Cedar Hill Lights Two Trees This Season. Most of the Rest Happens on FM 1382.

Three addresses on FM 1382 hold most of Cedar Hill's holiday calendar this year. Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center is at 1206 FM 1382. Cedar Hill State Park is at 1570 West FM 1382. Hillside Village is at 305 W FM 1382, and that's where the season's first tree goes up.

Historic Downtown gets one big night, the city's official tree lighting on Thursday, Dec. 3. Nearly every other dated event between now and Christmas Eve is on that one road. That makes the season easy to plan if you know which weekends each place has events and which ones overlap.

This weekend, three things start at 9 a.m.

Saturday, Nov. 14 is the first crowded morning of the season, and the three events pull in different directions.

At Cedar Hill State Park, the Dutch Oven Demonstration and Potluck with the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society starts at 9 a.m. The park listing calls it a chance to "learn how to cook the old-fashioned way." On FM 1382, Dogwood Canyon's November calendar lists Fall for the Birds on Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Away from the road, the city's Fall Beautification Day is at Traphene Hickman Library and Signature Park, 450 Pioneer Trail. Breakfast and supply pickup run from 8 to 9 a.m., and the cleanup runs from 9 a.m. to noon.

The Beautification Day part to know about early is the privet removal and habitat restoration session, 9 to 11 a.m. It has only 20 volunteer slots and is open to ages 10 and up. If your household wants hands-on outdoor work that morning, that's the limited part of the day. Fall for the Birds runs five hours, so you can do the cleanup first and still get to Dogwood Canyon before 2 p.m.

The two days before are quieter. The same Dogwood Canyon calendar lists a Ladies Hiking Meet-Up on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and a Cell Phone Photography Workshop on Friday, Nov. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. The center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's closed Monday and Tuesday.

Friday is also the last day to vote in Visit Cedar Hill's 2026 Best of Cedar Hill dining poll. Voting opened Oct. 28 and closes Nov. 13. The city says winners will be announced Nov. 17. That puts the results out a few days before the first tree lighting, in time to help pick a dinner spot for the busier weekends.

Hillside Village lights the first tree on Nov. 21

Village Lights is Saturday, Nov. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the Village Green at Hillside Village. It's free and includes the tree lighting, Santa's arrival, a snow slide, crafts, face painting and balloon artists.

The state park has an event earlier the same day. Drop-In Archery 101 starts at 2 p.m. at Cedar Hill State Park. Families with older kids can do archery in the afternoon and still get to the Village Green by 5:30.

Three days later, on Tuesday, Nov. 24, the park holds its November Full Moon Hike at 6:30 p.m. under what the listing calls the Beaver Moon. It's one of the few evening events on the calendar that isn't holiday-themed, and it falls two days before Thanksgiving.

Nov. 28 is the busiest day of the season

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is when the whole road gets busy. The state park has three events spread across the day, and Hillside Village opens Santa's Corner that morning. Day-use admission to the park is $7 per adult and free for children 12 and under. The park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Here's how the day lines up:

1. 10 a.m., Turkey Trot Dog Walk, Cedar Hill State Park. The listing invites people to "work off that Thanksgiving feast with your four-legged friend or meet a new one."
2. 11 a.m., Pictures with Santa opens at Hillside Village. Santa's Corner is in Suite 306. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29.
3. 1 p.m., Home on the Plains: Penn Farm Tour, Cedar Hill State Park. This is a guided tour of the Penn Farm Agricultural History Center. The farm is also open daily for self-guided visits, so the 1 p.m. slot is the one with a guide.
4. 3 p.m., Trees to Meet You! Activity Walk, Cedar Hill State Park. Kids learn the stories behind local trees and take home leaf rubbings.

Before you count on a longer hike that day, check trail status. In its Oct. 30, 2026 trail update, Texas Parks and Wildlife listed the DORBA, Duck Pond, Plum Valley and Talala trails as closed. Penn Farm and Shoreline were open. The department says the DORBA trail closes when it's wet and that weather and maintenance can close trails, so check again closer to the day. As of that update, the Penn Farm tour was on an open trail.

Downtown gets one Thursday night, Dec. 3

Twelve days after Village Lights, the city lights its own tree. Holiday on the Hill is Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Historic Downtown Cedar Hill at 600 Cedar St. It's free. The city's listing includes the official lighting of the City of Cedar Hill tree, photos with Santa, live performances, holiday games and activities for kids, and festive photo spots.

Those 12 days put the two lightings on different kinds of evenings. Village Lights is a Saturday, so there's no school or work the next morning. Holiday on the Hill is on a weeknight and runs an hour longer, ending at 8:30. If your household can make only one, the day of the week may decide it. Both are free, and Santa is at both.

Dec. 3 is also a day Dogwood Canyon is open, so a weekday visit before dark fits if you have time off. The center closes at 4 p.m., which leaves room to get downtown by 5:30.

December centers on Santa's Corner

After the city lighting, Hillside Village has the most going on through Christmas Eve. Pictures with Santa runs Nov. 28 through Dec. 24. Walk-ins are welcome, and you can make a reservation. The visit with Santa is free, and photo packages cost extra. The hours change several times, and the last week is when they're longest.

Weekdays from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 have the shortest hours, starting at 2 p.m. Dec. 19 has the longest day, 12 hours. If you're planning around school pickup, the early-December weekdays still give you an afternoon window. Families with tight schedules may find Dec. 18 and Dec. 19 easier because of the late closing time.

Pets get their own sessions. Santa Paws runs on three Mondays, Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, from 3 to 7 p.m. in Suite 306. Reservations are recommended. Hillside Village says each Santa Paws photo package includes a $5 donation to Friends of Tri-City Animal Shelter. Those Monday sessions fall within Santa's regular 2 to 7 p.m. weekday hours in the same suite.

This holiday season is a good time to see your own home the way guests will. If you're thinking about a spring sale, the weeks between Village Lights and Holiday on the Hill are a calm time to walk through each room with a design eye and line up any contractor work before the new year. To plan that in detail, Rhonda Brown can help. Schedule a Consultation.