Milpitas Saves Its Biggest Holiday Weekend for December 4 to 6

When does a Milpitas holiday season actually peak? On the weekend of December 4 to 6. Great Mall's calendar runs the long stretch from November 20 to Christmas Eve. The City's calendar holds one Friday night on East Calaveras Boulevard. The two schedules meet on just three days, with the City's tree lighting on Friday, December 4, and Great Mall's two special Santa mornings on December 5 and 6.

Everything else this season sits on one side of that weekend or the other. Santa arrives at the mall on Friday, November 20.

Great Mall Starts the Clock on November 20

Great Mall's season, which the mall calls "It's a Holiday Thing," opens on Friday, November 20, with Santa's Arrival. That runs through Sunday, November 22, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any family that buys a photo package that weekend gets a holiday stocking. Santa photos then continue every day through Thursday, December 24, and the mall takes reservations through its holiday events page.

Store hours change around the holiday itself. Great Mall closes on Thanksgiving and opens at 6 a.m. the next morning. Here is the full schedule from Great Mall's posted hours and event listings:

Look at the timing of the two special mornings. Santa Paws starts at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, before the mall's usual 10 a.m. opening. Caring Santa is a private, sensory-friendly visit from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 6, and it ends before the mall opens its doors at 11 a.m. Both are early-morning events built around a quiet building, and both land right after the City's biggest night.

The City Spends Its Holiday on One Friday Night

The City of Milpitas puts its holiday into a single evening. Its December calendar lists two events on Friday, December 4, both at the Milpitas Community Center, 457 E. Calaveras Boulevard. Milk and Cookies with Santa runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Tree Lighting Ceremony runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

The two events overlap from 7 to 8:30 p.m. A family can meet Santa at the Community Center early and still be outside for the lights. For performers, parking, and other details, check the City's tree lighting page before heading over.

The City's November calendar has its Veterans Day ceremony. In December, the Santa event and the tree lighting are the only holiday events listed. For a city whose own calendar holds one big holiday night, Great Mall's five weeks fill the rest of the season.

December 4 to 6, in Order

Here is the weekend where both calendars meet, in order:

1. Friday, December 4, 5:30 p.m. Milk and Cookies with Santa opens at the Milpitas Community Center.
2. Friday, December 4, 7 p.m. The Tree Lighting Ceremony starts at the same address and runs until 9 p.m.
3. Saturday, December 5, 8:30 a.m. Santa Paws pet photos start at Great Mall and run until 11 a.m. Reserve through the mall's pet photo booking page.
4. Sunday, December 6, 8:30 a.m. Caring Santa holds its sensory-friendly session at Great Mall until 10:30 a.m. Reservations are required, through the mall's Caring Santa page.

Less than 12 hours separate the end of the tree lighting at 9 p.m. Friday from the first Santa Paws photo at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. No other weekend this season has both a City event and a special Great Mall event.

Between Santa Visits, Great Mall's Directory Is Filling In

Great Mall's directory has a run of new names on it this season, and the mall has been adding tenants steadily. In July 2025, The Milpitas Beat reported that Great Mall had opened eight new shops and restaurants since January and expected to open 10 more by the end of that year.

Several restaurants are now listed as coming soon in Great Mall's directory:

• Taste of Shaxian serves Chinese dishes, led by its wonton soup. A Grand Opening item went up on the mall's Events & News feed on November 4.
• Duan's Kitchen is a Chinese restaurant focused on noodle soups, especially beef noodle soup, and braised dishes. Its listing puts it at location 312, across from Jollibee.
• TH Sugarcane & Juice serves sugarcane and fruit-juice drinks.
• Chubby Cattle, at 248 Great Mall Drive, is an all-you-can-eat Japanese barbecue restaurant, as What Now San Francisco reported in September.

Most of the new food at Great Mall centers on soups, noodles, and barbecue, which suits cold-weather shopping trips.

Some new names in the directory are stores. Lids Locker Room, at 447 Great Mall Drive, sells licensed sports hats, apparel, and accessories, according to What Now San Francisco. Monastery carries apparel, travel products, and accessories, and its listing places it at location 538 near Entrance 2. Camille La Vie, a formalwear and bridal store, is advertising a reopening this winter. Monastery and Camille La Vie both still list their store hours as coming soon.

Outside the Mall, This Year's Changes Ran Along Calaveras and at McCarthy Ranch

Other places to eat changed this year too, outside Great Mall. Some of the biggest changes were on Calaveras Boulevard, the same road as the Community Center, which we mapped as the city's summer route back in July.

Da Vien Coffee soft-opened on April 4 at 279 W. Calaveras Blvd. and held its grand opening celebration on April 18. KRON4 reported it as the Southern California chain's first Bay Area location and described a menu of Vietnamese coffee, egg cream coffee, and ube and matcha drinks. The Community Center is at 457 E. Calaveras, so the coffee shop and the tree lighting share a road.

Across town at McCarthy Ranch, Crepe Shibuya opened this summer. The Milpitas Beat described the Japanese-style dessert shop as serving sweet and savory crepes, drinks, and ice cream, with Gashapon capsule-toy machines in the shop.

This season also leaves a familiar name off the list. Koong's, at 103 N. Milpitas Blvd., closed in February after more than four decades, as The Milpitas Beat and Hoodline both reported. Duan's Kitchen and Taste of Shaxian are both new names on the list for Chinese food in Milpitas.

For more on what's happening across the South Bay, visit our local happenings page or the Milpitas neighborhood guide.

If you're hosting family this December and want a short list of Milpitas plans for the tree lighting weekend, Janet Souza is glad to share hers. Schedule a Chat anytime.