At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 7, the lawn of the John P. Holt Brentwood Library at 8109 Concord Road will host the city's "Merry & Bright" tree lighting. Before it there is a 4:45 p.m. reading of The Polar Express, and there will be hot chocolate and choir singing. The lights come on almost a full week later than last year. Most of the free holiday events that need a ticket are run from this one building, and in recent years their tickets have come from a service desk inside, weeks before anyone is thinking about December.
December 1 Falls on a Tuesday, So Everything Shifts
Brentwood's two flagship December events follow fixed weekdays. Merry & Bright is held on the first Monday of December, and the City of Brentwood calls Morning with Santa its annual visit on the first Saturday of December. In 2026, December starts on a Tuesday. That pushes both events to the latest dates those rules allow.
| Event | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning with Santa | Saturday, Dec. 7 | Saturday, Dec. 6 | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
| Merry & Bright tree lighting | Monday, Dec. 2 | Monday, Dec. 1 | Monday, Dec. 7 |
| Polar Express readings | One, at 4:45 p.m., sold out | Two, at 3:45 and 4:45 p.m. | One, at 4:45 p.m. |
The order changes too. In 2024 and 2025 the tree lighting came first and Santa followed that weekend. This year Santa comes first, on Saturday the 5th, and the tree lighting follows on Monday the 7th. Taken together, the library's two biggest public events fall within three days of each other in the same week.
The Scarce Seats Are Handed Out in November
Ticket pickup has stayed in November in past years, whatever the December dates. Both events have a limited part that needs a free ticket, and in past years those tickets came from the library's Children's Service Desk in early to mid November.
For Morning with Santa, admission is free, but the City's Fall 2026 City Update says free tickets are required for the magic show and asks families to follow the library's social media for ticket updates. Magician Scott Humston returns for shows at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Santa visits from 9 to 11 a.m., with treats, prize drawings, crafts and a station for writing letters to Santa. Humston played the same three time slots in 2024, according to FranklinIs, so this is a format the library has repeated.
Past release dates give a sense of timing:
- 2024: magic-show tickets were available at the Children's Services Desk starting Monday, November 11.
- 2025: the City's holiday announcement listed passes from November 9 at 2 p.m. The City's standing Holiday Events page said November 7.
- 2026: no release date had been posted as of late October. The City's 2026 event listing gives the date and hours only.
In both prior years, tickets went out about four weeks before the event. If 2026 follows that pattern, pickup starts this week or next.
The Polar Express reading has even fewer seats. Williamson Source reported that the 2024 reading sold out. For 2025 the city added a second reading at 3:45 p.m. The 2026 listing advertises only one reading, at 4:45 p.m. Brentwood Journal's holiday guide, updated October 18, says a limited number of reading tickets will be available from the Children's Service Desk in early November. That puts this year's seats back at the 2024 level, the year they sold out. The City's newsletter asks residents to check its website and social media channels for program updates.
The singers change each year. The 2024 lighting featured the Ravenwood High School Choir, and 2025 brought the Brentwood Academy Singers. The 2026 listing says only that there will be choir singing.
The Library's Adult Programs Run Before and After the City Events
The building that hosts Santa and the tree lighting also runs its own holiday series for adults, and it starts well before December. These events are on the Brentwood Library calendar, and most need registration:
- Thursday, November 12, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. "The Frick Presents: Gilded Age Holiday Traditions," a talk by a historian from The Frick Pittsburgh in the Program Room. The calendar teases questions such as when the first Christmas card was sent and why people kept a bucket of water nearby when they lit their trees. Registration is open.
- Thursday, December 3, 1 to 4 p.m. or 6 to 9 p.m. Card Making Workshop. Participants hand-make three holiday cards with stamps, led by Laura Palmieri, who has been making handmade cards and gifts for 22 years. There are afternoon and evening sessions, and both require registration.
- Tuesday, December 15, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The 11th Annual Cookie Exchange. Each participant brings five dozen of one kind of cookie, and the batches are divided so everyone leaves with a full tray. Registration is required.
Because of the later tree lighting, this year's card workshops fall just two days before Morning with Santa. Anyone who wants handmade cards in the mail before the Santa and tree-lighting week has one afternoon or one evening to make them, and both sessions require registration now.
Two Dates Away From Concord Road
Two events happen elsewhere. Both shape the weeks around the library's calendar.
On Wednesday, November 11, at 11 a.m., the City holds its free Veterans Day ceremony at Brentwood Police Headquarters, 910 Heritage Way. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Scholes is the keynote speaker. In 2024, magic-show tickets went out on that same date, so a single trip into town that morning could cover both.
On Saturday, December 12, from 6 to 9 p.m., Neighborhood Luminaries returns. The event happens in Brentwood's subdivisions, not at a single venue. Per the Fall 2026 City Update, the city sets the date, each homeowners association plans the details, and for safety the city suggests glow sticks or flameless candles. The rain date is Sunday, December 13, and each neighborhood, usually through its HOA, decides whether to postpone. Because the city lets each neighborhood decide on postponement, streets can light up on different nights if the weather turns. Your HOA's notice is the one to watch.
Breakfast at Brentwood Place, Once It Opens
The one new restaurant on the horizon for the season is at Brentwood Place. Big Bad Breakfast is coming to 330 Franklin Pike Road, Suite 226-B, in the former Ludlow & Prime space. Williamson Source reported on October 13 that the sign was up but no opening date had been confirmed. As of late October, the restaurant's own Brentwood page still read "Coming Soon" and listed no hours. If it opens by December 5, it will be a short drive from the library for breakfast after Morning with Santa, which ends at 11 a.m. Until it posts hours, plan breakfast that morning somewhere else.
December logistics work the same way as those library tickets, and they are easier to settle in early November, whether that's a move date, a house guest's arrival or getting the house ready before family comes into town. If your holiday plans include a move or a property you're preparing, Stutts Miller Properties can help you work out the timing. Request a private consultation.
