Which night is Celina's holiday season? This year, Christmas on the Square is on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Downtown Square. That's a school night and a work night, and it falls a few days after Thanksgiving. Most of December's other events on the city and Chamber calendars fall on the Saturdays after it.
For anyone in Mustang Lakes, December on the square works better as four or five separate trips than as one big night. The calendar is built that way, and the details below show how.
The Season on One Page
These dates come from the City of Celina calendar and the Celina Chamber of Commerce. Everything happens on or around the Downtown Square.
| Date | Day | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 6 | Friday | Friday Night Market | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Nov. 26 | Thursday | Celina Turkey Trot | 7:45 to 10 a.m. on the city calendar |
| Dec. 1 to 24 | Daily | Countdown to Christmas | All day, program not yet posted |
| Dec. 2 | Wednesday | Christmas on the Square | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 5 | Saturday | Celina Gift Tour 2026 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Saturday | Coffee with a Cop | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Saturday | Photos with Reinsteer | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Dec. 19 | Saturday | Photos with Santa | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
After a Friday market and a Thanksgiving morning race in November, December has one weeknight evening, three Saturdays in a row, and a running countdown that covers the whole stretch. The city calendar lists Countdown to Christmas as an all-day series from December 1 through 24. Its own page still reads "Coming Soon," so the daily details haven't been posted yet.
Thanksgiving Morning Opens It
The season starts before the tree goes up. The city calendar has the Celina Turkey Trot on the Downtown Square on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, from 7:45 to 10 a.m. This year the Celina Chamber is fielding its first-ever Team Chamber, and people who register under that team get 25% off. The Chamber's listing gives an 8:30 a.m. start for its team, which doesn't match the city's 7:45 a.m. time. Check with the organizer before you set an alarm.
Before that, the recurring Friday Night Market is on the square on November 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. It isn't billed as a holiday event, but it's an easy evening for early gift shopping.
The Wednesday Night, Hour by Hour
Christmas on the Square is free and runs from 5 to 9 p.m. The 2026 event page currently shows this schedule:
- 5 p.m.: Event starts and shuttles begin running. A Cappella Social Club performs.
- 5:30 p.m.: Steps of Faith Dance Studio
- 6 p.m.: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Youth Choir
- 6:30 p.m.: 3-D Dance Performing Companies
- 7 p.m.: FUMC Celina Christmas Choir & Band
- 7:30 p.m.: Moore Middle School 6th Grade Choir
- 8 p.m.: Tree lighting
- 9 p.m.: Event ends
- 10 p.m.: Last shuttle leaves
That lineup and its times are the same as the 2025 schedule. Until the city updates the page, treat this as the planned schedule and not a final one.
Parking is also still based on last year. The "Find Where to Park" link on the 2026 page goes to the 2025 event page. The 2025 event page listed free park-and-ride shuttles from 5 to 10 p.m. with pickups at GA Moore Middle School and Collin College. The page also pointed people to the downtown parking garage and warned that parking downtown was limited. If the 2026 setup matches, families coming from Mustang Lakes can ride a shuttle in and skip looking for a spot near the square on a weeknight.
Because it's a Wednesday, an 8 p.m. tree lighting is a late night for young kids. One option is to get there at 5, eat dinner on the square, and catch the earlier performances. The Moore Middle School choir at 7:30 and the lighting at 8 can then decide whether you stay late.
Dinner Before the Lights
Most of the places for a pre-lighting dinner are within a block or two of the tree. These restaurants all took part in Celina Restaurant Week, August 21 through September 5, 2026, which means they were open and serving this year:
- Lucy's on the Square, 127 N. Ohio St.
- Mangiamo Italian Market & Deli, 203 W. Pecan St.
- Tender Smokehouse, 224 W. Pecan St.
- Papa Gallo's Mexican Grill, 241 W. Pecan St.
- Valley Vines, 222 W. Walnut St.
- Toasted Walnut Table & Market, 304 W. Walnut St.
- Heyday, 322 W. Walnut St.
- The Wick, 107 S. Colorado St.
For dessert on a cold night, Stella's Ice Cream at 206 N. Louisiana Dr. opened in September 2025, so this is its second Christmas on the Square. Summer Moon Coffee at 306 W. Walnut St. is the warm-drink stop. The Downtown Celina dining guide also lists Granny's Bakery, Hey Sugar Candy Store, Little Wooden Penguin, Silos in Celina and Terry's Donuts.
The Toy Drive No Longer Hinges on One Night
The 2026 page shows one real change. The square still collects for WFAA's Santa's Helpers, but toys can now go into any Santa's Helpers collection box through December 15. In 2025 the donation was a one-night drive-through at Bobcat Stadium.
With a collection window that runs nearly two weeks past the tree lighting, giving no longer depends on a single night. Part of the page still describes the program's 2025 anniversary, so check the Santa's Helpers giving page for this year's drop-off details.
Saturday, Dec. 5: The Gift Tour
Three days after the lighting, the Celina Chamber's Gift Tour fills the square from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year it's presented by Mac Haik Chevrolet. Ticket holders get a tote and a tour map, then visit Gift Stops around downtown that each hand out a special gift. Tickets go on sale November 2.
The Chamber hasn't posted the 2026 ticket price or the list of stops yet, so 2025 is the only guide. Last year a ticket cost $65 and came with a tote and map. Each stop gave out a gift described as worth about $10, and both sessions included breakfast tacos or a wrap with a mimosa. Check-in was at Two 29 on the Square, 229 W. Pecan St., and the after-party was at Nowhere Bar, 501 W. Walnut St., Suite 100.
The 2025 stops were Annie Jack, Apricot Lane Boutique, Buff City Soap, D&L Farm and Home, Granny's Bakery, Heyday, Honeysuckle Rose, Tender Smokehouse, Terramania, The Wick, Toasted Walnut Table and Market, William Williams Rare Jewels and Willow House. Many of those names appear again on the 2026 event page, but as in-kind sponsors. That's a sponsor list, not this year's route.
If you'd rather shop on your own schedule, Apricot Lane Boutique is at 312 W. Walnut St. The Downtown Celina shopping guide also lists Buff City Soap, Celina Flowers & Gifts, Honeysuckle Rose Boutique, Terramania, William Williams Rare Jewels and Willow House Boutique.
Saturdays Dec. 12 and 19: The Photo Mornings
The last two Saturdays are the easiest for families with young kids. On December 12, Coffee with a Cop runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Photos with Reinsteer runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., both on the Downtown Square. One week later, on December 19, Photos with Santa runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Both mornings fit with a late breakfast at Toasted Walnut or a stop at Summer Moon. December 12 is also the last Saturday before Santa's Helpers stops collecting toys on the 15th.
The Bigger Downtown Projects Run on a Later Timeline
The Trackside Junction mixed-use project, which the city council supported with an incentive package, is scheduled to break ground by the first quarter of 2027 and finish by the second quarter of 2028, as Community Impact reported. The city also approved redevelopment of 102 N. Ohio St. and the Mayer Building, with construction start deadlines in 2028. Those published milestones all fall after this holiday season.
If December on the square has you thinking about your own plans for next year and you'd like to know what your Mustang Lakes home is worth, North Texas Dream Homes can walk you through it over coffee downtown. Schedule a free home valuation and consultation, and we'll have your numbers ready before the Gift Tour.
