We kick off the season November 9 with a members-only Marilyn and Ben Weber Family Christmas Pyramid lighting event from 6-9pm in the crowd-favorite Christmas Village. This event is your first chance to see the entire Holiday at the Arboretum experience this year.  

Our Pauline and Austin Neuhoff Family Christmas Village is an attraction unparalleled in the city. Santa Claus has his own house and a sleigh for photo opportunities. He is with us select nights in November and then after Thanksgiving he will be here every night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. In addition, we’re offering exclusive private photo opportunities with Santa for the entire family throughout the festival with Ivey Photography. 

Our German-built authentic Christmas Pyramid includes animation on every level and returns along with our tavern for festive food and drinks with our biergarten and performance area featuring live entertainment and special events throughout the season.  

Then, on Thursday, November 10, Holiday at the Arboretum kicks off during the day and at night continuing throughout the season for everyone. In addition, we’ll officially open the Artistry of Faith & Culture display in the DeGolyer House this evening with special guests and the community members that helped bring our exhibit to life.  

Holiday at the Arboretum also features the return of our Dazzling Musical Tree, a fifty-foot-tall tree animated with over 42 thousand lights and merry holiday tunes, presented on the hour, each half hour of the day and evening on the Martin Rutchik Concert Stage. 

The Dazzling Musical Tree is joined by our much loved 12 Days of Christmas gazebos, which include updated characters as well. Stroll the entire main garden with the entire family, as the beloved holiday song is brought to life by our spectacular Victorian-style, animated exhibit. 

The gazebos come to life at night, daily beginning November 9 from 6-9pm, except for Thanksgiving Day (closed) and December 24 (open daytime only). We invite you to enjoy our holiday tradition, featuring over a million lights throughout the Arboretum, trimming the historic homes and our 30-foot-tall spruce tree in the center of the garden. 

Day 1: Partridge in a Pear Tree

The Pear Tree has gold branches sprinkled with rhinestones, green mirrored leaves, and gold, rhinestone encrusted pears. The partridge sits “center stage,” intricately painted and adorned with rhinestones. The tree revolves with the partridge in it.

Day 2: Two Turtle Doves

The Two Turtle Doves cuddles on an arrow that pierces a heart-shaped cage suspended from the roof of the gazebo. The feather-tailed turtle doves are intricately painted and covered with rhinestones. The outer cage of crystal beading is decorated with fleur de lis banding on top and bottom.

Day 3: Three French Hens

Day three reflects the native countryside of the Three French Hens. White and gold oval French mirrors bolster Victorian perches for the hens, and this base turns. The hens, black-and-white with red accents,sits in gold straw nests.

Day 4: Four Calling Birds

The Four Calling Birds sit on filigreed, jeweled, Victorian hanging bird perches within an inner oval cage made of iridescent bead strands. The calling birds are multi-colored, with feather plumes and long tails.

Day 5: Five Golden Rings

The Five Golden Rings feature a Victorian circus with a ceiling draped in red and white fabric to mimic a circus tent. The center circus ring has a pedestal with oval mirrors on which a white bear wearing a vest and collar balancing a spinning gold ring on his nose. The bear is surrounded by four seals wearing ruffled collars that are seated and balancing spinning bedazzled gold rings on their noses.

Day 6: Six Geese A-Laying

The Six Geese A-Laying is set in a snow-covered forest. Snow-flocked trees of varying sizes sit on a mirrored floor that turns. Snow and rhinestone “rocks” are piled high around the edges of the gazebo. Two geese are sitting on nests, two are standing in their nests to reveal golden eggs, and two are nested in the trees. The geese have feathered and rhinestones heads and necks, and feathered bodies.

Day 7: Seven Swans A-Swimming

The seven swans float in a snowy, ice crystal palace. The gazebo feature a pond with a tiered fountain and frozen water and icicles in the center of a mirror, or “frozen” pond. The swans, six white and one with black feathers with small crowns on their heads, are around the fountain.

Day 8: Eight Maids-A-Milking

This gazebo feature a truly spectacular English barn divided into four wedge-shaped stalls. There are four intricately painted cows and four beautifully costumed maids sitting on stools while milking. Four other maids are carrying pails.

Day 9: Nine Ladies Dancing

Nine Ladies Dancing feature a Victorian ballroom. The ladies are costumed in beautiful Victorian beaded gowns and have elegant period hair styles. All of them move around the gazebo, and four make complete turns.

Day 10: Ten Lords A-Leaping

This gazebo features ten ice-skating lords. The mirrored floor is a frozen pond. The lords are dressed in Victorian outerwear and ice skates, and all will be skating.

Day 11: Eleven Pipers Piping

The pipers are dressed as Scottish bagpipe players in red and green tartan plaid. Each piper plays bagpipes. The ceiling is draped in green and red tartan to match the pipers’ kilts, and a circle of horns adorned with roping and tassels will suspend from the ceiling over the pipe major. The pipers also move in this gazebo.

Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming

This gazebo is a spectacular choice to the exhibit. The drummers are dressed in white pants with red and gold piping, red jackets and red hats with gold trim. They move in concentric circles, with one set moving clockwise and another set moving counterclockwise.