Rancho Santa Margarita’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the Lakeshore at Lago Santa Margarita — a Trail of Lights, family photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, complimentary hot cocoa and cookies.
Rancho Santa Margarita‘s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting runs at the Lakeshore at Lago Santa Margarita, organized by SAMLARC (the Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation). The lakeside setting is the appeal: the lit tree reflects off the water and the surrounding promenade fills with families on a single evening.
Festivities begin at 5:00 PM with a stroll through the Trail of Lights, complimentary hot cocoa and cookies, and a stocking-decorating station. The program features a holiday dance performance and storytelling of The Night Before Christmas while everyone waits for Santa and Mrs. Claus to arrive and help light the Christmas tree at 6:00 PM. Professional family photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus are sponsored by FatDaddy’s Bakery.
For families across Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Las Flores, and the broader south-OC inland communities, this is the community holiday anchor of the season — the lake setting and SAMLARC organization make it distinctly RSM.
At the Lakeshore at Lago Santa Margarita, 21472 Avenida De Los Fundadores in Rancho Santa Margarita — the lake-edge promenade run by SAMLARC.
Festivities begin at 5:00 PM. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at 6:00 PM to help light the tree.
Yes — both. They arrive at 6 PM to help light the tree. Free professional photos sponsored by FatDaddy’s Bakery.
Yes — the tree lighting, Trail of Lights, hot cocoa, cookies, and professional Santa photos are all complimentary. The event is open to the community.
The Lago Santa Margarita Beach Club lots and surrounding residential side streets are the most reliable. Arrive a little early; the Lakeshore promenade fills fast through the early evening.
Lago Santa Margarita is the central man-made lake of Rancho Santa Margarita — a master-planned south OC city of about 50,000, organized around the lake and the Lakeshore promenade that runs along its edge. The Lakeshore at Lago Santa Margarita serves as the city’s central public-facing gathering space, owned and maintained by SAMLARC (the Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation). The lake and the Beach Club anchor the city’s recreational and civic life, with the broader civic-center area, schools, and shopping clustered nearby.
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.
