Santa Moves to Heritage Farm, and Ladera Ranch's Decorating Contest Makes Room for Condos

In each of the last two Decembers, Santa Visits in Ladera Ranch took place at Covenant Hills Clubhouse, 1 Covenant Hills Drive. This year the event moves to Heritage Farm on McGwire Road. A few weeks ago the farm was still holding its inaugural growing season. Now it is hosting one of the community's most requested December events.

The move is part of a wider pattern. Ladera Ranch Community Services has also rewritten the categories for its Holiday Decorating Contest, and it says the changes are meant to "better support community needs and give more residents a chance to join the fun." The calendar now reaches residents it didn't before. The two changes share another trait: each depends on a registration window that opens in November. If your family plans to take part this season, the dates to watch fall well before the lights go up.

A Farm Becomes a December Venue

Heritage Farm sits on the land that spent more than 20 years as the Heritage Garden, a set of individual plots tended by residents. The earlier story on that transition covers the history. What matters for this season is that the Heritage Farm amenity page now lists the farm as open, and LARCS describes it as a regenerative farm that uses organic growing methods.

Santa Visits is set for Thursday, December 3, from 4:00 to 7:45 p.m. at the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Claus will hear wish lists and pose for family photos. The details that shape the evening are in the fine print:

• Registration opens Monday, November 16, at 9:00 a.m.
• Each Ladera Ranch address gets one registration, and it covers one household.
• Each time slot includes several families, so expect a short wait.
• Bring your own camera.
• From 4:00 to 4:30 p.m., a dedicated window gives families of children with autism, special needs, or disabilities a calmer visit.

The listing says space is limited. Because each address gets only one registration, it's worth settling on a time slot as a household before the morning of November 16.

The farm will stay busy around the holiday. The Heritage Farm Field Trip program runs from October 31 through February 25. It takes groups of up to 15 children, including scout troops and homeschool groups, on a guided walk of about an hour, with an introduction to growing food and samples of seasonal produce. The Resident Farmer Program is in its first season, which runs from August 2026 through February 2027. It asks for at least two volunteer hours a month and offers farm shifts on most Saturdays, a share of each shift's harvest, and seasonal U-picks. Through November 1, LARCS is offering a prorated cost of $120. If you were thinking about joining, Santa's December visit falls in the middle of a season you can still sign up for.

The Decorating Contest, Rewritten

The second change is on paper, but it affects more households. Compare last year's entry categories with this year's:

The swap in the fifth row is the one to notice. Last year's lineup included Best Yard Display, a category judged on yard decorations. The 2023 winners announcement described it as judged on the "effect and extent of the use of yard displays." That category is gone. In its place is Small Spaces, where condo and townhome residents decorate the outside of their units and are judged on creativity, visual appeal, and following community guidelines. So a front door and a small patio can now compete in a category written for them.

The other categories cover newcomers and whole streets. New Kid on the Block is for first-time entrants, whether they are new residents or simply entering for the first time. Light Up Ladera takes the place of the old Neighborhood category and keeps its rule that at least half the homes on a street must take part. If your street wants to enter as a group, the half-the-street rule calls for some coordination before the deadline, and late November conversations between neighbors are when that happens.

The contest also honors repeat winners in a way that frees up room for everyone else. The Legacy Award goes to homes that have won first place in two or more years. Those homes appear on the interactive map but are no longer judged. This year's recipients are 15 Bainbridge Avenue, 10 Hammond Road and 17 Shively Road. If you're planning a December evening drive, those three are on the map. If you're entering, the longtime first-place homes are out of the judging.

Registration opens Sunday, November 1, and closes Wednesday, December 2. Map voting starts Thursday, December 3, and the contest runs through December 15. Winners receive a gift card and a yard sign for the rest of the season.

The Season, Date by Date

With both changes in place, the season looks like this. Note how many items open with a registration date rather than an event date.

1. Through Wednesday, October 28. The Halloween Home Decorating Contest interactive map is live. One display, at 73 Flintridge Avenue, advertises shows from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday on October weekends, with a scarier show later in the evening.
2. Saturday, October 24. The first Ladera Run for Hope, hosted by Ladera Ranch Run Club with LARCS, runs from 7 to 9 a.m. at Town Green, 28801 Sienna Parkway, with proceeds going to Breast Cancer Solutions. That evening, the Teen Leadership Council hosts a Teen Movie Night and Haunted Maze for grades 6 through 12 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Oak Knoll Village Clubhouse. The movie is Hotel Transylvania.
3. Sunday, November 1. Holiday decorating registration opens. It is also the last day for the prorated $120 Resident Farmer rate.
4. Tuesday, November 3. Voting closes in the Resident Choice vote for the bands in the summer concert series.
5. Wednesday, November 11. The Veterans Day Event, organized by Lion's Heart Group 2029, runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Town Green, with the ceremony at 10:30 a.m.
6. Monday, November 16, 9:00 a.m. Santa Visits registration opens.
7. November 30 through December 11. Letters to Santa puts Santa's mailbox at Avendale Village Clubhouse.
8. Wednesday, December 2. Decorating contest registration closes.
9. Thursday, December 3. Santa Visits at Heritage Farm, and map voting opens.
10. Saturday, December 5. Winter Fest runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at Town Green.
11. Sunday, December 6. The Menorah Lighting runs from 4 to 6 p.m. at Covenant Hills Clubhouse.

The order matters. Santa now appears twice in the first week of December, at the farm on Thursday and at Town Green on Saturday. Families who miss the farm's registration window still have a second chance at a visit.

Winter Fest and the Street It Closes

Winter Fest is the one big event without a registration window, so it carries the most practical details. The afternoon includes holiday performances, inflatables, games, crafts, and photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. At 5:00 p.m., Santa lights the park's holiday display. The Kids Market, run with Kids Markets, gives young entrepreneurs a place to sell handmade crafts, soaps, slime and neighborhood services, and young sellers sign up through Kids Markets.

Mercantile Way will be closed between Sienna Parkway and First Street on Saturday, December 5, from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. That closure starts eight hours before the festival opens, so it affects morning errands in that stretch as well as the event itself. The event guidelines ask guests to leave pets at home, except for leashed service animals, and to keep bikes and scooters off the event space and in designated parking areas.

One venue is out this season. Flintridge Village Clubhouse at 28112 Roanoke Drive is closed for renovations through December, and LARMAC expects it to reopen in January 2027. The current amenity status page tracks closures like this one through the winter. For more ideas between events, the Ladera Ranch neighborhood page and this guide to things to do in Ladera Ranch can help fill the weeks between November 1 and December 15.

If you're decorating a townhome for the first Small Spaces judging or planning a street for Light Up Ladera, I'd love to hear how it's going, and I'm always happy to talk about what's changing around the village. Reach out to Meghan Vittetoe anytime. Let's Connect.