If you could keep just one December weekend clear in Maplewood this year, which would it be? Two groups plan the town's holiday season. Dickens Village belongs to the Maplewood Village Alliance and the business community around Ricalton Square, and it opens on three Saturdays. The Holiday Tree Lighting belongs to the Township's Department of Community Services, and it happens once, at the gazebo on Springfield Avenue. The two calendars meet on Saturday, Dec. 12, and Handmade Holiday at The Woodland follows the next morning.
That makes the second weekend of December different from the first and the third. On Dec. 5 and Dec. 19 you get a lovely afternoon in the Village. On Dec. 12 you get the Village by daylight, a tree at sundown, and a craft market Sunday morning, all in about 24 hours.
Two organizers, and only one shared date
The Maplewood Village Alliance describes Dickens Village as "a festive gift from the business community to the local residents + visitors." Local business owners sponsor it, and community volunteers chair and organize it. According to the Alliance's 2026 schedule, the houses open on the first three Saturdays in December, Santa comes for visits, and DJ Jimmy plays music. This year those Saturdays are Dec. 5, 12 and 19.
The tree lighting runs on a separate track. The Maplewood Arts & Culture listing sets it for Saturday, Dec. 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Springfield Avenue Gazebo, 1688 Springfield Ave., sponsored by the Maplewood Department of Community Services. The tree is lit at sundown. The Seth Boyden 4th and 5th Grade Chorus and the Tuscan 5th Grade Chorus perform, and there are snacks, songs and cocoa.
Dickens Village fills the daylight hours in Ricalton Square. The tree lighting starts as the light fades on Springfield Avenue. Since one ends about where the other begins, Dec. 12 can run as a single afternoon into evening.
The full December calendar
Here are the dates around Maplewood Village, in order:
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Dickens Village opens in Ricalton Square.
- Monday, Dec. 7, 5 to 6 p.m.: A Hanukkah menorah lighting at Spiotta Park in neighboring South Orange. The Springfield Avenue Partnership says MAPSO Clergy lead the blessings and songs.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Dickens Village's second Saturday, plus the Holiday Tree Lighting at the Springfield Avenue Gazebo from 4 to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Handmade Holiday at The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road, with 60 artisan vendors. It's indoors and family-friendly, and admission is free.
- Saturday, Dec. 19: Dickens Village's third and final Saturday.
Dec. 12 is the only date with two Maplewood events stacked on it. Dec. 13 is the only date with a third event right behind.
What's inside the little houses
Dickens Village sets scenes from A Christmas Carol in miniature houses around Ricalton Square. Look through the windows and you'll find fireplaces, stockings and antique toys, and each house holds something different. The houses sit at stroller height in more ways than one, since the Alliance lists the event as ADA- and stroller-accessible. It also depends on the weather, and the Alliance posts same-day updates on @MaplewoodVillageNJ.
The 2026 page lists dates but no hours. In 2025, the Arts & Culture listing ran from 11 a.m. on the first Saturday to 3:30 p.m. on the last. If this year follows that pattern, the houses would close not long before the 4 p.m. start on Springfield Avenue. That's one more reason Dec. 12 works as a relay. Check the Alliance's Instagram that morning for the actual hours.
The sponsor list doubles as a list of the businesses around the square. The 2026 sponsors include the Township of Maplewood Department of Community Service, [words] Bookstore, Coda Kitchen + Bar and The Able Baker. So the shops paying for the houses are also the ones you'll pass between them.
The block around Ricalton Square
Everything below is listed in the Maplewood Village Alliance directory. Holiday hours vary, so check before you go.
Along Maplewood Avenue, closest to the houses:
- [words] Bookstore, 179 Maplewood Ave.
- Coda Kitchen + Bar, 177 Maplewood Ave.
- The Able Baker, 187 Maplewood Ave.
- Hopscotch At Home, 174 Maplewood Ave., and Maker + Muse, 170 Maplewood Ave.
- Village Coffee, 164 Maplewood Ave., and Starbucks, 160 Maplewood Ave.
On Highland Place and Inwood Place: Palmer's Bakehouse at 1 Highland Place, Luna Stella at 5 Highland Place, Cactus Charly at 6 Highland Place and Village Trattoria at 2 Inwood Place.
Two storefronts in the 160s and 170s have changed since last December. Kokoro reopened at 172 Maplewood Ave., and Kimaya Kama moved into the same space after 11 years at its old Village address. The Village Green covered the joint ribbon cutting on June 13, 2026. Two doors down at 168 Maplewood Ave., Qumi Pilates Studio + Matcha Bar held its ribbon cutting on May 2, 2026, as The Village Green reported. That makes 2026 the first Dickens season for both storefronts in their current form, and a matcha stop now sits a short walk from the miniature houses.
Parking for a long Saturday
A full Dec. 12 means you'll be in town longer than a usual Village errand, so the time limits matter more than they normally would. The Alliance's Plan Your Visit page says Village parking is free, with time limits on most spaces. The Township's parking information sets a three-hour limit at the Highland lot from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, which covers both events. The Alliance counts 495 publicly available spaces within about a 10-minute walk of downtown.
Paid parking came up this summer. In August, the Alliance ran a parking survey that discussed paid parking. The Village Green reported that many residents reacted negatively, and that the Alliance's Aug. 7 response said the Township Committee had not approved paid parking for the Village. Check the posted signs when you park.
Dec. 12, hour by hour
- Late morning: Start at Ricalton Square while it's still light enough to see into the houses. In 2025 the houses opened at 11 a.m.
- Midday: Shop Maplewood Avenue, from [words] at 179 down past Hopscotch At Home, Kokoro and Kimaya Kama at 172, and Maker + Muse at 170.
- Early afternoon: Have lunch at Coda Kitchen + Bar, Luna Stella or Cactus Charly, or pick up something from Palmer's Bakehouse or The Able Baker. If you parked at the Highland lot, keep the three-hour limit in mind.
- Around 4 p.m.: Head to the Springfield Avenue Gazebo at 1688 Springfield Ave. for the choruses and cocoa, and stay for the tree lighting at sundown.
- Sunday, 10 a.m.: Go to The Woodland at 60 Woodland Road for Handmade Holiday's 60 artisan vendors. Admission is free and the market runs until 4 p.m.
If Dec. 12 doesn't work, Dec. 5 and Dec. 19 offer the same houses, the same Santa visits and the same DJ, without the tree lighting. The menorah lighting at Spiotta Park on Monday, Dec. 7 falls on a weeknight, between the first two Dickens Saturdays.
If you see something on Maplewood Avenue on Dec. 12 that makes you wonder about your own place in town, whether it's time to sell or where you'd go next, Rebecca Brooksher is glad to talk it over before the January calendar fills up. Start your happy home hunt.
