Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Vandalia, Ohio for 2026. Preschoolers build gingerbread houses on the morning of December 5, the free Vandalia Jingle Fest brings Santa, a holiday market and the tree lighting that same evening, and older kids bake cookies and cocoa on December 10. Every date comes from the City of Vandalia’s own calendar. For the rest of the state, see our Ohio Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Vandalia
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Vandalia
- Mini Gingerbread Magic: Saturday, Dec 5, 10 am, ages 2 to 5, $20
- Vandalia Jingle Fest: Saturday, Dec 5, 4 to 7 pm, tree lighting at 6 pm, free
- Cookies and Cocoa: Thursday, Dec 10, 6 pm, ages 6 to 12, $25
- Every date checked on vandaliaohio.org on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in Vandalia
Tree lighting and SantaFree
Vandalia Jingle Fest
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 4 pm to 7 pm, tree lighting at 6 pm
- Where: Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road, Vandalia, OH 45414 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free entry, bring cash or card for vendors and raffle tickets
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Vandalia’s Jingle Fest fills the Recreation Center grounds with twinkling lights, music, refreshments, kids’ activities and a visit with Santa Claus.
A holiday market runs in the gym from 4 to 7 pm, and the whole evening builds to the city’s tree lighting ceremony at 6 pm.
Parent tip: See Santa early, then head outside before 6 pm so the kids have a good view when the tree lights up.
- Host
- Vandalia Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road, Vandalia, OH 45414 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Vandalia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Vandalia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Vandalia.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Vandalia 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 Vandalia.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Vandalia 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 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Vandalia every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Vandalia
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
Preschool baking
Mini Gingerbread Magic
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10 am to 11 am
- Where: Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road, Vandalia, OH 45414 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $20 per child, a parent comes free, register by December 1
- Ages: Ages 2 to 5 with a parent
Expand to see the parent tip
The littlest bakers build graham cracker gingerbread houses and other sweet holiday creations with Eat Pretty Darling at the Vandalia Recreation Center.
It is a hands-on morning of frosting and sprinkles that also slips in simple kitchen skills, with a parent or guardian at each child’s side.
Parent tip: Register by Tuesday, December 1, since walk-ins are not accepted, and stay for Jingle Fest in the same building that afternoon.
- Host
- Vandalia Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road, Vandalia, OH 45414 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Vandalia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Vandalia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Vandalia.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Kids baking class
Cookies and Cocoa
- When: Thursday, December 10, 2026, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm
- Where: Vandalia Senior Center, 21 Tionda Drive S, Vandalia, OH 45377 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $25 per person, register by December 7
- Ages: Ages 6 to 12
Expand to see the parent tip
School-age kids bake fresh cookies and stir up homemade hot cocoa in this cozy evening class led by Eat Pretty Darling.
Before heading home, each child packs a jar of hot cocoa mix to keep or give as a holiday gift.
Parent tip: Sign up by Monday, December 7, since walk-ins are not accepted.
- Host
- Vandalia Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Vandalia Senior Center, 21 Tionda Drive S, Vandalia, OH 45377 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Vandalia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Vandalia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Vandalia.
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 Ohio Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Vandalia Christmas event for kids happens
December 5 can be a full Vandalia day: gingerbread in the morning for the little ones, then Santa, the market and the 6 pm tree lighting at Jingle Fest. Both classes need registration ahead of time.
- Vandalia Jingle FestVandalia · Dec 5
- Mini Gingerbread MagicVandalia · Dec 5
- Cookies and CocoaVandalia · Dec 10
Looking further afield? Our Ohio Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Dayton, Middletown, Lebanon and Hamilton. 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 AmazonKeep 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 Ohio city.
Vandalia Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Vandalia, Ohio this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Vandalia for 2026: Mini Gingerbread Magic and Vandalia Jingle Fest on December 5, and Cookies and Cocoa on December 10.
When is the Vandalia tree lighting in 2026?
The tree lighting is at 6 pm during Vandalia Jingle Fest on Saturday, December 5, 2026, which runs from 4 to 7 pm at the Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road.
Is Santa at Vandalia Jingle Fest?
Yes. Jingle Fest includes a visit with Santa Claus, kids activities, music, refreshments and a holiday market, and entry is free.
Are there holiday cooking classes for kids in Vandalia?
Yes. Mini Gingerbread Magic is for ages 2 to 5 on December 5 ($20, register by December 1), and Cookies and Cocoa is for ages 6 to 12 on December 10 ($25, register by December 7).
Who do I contact about Vandalia holiday events?
Vandalia Parks and Recreation lists Sara Moyer, Recreation Coordinator for programs and special events, at smoyer@vandaliaohio.org.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Ohio?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Ohio Christmas train rides page.
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 Vandalia on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, restrooms 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.