Roger's Gardens' Holiday Season Runs in Stretches. Port Streets Neighbors Get the Early One.

Roger's Gardens opened its 2026 Christmas Boutique on October 2 and will keep it open through December 23. That's about twelve weeks, and the stretches inside it are run differently. The hours change partway through. The ticketed evening, the artist signings and the carolers all fall in a window that opens in mid-November. The holiday closures come at fixed points. For anyone in the Port Streets, which sit just down San Joaquin Hills Road from 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, those dates are what to plan around. The early weeks, from now through November 12, run on shorter daily hours and have nothing on the calendar.

What opened on October 2

This year's theme is "The Stories of the Season." Roger's Gardens describes letters to Santa overhead, peppermint and gingerbread motifs, and a winter-market feel across the boutique. The Newport Beach Independent reported 20 decorated trees, more than 800 ornament styles and over 3,000 products. The paper named hand-turned wooden nutcrackers, painted German Santas and Polish glass ornaments among them. The same report says the buying team travels to Europe every year to source exclusive pieces, and that planning for each theme starts more than a year before opening.

The Independent also gave the number that explains the timing. Roger's Gardens draws over 1 million visitors between October and December each year. Those visits are spread across a season of very uneven weeks.

Christmas arrived before Halloween left

The 2026 Halloween Boutique, "Moonlight Masquerade," opened Friday, August 28, with daily hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Newport Beach Independent described Venetian-inspired rooms, gilded masks and more than 500 curated products, and reported that the boutique was free and open to the public.

The Christmas Boutique opened on October 2, with Halloween still in season. So from early October through the end of the month, the property has carried both seasons at once. Roger's Gardens hasn't published a date for taking down the Halloween displays, so anyone who wants one more look at the masks this week should call ahead at 949.640.5800.

The calendar, laid out

The hours come from the store's holiday hours page. The events come from its event listings, and the page for the carolers notes that their dates and times may change.

One detail doesn't line up. The boutique's own listing gives daily hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store's hours page extends general hours to 8 p.m. from November 13 to December 23. Neither page says whether the boutique rooms stay open into those evening hours. Confirm that before planning a 7 p.m. visit around the trees.

The early stretch: from now through November 12

From now until November 12, the store keeps its regular 9-to-6 schedule and has no listed signings or performances. The whole 20-tree installation is already up. The boutique pages list no admission fee and no reservation requirement for ordinary visits. The only ticketed item on the current calendar is the November 12 fundraiser.

For a neighbor, these are the weeks for an unhurried look at the 800-plus ornament styles. It's also a good time to buy collectible pieces before the guest designers arrive and pull more people into specific lines. A morning visit can turn into lunch at Farmhouse, the on-site restaurant. It's open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and takes reservations through OpenTable.

November 12 starts the event weeks

The busier stretch starts with an evening that has its own guest list. "Shop for a Cause" runs Thursday, November 12, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. A $100 ticket includes 20 percent off, two glasses of wine, a prize-opportunity ticket and light fare from Farmhouse. The event page says parking is limited and suggests carpooling or rideshare. For Port Streets residents, a rideshare or a carpool with neighbors takes care of that.

The extended hours start the next morning. The following weekend brings two collector appearances:

• Friday, November 20, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Günther Ulbricht is scheduled for a nutcracker appearance and signing.
• Saturday, November 21, 1 to 5 p.m. Radko designer Joe Walden is scheduled for an ornament appearance and signing.

Anyone collecting either line can come back on those days for signatures, as long as the shopping was done during the quiet weeks.

After Thanksgiving, the carolers

Roger's Gardens closes on Thanksgiving, November 26. The Lil' Dickens Carolers start the next day, November 27, and continue through December 24. Their posted schedule includes afternoon sets and some evening sets from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The schedule marks December 15 and December 24 as Farmhouse-only. On those two days the carolers perform at the restaurant, so a dinner reservation is the way to hear them.

Farmhouse's restaurant site lists no 2026 holiday menu and no added holiday hours. It does say the restaurant closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The current listings show no live Santa appearances, wreath-making classes or workshops for 2026. Santa appears in this year's theme through the letters overhead. The fresh-cut tree page still carries a 2025 header and gives no 2026 start date. Anyone counting on buying a tree here should check that page again in November.

December brings two more draws nearby

The early-December calendar extends past Roger's Gardens. Crystal Cove Conservancy lists its 30th Annual Tree Lighting and Holiday Market for Saturday, December 5, in the Crystal Cove State Park Historic District. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Santa photos and a tree-lighting program, and the Conservancy notes the schedule may change with the weather.

According to Stu News Newport, Sherman Library & Gardens, at 2647 E. Coast Highway, will hold "Merry & Bright Lights" on December 4 to 6, 10 to 13, and 17 to 22. Entry is timed, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sherman is in the middle of improvements. According to its website, the visitor entrance is temporarily on Dahlia Avenue, some garden areas are closed and regular onsite dining isn't available. A new restaurant is projected for fall 2027. In June, the Newport Beach Independent reported that the restaurant will be named Hazeltine's and will face PCH at Sherman's new Bell Tower entrance.

On December weekends, all three places compete for the same evenings. Merry & Bright starts its first run on Friday, December 4, and the Crystal Cove market falls on December 5, the next day. Both overlap the Roger's Gardens extended-hours window, which runs through December 23. A household that saw the boutique in late October has those December nights free for the light walk at Sherman and the tree lighting at Crystal Cove.

The days the gates are closed

These dates are worth keeping on the refrigerator:

1. November 26: Roger's Gardens and Farmhouse are closed for Thanksgiving.
2. December 24: the store closes at 3 p.m., and the carolers perform at Farmhouse only.
3. December 25: the store and Farmhouse are closed.
4. December 26 to 30: the store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., after the boutique's listed December 23 end date.
5. January 1: the store and Farmhouse are closed.

The boutique's merchandisers spend more than a year deciding how 20 trees should tell one story, and that kind of styling also shows in how a home presents in December light and in listing photos. If you're in the Port Streets and wondering what your home would show a buyer this season, Julianne Pierzak can walk through it with you, room by room. Get a Home Valuation, and we'll bring the same eye for presentation to your home.