What does a Montgomery December ask of the people who live here? A registration that opens Wednesday, November 4, at 9 a.m., an early evening on Saturday, December 5, and something to bring on each of two Saturdays: a toy on the first, breakfast groceries on the second.
The big public evening is open to everyone. The smaller morning event requires registration, gives residents a two-week head start and turns away walk-ins. Both feed the same local giving effort.
The market season closes this Saturday
The last item before the holidays is the Montgomery Farmers Market's final Saturday of 2026. The market's posted season runs Saturdays from May 2 through October 31, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the Montgomery Elementary School parking lot at 9609 Montgomery Road. The Montgomery Farmers Market schedule doesn't list a winter or holiday market. So this Halloween morning is the last regular market Saturday until spring, and the next big gathering on Montgomery Road is five weeks away. The first date to mark in between is November 4.
November 4 is when the planning starts
Breakfast with Santa is a pancake breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 12, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Terwilliger Lodge, 10530 Deerfield Road. The city's event page says plainly that registration is required and walk-ins can't be accepted.
The sign-up runs in two windows:
- Wednesday, November 4, 9 a.m. Registration opens to Montgomery residents.
- Wednesday, November 18, 9 a.m. Registration opens to non-residents.
- Saturday, December 12, 8 to 11 a.m. Breakfast at Terwilliger Lodge.
Residents get exactly fourteen days before the breakfast opens to everyone else. The two openings fall on the same weekday at the same hour, so it's easy to set a reminder.
The money goes somewhere specific. All proceeds benefit the Holiday Family Fund, which supports local families in need. Guests are also asked to bring non-perishable breakfast foods for Operation Give Back. Remember that name, because it shows up again a week earlier.
December 5 runs at five addresses in one evening
Holiday in the Village is the city's main holiday event. It isn't really one event. It's five programs running at once across the Heritage District and Montgomery Quarter, and the whole thing is over by 8 p.m.
| Time | Where | What's there |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 5:30 p.m. | Neuilly Plaisance Fountain, downtown Montgomery | Holiday tree lighting with a countdown and carolers in Victorian costume |
| 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Historic Universalist Church, Montgomery and Remington Roads | North Pole Workshops: Santa, Mrs. Claus' Workshop crafts, horse-and-carriage rides, a stage photo stop, coloring contest entries, hot chocolate |
| Evening | Bethesda North Hospital | "All Aboard!" holiday model train displays and the train team, free hot chocolate and a free gift for children |
| Evening | Twin Lakes Davies Center | "Crafting Holiday Cheer," a keepsake craft with festive music and treats |
| 5 to 8 p.m. | Montgomery Quarter Park, listed by the city at 9260 Montgomery Road | "Winter Magic": a snow-globe group photo, inflatables for kids, decorated classic Model A cars, and a toy drive |
The order matters if you have small children. The tree lighting gets only half an hour, from 5 to 5:30, and the North Pole Workshops open right as it ends. The intended path runs from the fountain to the church. Winter Magic stays open until 8, half an hour after the workshops close, so Montgomery Quarter Park is the natural last stop of the night. Montgomery Quarter's own event page lists Winter Magic as part of Holiday in the Village, not as a separate event, and the Quarter's calendar shows no separate skating, market or light display programming for November or December.
So this Saturday works differently from most December weekends. It's one short window, and the Heritage District and Montgomery Quarter are split into stations on the same evening rather than competing for it.
Where to land after the tree
If the evening ends with adults wanting dinner and a screen, the newest option on the strip is Varsity Sports at 9386 Montgomery Road. Brian Danner is listed as owner and manager, and the site describes the address as the old Napa site. Local 12 carried the Cincinnati Business Courier's report that Varsity opened June 17 in the former Napa Kitchen + Bar space, which closed in 2024. The report describes a 14-month buildout and a hiring target of 30 to 40 staff. The Cincinnati Business Courier put the space at 6,500 square feet with 142 seats. The restaurant's own site promotes a game-day menu, a full bar with an extensive wine list, beer, live music and big-screen sports. December 5 will be the first Holiday in the Village with Varsity open in that building.
What the two Saturdays collect
Read the December 5 and December 12 listings next to each other and one name appears on both: Operation Give Back.
- December 5, Winter Magic at Montgomery Quarter Park. Bring a toy. The city's listing ties the donation to Operation Give Back.
- December 12, Breakfast with Santa at Terwilliger Lodge. Bring non-perishable breakfast foods for Operation Give Back. Registration proceeds go to the Holiday Family Fund.
The free evening collects toys and the ticketed morning collects food and registration money, a week apart, for the same local effort. A household that goes to both events can cover two of the season's asks with nothing more than a toy, a bag of pancake mix or cereal, and a registration done on the morning of November 4.
The asks are simple to prepare. The toy can be bought anytime before December 5 and kept in the car for the park. The breakfast items can go into the same grocery run as your own holiday baking. Neither event's listing names a minimum or a specific item beyond the categories above, so you can give as much or as little as suits you.
The Sundays after are for music
Each of those Saturdays is followed by a Sunday evening concert. Together they give the season a weekly rhythm: a family event on Saturday, then music on Sunday night.
Sunday, December 6. The BAMSO Kindel Memorial Holiday Concert is free and runs 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Sycamore Junior High School, 5757 Cooper Road. That's the night after Holiday in the Village, which makes it an easy second outing for families who were out late on Saturday and would rather sit for an evening.
Sunday, December 13. The city's Live at the Uni series hosts a holiday concert with Mandy Gaines from 7 to 8 p.m. at the historic Universalist Church. Admission is free, with voluntary donations appreciated, and the city's page carries a registration link marked November 11. That's the same building at Montgomery and Remington Roads that hosts Santa, Mrs. Claus' Workshop and the carriage rides eight days earlier. On the first Saturday of December the Universalist Church is a children's workshop, and the next Sunday evening it's a concert hall.
Here's the full run in order:
- Saturday, October 31: final Montgomery Farmers Market of 2026
- Wednesday, November 4, 9 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa registration opens to residents
- Wednesday, November 11: registration date listed for Live at the Uni with Mandy Gaines
- Wednesday, November 18, 9 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa registration opens to non-residents
- Saturday, December 5, 5 to 8 p.m.: Holiday in the Village; bring a toy to Winter Magic
- Sunday, December 6, 7 p.m.: BAMSO Kindel Memorial Holiday Concert
- Saturday, December 12, 8 to 11 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa; bring breakfast foods
- Sunday, December 13, 7 p.m.: Live at the Uni with Mandy Gaines
Breakfast with Santa is the one event the city says turns away walk-ins, and resident registration for it opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4.
If you're hosting family in Montgomery for the holidays and want your home ready for guests before December 5, The Julia Wesselkamper Group is happy to share the staging and presentation ideas we use with our own listings, whether that's a front entry for carolers or a dining room set for a crowd. Contact Us when you're ready to talk it through.
