The Lilac Post calls October Lilacia Park's quiet month. It says the park has two reputations, and only the May one is earned in October. On Saturday, December 5, the Lombard Park District lights the park for the holidays, and that evening is not run by one organization. The Park District's own schedule lists more than a dozen hosts, each running its own piece of the evening on its own hours. They include churches, a funeral home, the library, the Historical Society, the Chamber and a handful of local businesses.
That shared setup decides how the season works. Jingle Bell Jubilee is less a single event than a set of start and end times spread over several downtown blocks. A free trolley loops through it, and the tree lighting is set for 5:30 p.m. Before then, November gives you a few weeks to clear the yard and get rid of the porch pumpkins.
November clears the decks
Fall cleanup in Lombard runs on two Village-backed dates, and both have rules worth knowing before you haul anything to the curb.
Free leaf collection, Monday, Nov. 2 through Friday, Dec. 11. For those six weeks, the Village picks up unlimited leaves on your regular collection day with no yard-waste stickers, as long as the leaves are in biodegradable paper bags. Brush isn't part of the program and still needs a sticker. The program ends on Dec. 11, the same night the Park District has Santa and roaming carolers in Lilacia Park. That puts the end of cleanup squarely inside the holiday season.
Pumpkin Smash, Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to noon. The Village and Park District hold it at Lombard Common, 433 E. St. Charles Road, in the east parking lot. The pumpkins get composted, which is why the Park District's event page accepts only pumpkins. No excess paint, glitter, googly eyes or candles, because those contaminate the compost. The event partners are:
- Lombard Junior Women's Club
- Lombard Park District
- Village of Lombard
- Kiwanis Club
- Waste Management
- SCARCE
Painted or glittered jack-o'-lanterns from Halloween don't qualify. Plain ones carved for the front step do.
November's one indoor date comes from Helen Plum Library at 411 S. Main St. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 7 to 8 p.m., lecturer Joyce Haworth presents "Thanksgiving: Anatomy of a Holiday," an adult program. It's the only Thanksgiving-themed program on the calendar before the downtown holiday events take over.
December 5, sorted by who's hosting
The Jingle Bell Jubilee page reads like a guest list. Jingles the Reindeer "invites you" to join the Park District, the Village, the Lombard Chamber of Commerce, and a group of churches, businesses and civic groups. Those include Calvary Church, Lombard Bible Church, the Lombard Historical Society, Helen Plum Library, First United Methodist, First Church of Lombard United Church of Christ, Brust Funeral Home, MOTW Coffee, Soapy Roads and Maple Street Chapel.
Each one runs its own window. Here's the schedule the Park District has posted, sorted by start time:
| Time | Host | What's there |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00–6:00 pm | Helen Plum Library | Wintery photobooth, Holiday Lights glasses while supplies last; Youth Services scavenger hunt, craft and snowy princesses 2:00–4:30; Eastwind Vocal Ensemble from Glenbard East at 3:30 and 4:30 |
| 2:00–7:00 pm | Brust Funeral Home | Holiday open house with hot cider, Grandma Brust cookies, letters to Santa, model train set |
| 4:00–8:00 pm | Chamber, The Schiller Team, Downtown | Candy Cane Lane on Park Ave.: food, shopping, carolers, Nutcracker dancers |
| 4:00–8:30 pm | Lombard Historical Society | Victorian Christmas: Gingerbread Way, Carriage House crafts, gingerbread house voting, face painting, Mamie's Toffee & Treats, Canterbury Carolers; tours begin 5:45 |
| 4:30–5:30 pm | First United Methodist Church | Christmas carol sing on the way to Lilacia Park |
| 4:30–6:30 pm | Calvary Church | Annual Cookie Walk, homemade cookies sold by the half-pound |
| 4:30–7:00 pm | Maple Street Chapel | Josiah Reade Ringers handbell choir 4:30–5:00, then the Kilty Pleasure sing-along |
| 4:30–8:30 pm | MOTW Coffee | Signature hot drinks and Kindness Cards, where kids and grown-ups write a note for a family member, teacher or neighbor |
| 5:00–7:00 pm | First Church of Lombard UCC | Hot cider, cookie decorating, a craft |
| 5:30–8:00 pm | Park District and Village | Tree lighting at 5:30, Santa's arrival in Lilacia Park, character photos, cocoa and cookies |
| 6:00–7:00 pm | Lombard Bible Church | Glenbard East Honors Orchestra at 6:00 and 6:30, cocoa and crafts in the gym |
| 6:00–8:00 pm | Soapy Roads | The Makery Bar, with a live artist painting portraits onto keepsake ornaments, plus wine and craft non-alcoholic cocktails |
There's more inside the Park District's Administrative Office at 227 W. Parkside Ave. The Lombard Fire Department will be collecting toys there for its drive, which supports Teen Parent Connection and Toy Express, and Rainbow Cone of Lombard will be handing out samples. The free trolley runs from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Park District says the schedule is subject to change.
