On Saturday, December 5, three Monument traditions share one calendar square. The Monument Hill Kiwanis Club holds its 20th annual craft fair at Bear Creek Elementary. Downtown hosts Small Town Christmas. Then the Town's Annual Tree Lighting fills Limbach Park. Two of the three ask for the same thing. Admission to the craft fair is free with a donation for Tri-Lakes Cares, and a nonperishable food item counts. The tree lighting encourages guests to bring nonperishable food for Tri-Lakes Cares as well.
So the most useful thing to pack for December 5 is a grocery bag. Put a few cans and boxes in the car before you leave the house and they'll cover the whole day, with some left over for the pantry's own holiday drive, which runs on its own deadline three days later.
The day at a glance
| Stop | Where | Hours | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20th Annual North Pole at Tri-Lakes Arts and Crafts Fair | Bear Creek Elementary School, 1330 Creekside Dr., at Leather Chaps Dr. | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | A nonperishable food item, cash or a board game for Tri-Lakes Cares, or a new or used sporting-goods donation for 4KidzSports |
| Small Town Christmas | Historic downtown Monument | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Santa and Mrs. Claus, reindeer, hayrides, crafts |
| Monument's Annual Tree Lighting | Limbach Park | See the Town's event page | Nonperishable food donations for Tri-Lakes Cares are encouraged |
The three events run in a natural order. The fair opens first, downtown follows an hour later, and the tree lighting finishes the day when Santa arrives to light the trees.
Morning at Bear Creek Elementary, where admission goes to the pantry
The 2026 Kiwanis fair is the 20th. Last year's 19th edition ran on December 6, 2025, at the same school, Bear Creek Elementary on Creekside Drive. The club's own site calls it the 20th Annual Monument Hill Kiwanis Craft Fair. Our Community News lists it by its longer holiday name, North Pole at Tri-Lakes. Both names mean the same Saturday and the same building.
The admission policy is what sets it apart. Any one of these gets you in free:
- A nonperishable food item for Tri-Lakes Cares
- Cash for Tri-Lakes Cares
- A board game for Tri-Lakes Cares
- A new or used piece of sporting goods for 4KidzSports
So the gear sitting in your garage counts too. A youth baseball glove, a soccer ball or a bike helmet your kids have outgrown is a ticket at the door, and it goes on to 4KidzSports.
Inside, the OCN listing says the Cookie Walk is back and live holiday music plays throughout the day. The money raised goes beyond that one day. On its fundraising projects page, Monument Hill Kiwanis says the December fair supports the club's philanthropic mission and that donated food goes to Tri-Lakes Cares. The club's granting arm, the Monument Hill Foundation, gives more than $60,000 a year to local nonprofits, according to the club's homepage. A board game handed over at the school door is one small piece of that yearly total.
If you have questions about the show, the organizers take email at [email protected].
Midday downtown, the hours in between
Small Town Christmas fills the gap between the fair and the tree lighting. The Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce lists it for the first Saturday in December, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in historic downtown Monument. The program includes Santa and Mrs. Claus with their reindeer, hayrides, crafts and other traditional activities. This year the first Saturday is December 5, and the OCN fair listing confirms it falls on the same weekend as Small Town Christmas and the Tree Lighting.
Downtown, the money question is where you spend, and the Chamber makes that point directly on its downtown Monument page. Writing about the Saturday after Thanksgiving, it says that shopping at locally owned businesses keeps more revenue in town, and it calls that Saturday "the most important shopping day of the year for our local economy." Small Town Christmas works the same streets one week later.
Evening at Limbach Park, the second collection
The Town of Monument's Annual Tree Lighting is set for Saturday, December 5, 2026, at Limbach Park. The Chamber's listing promises festive activities, live entertainment, food trucks and holiday fun for all ages before Santa arrives to light the trees. It also encourages guests to bring non-perishable food donations to support Tri-Lakes Cares and local families in need. For the schedule and arrival details, the Chamber points to the Town of Monument's tree lighting page. Check it before you head out.
That makes Limbach Park the second place on December 5 to collect for Tri-Lakes Cares. If your family stops at both the fair and the tree lighting, plan on two donations. A bag split before you leave home makes that easy.
The weeks around December 5
The holiday Saturday sits inside a longer stretch on the Tri-Lakes calendar, and the dates fall in a useful order:
- Thursday, November 19. The Palmer Lake Historical Society presents "History of the Yule Log," announced by the Town of Palmer Lake.
- Saturday, November 28. Palmer Lake holds its 91st Annual Chili Supper & Star Lighting, according to the town's October 21 announcement. The same Saturday is the Chamber's big downtown Monument shopping day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5. The Kiwanis fair, Small Town Christmas and the Tree Lighting.
- Tuesday, December 8. Last day to return Giving Tree gifts to Tri-Lakes Cares.
- December 15 and 17. Tri-Lakes Cares holiday distribution dates.
The final three dates connect. Tri-Lakes Cares runs a Holiday Hope program, and its Giving Tree asks donors to pick up an ornament and return a gift or gift card worth about $25, unwrapped and with the original ornament attached, by December 8. Gift drop-off runs November 2 through December 8, 2026, and distribution follows on December 15 and 17. The program's Holiday Meals piece supplies ingredients for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, including pantry staples and grocery-store gift cards.
The order matters. The canned goods dropped off at Bear Creek Elementary and Limbach Park on December 5 arrive at the same organization while its Holiday Hope program is running. The Giving Tree deadline lands three days after the fair, and the first distribution day comes ten days after it. If your household already planned to take part in Holiday Hope, December 5 is a natural day to finish your shopping for it. The ornament and gift can go back by Tuesday, December 8.
Moving in, or expecting to move before next December? Nicole Strom has lived through her share of military moves, and she knows how much it helps to have a town's calendar in hand before the boxes are unpacked. Mark December 5 now, and when you're ready to plan a move to, from or within the Tri-Lakes area, start with Nicole Strom. Start your move and request your free relocation guide.
