the Christmas season in St. Thomas. Club volunteers spend nearly a year coordinating floats and logistics for the one-night parade.

Who organizes the Santa Claus Parade in St. Thomas?

The St. Thomas Optimist Club organizes the Christmas parade, and its website is optimistsantaclausparade.weebly.com. The club also supported the drive-through stationary Santa Claus parade at Pinafore Park in 2020 and 2021, when the usual street parade could not be held.

Can kids catch candy at the St. Thomas Santa Claus Parade?

No. Throwing candy is not permitted at the St. Thomas Optimist Santa Claus Parade, to keep children safe along the route, Optimist Club member Gar Shaw explained before the 2025 Christmas parade. Families can instead bring non-perishable food for the fire department's food bank collection and letters for Canada Post to deliver to Santa.

Can kids mail letters to Santa at the St. Thomas parade?

Yes. Canada Post was on hand at the 2025 St. Thomas Santa Claus Parade to collect letters for Santa. Children can also drop off holiday letters at City Hall, 545 Talbot Street, from 5 pm during Light Up Talbot on November 13, 2026, before Santa arrives.

What was the stationary Santa Claus parade at Pinafore Park?

In 2020 and 2021, St. Thomas held a reverse Santa Claus parade at Pinafore Park. Families drove through the park past more than 50 stationary displays, with Santa sitting in his sleigh. In 2021 it ran December 3 to 5 from 4 to 9 pm, with support from the Optimist Club and local MPP and MP offices, and a shuttle for people without a car.

When is Light Up Talbot in St. Thomas in 2026?

Light Up Talbot is on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 5 to 8 pm on Talbot Street from East Street to Ross Street. Downtown shops stay open late with holiday window displays, red wreaths mark the decorated storefronts, horse-drawn wagon rides run one way between stations, and Santa lights the City Hall Christmas tree at 6 pm.

When is the St. Thomas City Hall Christmas tree lighting?

The City Hall Christmas tree lighting is part of Light Up Talbot. In 2026, Santa arrives at City Hall, 545 Talbot Street, on a city fire truck at 5:45 pm on November 13 and lights the tree at 6 pm, with cookies and milk from the City and the Downtown Development Board. In 2024 the tree lighting was on November 15.

Are there horse-drawn wagon rides in downtown St. Thomas at Christmas?

Yes, during Light Up Talbot. Wagon stations are at the west corner of Flora and Talbot, the east corner of White and Talbot, and the north side of Talbot near Yurek's Pharmacy. Rides are one way only, so everyone gets off at the next stop and can visit shops and warming stations before riding back.

Where are the warming stations at Light Up Talbot?

The 2026 Light Up Talbot holiday warming stations are at Railway City Tourism, 605 Talbot Street, City Hall, 545 Talbot Street, Hepburn Parkette, 446 Talbot Street, and Crock-a-Doodle, 364 Talbot Street. They offer treats, warm drinks and pop-up music, and Elsa visits Crock-a-Doodle from 6 to 7 pm.

What is the Community Christmas Tree Spectacular in St. Thomas?

It is a Christmas display at the Elgin County Railway Museum. In December 2024 the museum showed more than 300 lit Christmas trees and collected donations for the St. Thomas Food Bank, according to CTV News London. Check the museum's events page in November for the next display.

Is there a Santa train near St. Thomas?

Yes. Port Stanley Terminal Rail, just south of St. Thomas, runs a Santa Treats Train Ride in the Christmas season. In 2024 it ran on November 23 to 25, November 30, December 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22. In 2015 departures were at 11 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm on December weekends.

Why is St. Thomas called the Railway City at Christmas and all year?

Railways have shaped St. Thomas since the London and Port Stanley Railway was completed in 1856, and more than 26 railways have passed through the city. That heritage shows up at Christmas, from the tree spectacular at the Elgin County Railway Museum to Santa trains in Port Stanley and the tourism office's L and PS Station.

Where are the best Christmas lights in St. Thomas?