The two posted schedules give different hours for Candy Cane Lane. The Lombard Chamber's listing has the Candy Cane Lane Holiday Market, presented with The Schiller Team, running 3 to 7 p.m. on South Park Avenue between St. Charles Road and the train station. It lists holiday characters, hot cocoa, a photo booth, a food truck and shopping, plus Nutcracker dancers at The Schiller Team office for the whole market. The Park District's version shows 4 to 8. If you're going for the market itself, the Chamber's 3 p.m. start is the earlier of the two.
Why the order matters
Because each host keeps its own hours, the evening rewards planning. Some windows close before others open, and a family that shows up at 5:30 for the tree lighting will have missed several of them.
The early stops are mostly indoors and aimed at kids. Helen Plum's Youth Services activities end at 4:30, and the Eastwind Vocal Ensemble's second set starts right then. Calvary's Cookie Walk closes at 6:30, and First United Methodist's carol sing lasts one hour, 4:30 to 5:30, timed as a walk toward the park. Maple Street Chapel's handbell set is the first half hour of its window.
The later stops run past the lighting. The Historical Society keeps going until 8:30, with house tours starting at 5:45 for anyone holding a tour ticket. Lombard Bible Church's orchestra sets at 6:00 and 6:30 come after Santa arrives. Candy Cane Lane runs in the middle of everything, on Park Avenue between the train station and the park.
Here's one way to string it together, using only the posted times:
- Start at Helen Plum Library before 4:30 for the Youth Services crafts, and catch Eastwind at 3:30 or 4:30.
- Pick up cookies at Calvary or First Church on the way, both open by 5:00.
- Join the First United Methodist carol sing before 5:30 and walk into Lilacia Park for the 5:30 tree lighting.
- Head to the Historical Society for Gingerbread Way and a tour, or catch the orchestra at Lombard Bible Church.
- Finish on Candy Cane Lane, or ride the trolley, which runs until 8:30.
After the Jubilee, the park keeps a weekend rhythm
Once the lights are on, Lilacia Park becomes the Park District's nightly display. The Holiday Lights page describes light shows, decorated trees and a gingerbread house, open daily from 4:30 to 10:00 p.m. The full run is posted on that page.
The Jubilee is one crowded evening. The next three weekends are spread out, with free Santa visits and a rotating set of themes:
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 5:00–7:00 pm: Free visits with Santa; wear your best or ugliest sweater.
- Friday, Dec. 11, 6:00–8:00 pm: Santa and roaming carolers.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 6:00–8:00 pm: Santa, Rudolph and friends; every participant gets a Rudolph red nose.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 5:00–7:00 pm: Santa and Mrs. Claus.
- Friday, Dec. 18, 6:00–8:00 pm: Santa and roaming carolers.
- Saturday, Dec. 19, 6:00–8:00 pm: Santa and the Grinch.
- Sunday, Dec. 20, 5:00–7:00 pm: We Believe Night; every participant gets a bell with their Santa visit.
The Sunday visits run 5 to 7 and the Friday and Saturday visits run 6 to 8. If your family wants a quiet Santa photo without the Jubilee crowd, any of these seven nights will work, and you can pick the theme.
Here's how it lines up on the calendar. The leaf program ends Dec. 11, the second Santa night. The pumpkins are composted a month before the tree goes up. The park's holiday season starts on Dec. 5, with more than a dozen neighbors each keeping their own hours.
At Team Baker, we work in downtown Lombard, a few blocks from Lilacia Park, and we look forward to Jubilee night every year. If you're thinking about a move in the new year, or you just want to talk through what your Lombard home might be worth once the lights come down, we're happy to start that conversation over cocoa. Contact Us.
