The City of Brentwood's official holiday season fits into one building and one week. Santa comes to the John P. Holt Brentwood Library on Saturday, December 5. The tree on the library lawn lights up two days later.
The biggest night of the season doesn't take place on Concord Road at all. On Saturday, December 12, Neighborhood Luminaries happens street by street. The city picks the date, and each homeowners association plans everything else. The city runs the small, ticketed events, and your neighbors run the big one. How Brentwood looks that Saturday night depends on what your own HOA decided back in the fall.
The library hosts everything the city runs
The city's holiday events begin and end at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library on Concord Road. Both days revolve around kids, and both had a ticketed piece that's already been handed out.
Saturday, December 5: Morning with Santa. Santa is at the library from 9 to 11 a.m. Magician Scott Humston performs at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. The city's Fall 2026 City Update lists treats, prize drawings, crafts and a station for writing letters to Santa. Seeing Santa is free. The magic shows need a free ticket.
Monday, December 7: Merry & Bright tree lighting. The city's event page promises festive fables, a choir sing-along and a countdown to the lighting at 5:30 p.m. The Friends of the Brentwood Library serve hot chocolate on the way out to the lawn. The library's calendar lists Polar Express readings at 4 and 5 p.m. that afternoon.
The library handed out tickets for both the magic shows and the Polar Express readings in one session. It started at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 8, ran while supplies lasted, and limited each family to tickets for members of its own household. If you missed that session, the walk-up parts of both days are still open to everyone: Santa's visit and the crafts on the 5th, and the lawn, the choir and the countdown on the 7th.
The dates shifted, and the times didn't
Brentwood ties these events to the calendar rather than to fixed dates. Morning with Santa is on the first Saturday in December, and luminaries night is on the second Saturday. Because of that, every date moved this year while the start times stayed put.
| Event | 2025 | 2026 | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning with Santa | Sat., Dec. 6 | Sat., Dec. 5 | 9 to 11 a.m. |
| Merry & Bright tree lighting | Mon., Dec. 1 | Mon., Dec. 7 | Lighting at 5:30 p.m. |
| Neighborhood Luminaries | Sat., Dec. 13 | Sat., Dec. 12 | Dusk to 9 p.m. |
The tree lighting moved the most. Last year it was the first thing on the city's December calendar, on Monday, December 1. This year it comes two days after Santa's visit. That puts the city's two library events in a single short stretch, five days before luminaries night.
The night the city hands to your street
Neighborhood Luminaries is set up differently from everything else on the city's calendar. The city's luminaries page says it plainly: "The city sets the date, but each Homeowner Association plans the details."
The city's part is short. Luminaries night is always the second Saturday in December, from dusk until 9 p.m., with glow sticks or flameless candles encouraged for safety. If the weather turns, the backup is the second Sunday, which falls on December 13 this year. Each neighborhood handles the rest, usually through its HOA, including the final call on whether to postpone.
That last rule means two subdivisions a mile apart could hold luminaries on different nights if the weather turns. One might go ahead on Saturday while the other waits for Sunday. Where to buy luminaries, whose driveway gets which bags, and whether the street lines both sides are all neighborhood decisions too. Two Brentwood streets can look completely different on December 12, and neither is doing it wrong.
The city has already set the dates through 2028, so HOA planners can work ahead:
- Saturday, December 12, 2026
- Saturday, December 11, 2027
- Saturday, December 9, 2028
If you're new to your neighborhood, your HOA's newsletter or board is the place to find out how your street handles the night and who makes the weather call. Brentwood's December plan treats the HOA as part of the event's organizing team.
What fills the rest of the month
Once luminaries night is over, the city has nothing else on its December calendar. The rest of the month's events come from other organizations, and two of them are in Brentwood.
Brentwood Baptist's "Emmanuel: A Brentwood Christmas Concert" brings the church's choir and orchestra together for five performances the weekend after luminaries:
- Friday, December 18, at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, December 19, at 3 and 6 p.m.
- Sunday, December 20, at 3 and 6 p.m.
Tickets cost $7, and part of the proceeds goes to GraceWorks Ministries. Tickets went on sale October 18, according to Brentwood Baptist's concert page.
Ravenswood Mansion at 1825 Wilson Pike, the city-owned house in Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, has been lit for the holidays starting the first week of December. Last year the city suggested it for small holiday gatherings and outdoor photos. Brentwood Journal's holiday guide, updated November 1, lists the lights for the same early-December window this year. Inside, the mansion's holiday page says the house is decorated for Christmas, and it rents for holiday parties by the full day, the half day or the hour.
Put together, the library holds the first weekend and the Monday after it, the concert holds the third weekend, and on the second Saturday your own street is the main event.
Your Brentwood December, in order
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| First week of December | Holiday lights at Ravenswood | 1825 Wilson Pike |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Morning with Santa, 9 to 11 a.m. | John P. Holt Brentwood Library |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. | Library lawn, Concord Road |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Neighborhood Luminaries, dusk to 9 p.m. | Your neighborhood |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Luminaries rain date, if your HOA calls it | Your neighborhood |
| Fri.–Sun., Dec. 18–20 | "Emmanuel" Christmas concert | Brentwood Baptist |
The library events need the least planning, since the walk-up parts are free and open to anyone who shows up. Luminaries need the most, and that planning happens in your neighborhood before December 12 arrives. Brentwood's Fall 2026 City Update also tells families to follow the library's social media for ticket updates and the city's website for any changes to the tree lighting program.
If your HOA calendar and your holiday plans are already filling up, Bobbi Jo knows Brentwood's neighborhoods street by street. She's happy to talk through what a move this winter or next spring might look like, whether or not your street lines its driveways on luminaries night. Let's find your way HOM. Reach out to Bobbi Jo Barnes for hands-on help today.
