The city has been preparing downtown Tehachapi for the holiday season — and the Christmas tree next to the train depot museum is decorated and ready for Santa Claus to turn on the lights at the end of the Christmas parade on Dec. 2.
But youngsters won’t have to wait until that night to see Santa, because he’ll be on hand at the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum earlier that day — and two other Saturdays before Christmas.
Here’s a roundup of holiday activities in and around Tehachapi:
Friday, Dec. 1
• Parents Night Out: Christmas Edition, sponsored by Tehachapi Tots (an enrichment, preschool program operated by the Tehachapi Valley Recreation & Park District). Drop your kiddos off for an evening of fun with the CPR-certified Tots teachers and aides while you get some Christmas shopping done. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and includes pizza dinner, crafts and games, a Christmas movie and hot cocoa. Ages 3-12 are welcome (must be potty-trained). The event will be held at the Steven A Shy Building (“Scout Hut”) at 311 E. C St. in Philip Marx Central Park. The fee is $15 for those who live within TVRPD boundaries and $20 for others, with sibling discounts available. Register online at tvrpd.org or call 822-3228 for information.
Saturday, Dec. 2
• Tehachapi’s Hometown Christmas, which debuted last year, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. Vendors will be on hand for children and families to purchase handcrafted gifts and free holiday-themed entertainment will abound. The event will be held in and around Centennial Plaza on Green Street. A number of downtown shops and restaurants will also be open.
• Santa Claus will be at the depot from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a bake sale from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The depot’s gift shop and museum will also be open.
• A Christmas Book Market will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Tehachapi Branch Library, 212 S. Green St. It is sponsored by Friends of the Library.
• The Tehachapi Heritage League will help celebrate Tehachapi’s Hometown Christmas, with events at the Errea House and the Tehachapi Museum on South Green Street from 1 to 5 p.m. The Errea House will be decorated for Christmas. Visitors will receive a warm welcome with hot spiced cider, cookies and gingerbread to enjoy while gathered around the player piano singing Christmas songs. The museum store will offer gifts for sale, including local jams, coffee, barbecue sauce, books by local authors, children’s crafts and toys, antiques and old-fashioned candy.
• The Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce sponsors Tehachapi’s Christmas Parade, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, just as the Hometown Christmas event wraps up. The parade will run down F Street from Mulberry Street east to Hayes Street. The street will be closed that day from 4 to 7 p.m. The 4-H Club will assist the chamber by cleaning up after horses in the parade.
• The final event of the day — the lighting of the community Christmas tree next to the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum — will begin at 6:30 p.m. During the event, Tehachapi Boulevard will be closed from Curry Street east to Robinson Street.
Dec. 2 and 3
• Dorner Family Vineyard hosts the Original Tehachapi, Fourth Annual General Christmas Market at the winery, 18274 Old Ranch Road (Cummings Valley), from noon to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Food, shopping and entertainment will be offered with 50 local artisan vendors participating. For more information, call 661-747-3395.
Dec. 8
• Annual Messiah concert, a Tehachapi tradition, will feature the Tehachapi Symphonic Chorus under the direction of Sandy Adams alongside the Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra. Begins at 7 p.m. at Country Oaks Baptist Church, 20915 Schout Road, Tehachapi. Donations welcome.
Dec. 9
• Breakfast with Santa in Stallion Springs from 8 to 11 a.m. (with reservations for one of three time slots required). Sponsored by the Stallion Springs Community Services District recreation department. $8 for adults, $5 for kids or $30 for a family of up to six people. Sign up at the recreation desk at district headquarters, 27800 Stallion Springs Drive.
At the BeeKay
• “Coney Island Christmas” opens on Friday night, Dec. 1, with performances through Dec. 17. Presented by Tehachapi Community Theatre Association at the historic BeeKay Theatre, 110 S. Green St. Tickets are $20 each with discounts for seniors, military and kids under 16. More information online at tctonstage.com.
Christmas parade deadline
“Past, Present and Future” is the theme for this year’s Christmas Parade. The parade will run down F Street from Mulberry Street east to Hayes Street.
Nov. 24 is the deadline to submit an entry application for the parade. The entry fee for the parade is $60 for commercial entries and $30 for others. Bands, floats, marching units and equestrian entries are welcome. All entries must be decorated with lights and no entries may include a Santa Claus. For more information, call the chamber at 822-4180. Entry forms for the parade and window decorating contest are on the chamber’s website, tehachapi.com.
Window decorating contest
The deadline to enter the chamber’s 2023 Christmas Window Decorating Contest is Nov. 27. The competition is open to businesses and organizations located in the greater Tehachapi area. It is free to enter and chamber membership is not required.
An application must be submitted to the chamber by 5 p.m. on Nov. 27 and decorating must be complete by Dec. 2.
Entries will be judged by a group of residents, a popular vote, and a business-to-business vote. Winners will be announced on Dec. 2, and awards will be distributed by Dec. 5.
For each area — the city, Old Town, Stallion Springs, and Greater Tehachapi — there will be a first-, second-, and third-place award. Other awards may also be given.
Entrants are asked not to include business-related announcements, promotions, or product- or business-related advertisements in the window display. Decorated windows should be viewable from the sidewalk but must not obstruct the sidewalk or pedestrian right-of-way. Lights are encouraged but not required.
For more information, call the chamber at 822-4180. Entry forms for the parade and window decorating contest are on the chamber’s website, tehachapi.com.