San Marino’s civic tree lighting at the Huntington Drive / San Marino Avenue corner — a small Mayor’s Reception evening with photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate, holiday cookies, and a kid’s craft table.
The City of San Marino‘s Community Christmas Tree Lighting is one of the most genuinely neighborhood-scaled holiday events in the San Gabriel Valley. The ceremony anchors at the corner of Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue, the city’s defining intersection — a deliberate placement that honors the 72-year legacy of the Holiday House Bus Shelter that has stood there for decades.
The evening runs as a Mayor’s Reception, with photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate and tea, holiday cookies, festive selfie stations, and a kid’s craft table. The program is short and intentionally intimate; this is San Marino’s quietly-pleased version of a tree lighting, suited to a city that prefers small and well-done to large and loud.
For families across San Marino, San Gabriel, Pasadena’s south edge, and the surrounding foothill communities, this is the official community evening — the kind of city-organized moment where everyone knows the corner and the program lives within an hour.
At the corner of Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue in San Marino, beside the historic Holiday House Bus Shelter.
In the evening, with the tree lit during the program.
Yes — the event is free. Hot chocolate, cookies, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the kid’s craft table are all complimentary.
A historic shelter at the Huntington Drive / San Marino Avenue corner that’s stood for 72 years and inspired the tree lighting’s location. It’s a local landmark; the city’s tree lighting honors that history.
Along Huntington Drive’s side streets and the surrounding San Marino residential blocks. Limited parking is at the corner itself; arrive early or walk in a block or two.
The corner of Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue is the defining civic intersection of San Marino — a small affluent residential city of about 13,000 in the western San Gabriel Valley. Huntington Drive runs east-west through the city as its main commercial corridor, with the Holiday House Bus Shelter at this corner serving as a 70-plus-year landmark. San Marino itself is best known as the home of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens — a short drive from this corner.
A multi-decade San Marino tradition — towering Italian stone pines along St. Albans Road wrapped in white lights, lit nightly through December, free to walk or drive.
Brian J. Cook
South Pasadena’s tree and menorah lighting opens the season on the Mission Street Farmers’ Market block — student musicians and dancers, a community menorah, and a tree lit by the Mayor in the heart of the city’s walkable downtown.
Brian J. Cook
Pasadena’s Mayor lights the city’s official Christmas tree at the historic City Hall plaza on a Friday in early December — a free family evening of live performance, kids’ crafts, and Santa.
Brian J. Cook
Old Pasadena’s historic Colorado Boulevard glitters for the holidays — a towering tree at One Colorado, sparkling district lights, snowflake projections on historic buildings, and decorated storefronts, all free to walk. Confirm this season’s tree-lighting date at oldpasadena.org.
Brian J. Cook
Southern California’s holiday lights and festive outings are pure magic — but nothing compares to Santa Claus himself stepping through your own front door. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded, professionally trained Santa to homes and gatherings across SoCal for an intimate live visit your family will treasure for years.
Check Availability
Have a date in mind? Tell us when and where, and we’ll let you know whether Santa is open. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded Santa Claus to Live Visits and Group Experiences across Southern California, and December fills quickly, so the sooner you check, the better your odds of locking in your first choice.
This is a quick availability check, not a booking. Nothing is reserved and nothing is owed until we’ve confirmed your date and you’ve placed your retainer.
