The first holiday event on La Grange Park's 2026 calendar happens inside a taproom. On Wednesday, December 2, from 4 to 9 p.m., Hop District Community Brewing Co. at 23 E. 31st St. hosts its 4th Annual Hop District Winter Market. Two days later the Village lights its tree in Memorial Park. The next morning the Community Park District serves Breakfast with Santa.
The Park District's last big holiday event is Santa Home Visits on Tuesday, December 15, when Santa stops at individual houses at a time set with each family.
A brewery, the Village and the Park District each run their own events, and the first four fall within the first five days of December. The scheduled events end at the front door on the 15th, and the lights in Memorial Park stay on through January 2.
The Week at a Glance
| Date | Event | Time | Where | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Dec. 2 | 4th Annual Hop District Winter Market | 4 to 9 p.m. | Hop District, 23 E. 31st St. | Hop District Community Brewing Co. |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Winter/Spring resident registration opens | All day | Online | Community Park District |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Village Tree Lighting Ceremony | 6 to 7 p.m. | Memorial Park Amphitheater, 132 W. Oak Ave. | Village of La Grange Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Breakfast with Santa | See registration | See registration | Community Park District |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Calling All Wannabe Santa Paws! | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Listed as La Grange | Listed on the Chamber calendar |
| Dec. 1 through Jan. 2 | Holiday in the Park lights | Dusk to dawn | Memorial Park | Community Park District |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | Santa Home Visits | Scheduled per family | Your home | Community Park District |
Wednesday Belongs to a Brewery That's Only Four Years Old
Hop District sits at the northwest corner of 31st Street and Meadowcrest Road. The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark reported that the brewery and taproom opened in 2022 and marked their first anniversary there in May 2023.
Patch identified Jim Koblish and Shayne Hansen as the brewery's owners in February 2022. The Landmark reported that Koblish started distilling in 2009 and brewing beer in 2013, well before the taproom opened.
In that same 2023 article, the Landmark described the brewery as "an IPA and lager-focused craft brewery" that also made sours, imperial stouts and seasonal beers. At the time, its food came through partnerships with Mattone Restaurant and Bar, a short walk west, and El Pollo Food Truck on weekends. On its own website, Hop District calls itself family-owned and community-focused, with a taproom and beer garden built as gathering spaces.
This year's market rules come from the brewery's call for vendors. It accepted adult vendors only, selling original items, and the brewery wrote "nothing resale." Applications were due Monday, October 26. Hop District says this year's market will be "our best yet." Because only original work was accepted, the tables will hold things made by the people selling them, and the market runs late enough on a Wednesday for a stop after work.
Something else is changing on the same corner. In her Fall 2026 letter, Park District Executive Director Jessica Cannaday wrote that significant landscaping and hardscaping work was finished at the Meadowcrest property, and that the district is planning to demolish the building there.
Friday Moves the Crowd to the Amphitheater
The 2026 Tree Lighting Ceremony is Friday, December 4, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Park Amphitheater, 132 W. Oak Ave. The Village calls it a free, family-friendly evening with caroling, hot chocolate and "plenty of holiday cheer."
The 2026 date is one day earlier on the calendar than last year's. The 2025 lighting was on Friday, December 5, at Memorial Park, and this year's listing names the Amphitheater as the spot.
The lighting is also the start of something longer. The Park District's Fall 2026 brochure lists Holiday in the Park, which keeps Memorial Park lit from dusk to dawn from December 1 through January 2. The brochure calls the Village's Tree Lighting a "special highlight" early in the season. The lights go on three days before the ceremony, and the park stays lit for about four weeks after it. Any evening walk through Memorial Park in December comes with the display.
Daytime visitors will see a park that has changed since last winter. Cannaday's letter says the Memorial Park sport courts were resurfaced this summer and new pollinator gardens were planted.
Saturday Is Breakfast, and Thursday Decides Who Gets a Seat
On Saturday, December 5, the Community Park District holds Breakfast with Santa. The Village's Fall 2026 newsletter announced it under the heading "Breakfast With Santa Returns!" and said it "was a hit last year." Registration includes a full-course breakfast, holiday crafts and a photo with Santa. The price is per person.
Last year's breakfast was on Saturday, December 6, at the Recreation Center, 1501 Barnsdale Road, and Santa Paws was held there the same day. For 2026, find the time, location and price on the Community Park District's registration page.
The date to circle comes two days before the breakfast. Winter/Spring resident registration opens Thursday, December 3, and nonresident registration follows on Thursday, December 10. So the first week of December is also when families sign up for the Park District's winter and spring programs.
The Recreation Center is busy outside the holidays too. Cannaday's letter reports "significant progress" on its expansion, and says staff are already planning a catalog of new programs for the larger building.
December 15 Is the Doorstep
The week's events draw people out to 31st Street and Memorial Park. Ten days later the Park District sends Santa to them. Santa Home Visits are set for Tuesday, December 15, and the brochure spells out how they work:
- The visit costs $30 and is open to La Grange Park residents only.
- Santa sets a time with each family, and the visit runs about 10 minutes.
- One family is booked per visit.
- Any gifts for Santa to hand out go to him when he arrives or get left on the front step beforehand.
- Families get an email with instructions about a week before the visit.
- The Park District notes that spots fill up quickly.
The Park District also does more of its work at the neighborhood level. The nearly $2 million renovation of Yena Park was finished this summer and the park is open. The grand reopening celebration is set for spring. Robinhood and Stone Monroe Parks both got new surfacing. A December walk to one of those parks covers ground that has changed since last winter.
Where to Eat Between Stops
The road from the brewery to the park has some places to stop. Jimmy's Bagels at 716 E. 31st St. opened in November 2025, so this is its second holiday season on the street. On the same stretch, Cork Keg & Spirits at 1000 E. 31st St. has a refreshed façade with a new metal-panel canopy and updated soffits. Its Beach Avenue side was also repaired and improved.
The Village's Fall 2026 newsletter announced three more names for the village's shopping centers:
- The Little Gym at Village Market, in the former Wheel Thing space. The Wheel Thing is moving to a storefront on the Sherwood Road side of the same center.
- Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming at Village Market.
- Michael's Pancake House at Plaza 31.
A pancake house at Plaza 31 and a dog bakery at Village Market would fit the Saturday after the tree lighting, with breakfast and Santa Paws on the same day.
If you want to plan all of December around the calendar above, the holiday weekends are good for that and so are the Tuesdays. If you have questions for the Anne Monckton Group about La Grange Park, or about a move you're considering in the new year, book an appointment and we'll find a time that fits around Breakfast with Santa.
