On the day after Thanksgiving, the Elm Street parking lot becomes an ice rink. The City of Summit hands out free skates, starts a new session every half hour and lights bonfires next to the spaces where cars usually park. At 5 p.m. the Summit Fire Department brings Santa to the Village Green for the tree lighting.

The next morning, the season moves to the storefronts. A week later it moves to the hill on Hobart Avenue, and after that to the stages. Summit's holidays aren't one big night. Several organizers pass the season along over consecutive weekends, and each sets its own entry rules. Some events need no registration, some run during store hours, and some need a ticket. Almost everything on the calendar is free or close to it. The tickets that sold out first were the Arboretum's, including every seat next to Santa.

The warm-up before the lights go on

Before the tree lighting, there's a 21-and-over warm-up. Reeves-Reed Arboretum's After Hours Friendsgiving runs Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and include one drink and light bites, and there's a cash bar for anything beyond that.

Thanksgiving itself runs through a few downtown kitchens. TAPinto Summit reported that Aubrey's Corner at 527 Morris Ave. is offering holiday takeout packages from executive chef Michael Feinberg. They come in sizes for 8 to 10 or 12 to 15 people, and the menu includes Noni's Lasagna and French onion soup next to the traditional dishes. Orders close Friday, Nov. 20. For eating out, Winberie's at 2 Kent Place Blvd. is serving a Thanksgiving buffet on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and reservations are required.

If you plan to pick up a stack of library books for the long weekend, go early. Summit Public Library closes at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and stays closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Friday belongs to the City, and the stage is a parking lot

Miracle on Elm Street is the City's event. It runs Friday, Nov. 27, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the Elm Street parking lot and on the Village Green at 356 Broad Street. It's free, Summit PAL sponsors it, and the City's listing describes the skating this way:

"All members of the community are invited to attend this free event and enjoy ice skating in the Elm Street parking lot; skates will be provided free of charge. Skating sessions will be held every half hour; no pre-registration required."

The afternoon also includes hot beverages, cookie decorating and music and entertainment acts on the Village Green's main stage. Mayor Fagan lights the tree at 5 p.m., and photos with Santa follow. Questions go to the Summit Department of Community Programs at 908-277-2932.

The Friday slot matters because of what comes next. The City's event ends at dusk, the day before downtown's biggest shopping day. So the tree is already lit when the shops open Saturday morning.

Saturday moves to the storefronts and stays there through December

Summit Downtown Inc. takes over on Saturday, Nov. 28, with Small Business Saturday. It runs during participating store hours, and SDI lists free parking, in-store events, live music and horse-and-wagon rides.

The same day starts two things that last longer than one weekend:

• Carriages and Carolers runs on four Saturdays: Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, 12 and 19. SDI's page lists boarding at Lyric Park, on the corner of Bank Street and Beechwood Road, with 17 Beechwood Road for GPS. Rides run from 1 to 4 p.m., and the line is cut off by 3:30 so the horse can leave on time. The music has included strolling brass players, DJ Mr. Socks and Street Sounds musicians playing holiday standards. SDI marks all of it as subject to change, and the page says this year's performer lineup will be posted the week of Thanksgiving.
• The HillTop Elf scavenger hunt runs from Nov. 28 through Jan. 5, 2027. It doesn't require a purchase, and completed forms are due Jan. 5.

Downtown is the only part of the season that repeats. The City's night happens once and the Arboretum's open house happens once. The wagon rides come back every Saturday until the weekend before Christmas, and the elf hunt carries into the new year. If Nov. 28 doesn't work for your family, three more Saturdays will.

The shops along those Saturday routes are a mix of long-established and new. TAPinto's Nov. 3 roundup names The Red Balloon at 386 Springfield Ave., which has sold children's clothing and gifts for more than four decades. It also names Maison 53 at 340 Springfield Ave. and Loblolly Curated Home & Gift at 42 Maple St. The Cashmere Sale has its seasonal shop back inside The Wine List at 417 Springfield Ave. through Sunday, Dec. 20. The same story lists Glow Storytime at 18 Bank St., Drench Pilates at 19 Beechwood Road and Manhattan Wellness at 467 Springfield Ave. among the newer businesses downtown. Glow Storytime offers interactive book, music and movement classes for infants and preschoolers. Its location is a short walk from the Lyric Park boarding spot.

A week later, the Arboretum charges $10 and Santa is already booked

The third organizer has the strictest gate. Reeves-Reed Arboretum's Holiday Open House 2026 is Sunday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for members and nonmembers alike, and children under 12 get in free.

Here's what the $10 covers:

1. A Sip & Shop Holiday Market with boutique vendors and a complimentary holiday cocktail
2. The Festival of Trees, decorated by area businesses and organizations, where visitors vote for a favorite
3. The Woodland Winter Story Walk, Candy Cane Lane and a Winter Craft for kids
4. Live carolers
5. A raffle for a lifetime family membership to the Arboretum

The trees go up the day before. The Arboretum lists tree sponsorship and decorating on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its Holiday Splendor tour on Friday, Dec. 4, is already sold out.

Cookies, cocoa and photos with Santa in the historic Wisner House are also sold out. All nine sessions on Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. through 3:30 p.m., are booked. They cost $35 per pose for members and $40 for nonmembers, and a Santa booking included free entry to the open house. Even so, families without a Santa slot still have a full afternoon for $10, and children under 12 pay nothing. If you'd rather have a free Santa photo, the City's Friday event offers one right after the tree lighting on the Village Green. The Arboretum asks Santa guests to leave extra time for parking and the walk to Wisner House. That's good advice for anyone on a busy open-house Sunday.

The stages share the first two weekends of December

The stages open the same weekend as the Arboretum. According to New Jersey Stage, the Summit Playhouse's Kaleidoscope Youth Theatre stages Annie JR. from Dec. 4 to 13 at 10 New England Ave. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The same listing has Vivid Stage's holiday variety show, A Very Special Special, on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. at the Oakes Center.

The shows overlap with downtown. A Saturday Annie JR. matinee at 2 p.m. falls during the carriage-ride window on Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. Dec. 12 can fill a whole day, with wagon rides at Lyric Park in the afternoon and Vivid Stage at the Oakes Center at 8.

On weekdays, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey lists "Healing Through Creativity: Music & Art" on Tuesday, Dec. 15, from noon to 1 p.m.

The season on one page

The library's December schedule is short on the holidays too. Summit Public Library closes at 1 p.m. on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 and is closed on Christmas Day.

At the Stephanie Mallios Team, we keep track of Summit's calendar from the Village Green to Hobart Avenue the same way we track its streets. If you're thinking about how a home near downtown or the Arboretum fits the way your family spends these weekends, schedule a personal market consultation and we'll talk it through with you.