Downtown Talbot Street glows after Light Up Talbot, with storefronts decorated for the season. Pinafore Park has hosted holiday lights before, including Light the Night, which ran nightly from 5 to 11 pm until December 31 in 2015, and the 2020 and 2021 drive-through stationary parade. Port Stanley also has its own Christmas lights nearby.

Is there a Christmas carol sing in St. Thomas?

Yes. Old St. Thomas Church has hosted a Christmas Carol Sing, held on December 6 in 2015 and December 1 in 2024, according to Railway City Tourism's holiday guides. Other St. Thomas churches have offered carols by candlelight and Handel's Messiah in December, so check the tourism guide each November.

What Christmas theatre is there for families in St. Thomas?

Local stages put on holiday shows most years. Railway City Tourism's 2024 guide listed a Cinderella pantomime at Central United Church from November 29 to December 1, a Christmas whodunnit at Princess Ave Playhouse, and theatrical readings of A Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas at Streamliners Espresso Bar.

What is Noon Year's Eve at the St. Thomas Public Library?

Noon Year's Eve is a holiday countdown for young children at the St. Thomas Public Library, 153 Curtis Street, ringing in the new year at 12 o'clock instead of midnight. In 2026 it runs on December 31 from 10 am to noon with a formal and fancy dress-up theme and no registration. The library held a Noon Years Eve party in 2024 too.

Are there gingerbread house workshops in St. Thomas?

Yes. The St. Thomas Public Library runs a family Gingerbread Workshop on Monday, December 21, 2026, from 2 to 4 pm in the Carnegie Room, with a kit provided for each registered family. Tweens 8 to 12 can also decorate ugly sweater Christmas cookies at Middle Makers on December 7.

What is the Doug Tarry Christmas Tour of Homes?

It is a holiday home tour in the St. Thomas area. Railway City Tourism listed the Doug Tarry Christmas Tour of Homes at various locations on December 1, 2024, among the season's festive events. It suits families with older kids who like seeing decorated houses.

What is a good Christmas plan for kids in St. Thomas?

Start at Light Up Talbot on November 13, 2026, to see Santa arrive by fire truck, watch the Optimist parade later in November, ride a Santa train in Port Stanley, then build gingerbread at the library on December 21. More confirmed dates are in our Canada Christmas events guide.

Sources

  1. St. Thomas Optimist Santa Claus Parade returns with a Charlie Brown Christmas theme, 94.1 myFM St.ThomasToday.ca
  2. Pinafore Park transforms for three-day stationary parade, SarniaNewsToday
  3. Light Up Talbot 2026: Your Guide to this Downtown Holiday Festival, Railway City Tourism
  4. 'Tis the Season 2024 Holiday Guide, Railway City Tourism
  5. 'Tis the Season!, Railway City Tourism
  6. Feeling Festive? Check out this display of over 300 lit Christmas trees, CTV News London
  7. About the Elgin County Railway Museum, Elgin County Railway Museum

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 Canada city.

St. Thomas Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in St. Thomas this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 holiday programs for kids in St. Thomas for 2026, all at the St. Thomas Public Library: Middle Makers Ugly Sweater Cookies on December 7, the Gingerbread Workshop on December 21 and Noon Year’s Eve on December 31.

When is the Gingerbread Workshop at the St. Thomas library?

Monday, December 21, 2026, from 2 to 4 pm in the Carnegie Room. The library provides the kit, there is one registration per family, and registration opens 7 days before.

Is there a Noon Year’s Eve for kids in St. Thomas?

Yes. Noon Year’s Eve: Formal and Fancy runs Thursday, December 31, 2026, from 10 am to noon on the library’s main level, for ages 0 and up, with no registration required.

Where is the St. Thomas Public Library?

153 Curtis Street, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3Z7.

Who do I contact about St. Thomas library holiday programs?

The St. Thomas Public Library at info@stthomaspubliclibrary.ca.

Are there more Christmas events near St. Thomas?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and the national search sorts events by distance from your town.

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 municipal or tourism calendar. We last checked St. Thomas on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, washrooms and bad-weather plans.

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
Previous

Christmas Events for Kids in Stony Plain (2026)
Next

Christmas Events for Kids in Spruce Grove (2026)