The Lil' Dickens Carolers have 30 sets on Roger's Gardens' 2026 schedule. Nine are afternoon sets. The other 21 are evening sets, and on weekdays the carolers sing only in the evening. Those sets run alongside the longest store hours the Corona del Mar garden center keeps all year. Through December 23, the doors at 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road stay open until 8 p.m.
So the Christmas Boutique has two schedules this season. Daytime is for the boutique itself and a weekend of artist signings. Most of the singing, the late shopping, and the season's final performance happen after 6 p.m., spread across the store and Farmhouse.
The hours changed on November 13
From October until November 12, Roger's Gardens kept its usual 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. day. On November 13 its posted holiday hours took over, and they shift several times before New Year's.
Dates | Posted hours |
|---|---|
November 13 to December 23 | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving | Closed |
Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Friday, December 25 | Closed |
December 26 to 30 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Thursday, December 31, New Year's Eve | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Friday, January 1 | Closed |
The Christmas Boutique page still says 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so it's worth calling 949.640.5800 before you plan a late visit. On the posted schedule, the extra two hours apply to every open day from mid-November through the 23rd.
What the extra two hours are for
This year's boutique, "The Stories of the Season," opened October 2. Newport Beach Living describes letters to Santa hanging overhead, displays based on peppermint sweets and gingerbread traditions, and a section modeled on European Christmas markets. The Newport Beach Independent counted 20 decorated trees, more than 800 ornament styles and more than 3,000 products. Roger's Gardens' holiday buyers travel to Europe every year to source them, and planning for each theme starts more than a year ahead.
The paper also reported that Roger's Gardens draws more than 1 million visitors between October and December. From November 13 through December 23, every open day in that window runs two hours longer. The shopping is the same at 7 p.m. as at 11 a.m.: hand-turned wooden nutcrackers, painted German Santas and Polish glass ornaments. What changes after 6 p.m. is everything happening around the shopping.
The daytime weekend: signings on November 20 and 21
The weekend right after this post goes up is the main daytime event of the season. All three makers on Roger's Gardens' events calendar are signing that Friday and Saturday, during daylight hours.
- Friday, November 20, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Gunther Ulbricht, signing nutcrackers.
- Saturday, November 21, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Lisa Kelechava, signing ornaments.
- Saturday, November 21, 1 to 5 p.m.: Joe Walden, signing for Radko.
From 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Kelechava and Walden are both signing. If a Radko piece or a Kelechava ornament is going into a family collection, that three-hour window covers both on one trip. The events page doesn't list a price or reservation requirement for any of the signings.
The store and Farmhouse are both closed on Thursday, November 26, for Thanksgiving. When the doors open the next morning, the evening schedule starts.
The carolers' calendar, week by week
The Lil' Dickens Carolers are a strolling quartet. Roger's Gardens describes their set list as classic and sacred carols, popular holiday songs and some jazz arrangements, performed "throughout Roger's Gardens and Farmhouse." Afternoon sets run 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., and evening sets run 6 to 8:30 p.m., with one 5 p.m. start on December 15.
Week | Afternoon sets, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. | Evening sets |
|---|---|---|
Nov. 27 to 29 | Fri., Sat., Sun. | Fri., Sat., Sun. |
Dec. 2 to 6 | Sat., Sun. | Wed. through Sun. |
Dec. 9 to 13 | Sat., Sun. | Wed. through Sun. |
Dec. 15 to 20 | Sat., Sun. | Tues. at Farmhouse only, 5 to 8:30 p.m.; Wed. through Sun. |
Dec. 23 to 24 | None | Wed.; Thurs. at Farmhouse only |
The table shows a pattern. After Thanksgiving weekend, the afternoon sets only happen on weekends. On weekdays, the carolers are scheduled only in the evening, and from December 2 through December 18 they sing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights every week. If you come by after work on a weeknight in December, you're there during their set. A weekday lunch visit falls between sets.
Through December 23, every evening set runs until 8:30 p.m., half an hour after the posted 8 p.m. store close. The carolers perform at Farmhouse as well as in the shop, and Farmhouse's OpenTable listing shows it open daily until 9 p.m. So the restaurant is still serving during that last half hour of each set. Roger's Gardens notes that all dates and times may change.
Farmhouse is in its tenth season
Farmhouse is a big part of the evening schedule. The restaurant sits inside Roger's Gardens, and Rich Mead, its owner and executive chef, opened it in 2016 as a field-to-fork restaurant built around produce from sustainable farms he's worked with for years. In August, the Daily Pilot covered Farmhouse's 10th anniversary, which Mead marked with a five-course Friends of Farmhouse dinner and more events into the fall. According to Roger's Gardens, the restaurant was on OpenTable's list of the "100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America for 2025." Reservations go through OpenTable.
The carolers' schedule includes two nights at Farmhouse only.
- Tuesday, December 15, 5 to 8:30 p.m. This is the only Tuesday on the schedule and the only set that starts at 5. That week runs six nights in a row, Tuesday through Sunday, more than any other week.
- Thursday, December 24, 6 to 8:30 p.m. The store closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Three hours later, the carolers sing their last set of the season at Farmhouse.
On Christmas Eve, the shop's day ends in the afternoon and the restaurant's runs into the night. If you want dinner and caroling on Christmas Eve, plan around 6 p.m. If the plan is a last-minute ornament, you need to be there before 3.
Parking after the valet goes home
Farmhouse's OpenTable listing mentions private parking behind the garden and complimentary valet Friday through Sunday until 4 p.m. It also suggests carpooling or rideshare because holiday and weekend parking can be tight. The weekend evening sets start at 6, two hours after the valet's posted end time, so plan on parking yourself. That listing also marks the restaurant as dog-friendly.
After the 25th, the schedule moves back to daytime
The store's 8 p.m. hours end December 23, and the caroling ends a day later at Farmhouse. From December 26 to 30, Roger's Gardens is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., earlier than its usual 6 p.m. close. New Year's Eve runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the store is closed on New Year's Day. The boutique's season, which a Visit Newport Beach listing shows running through December 23, ends the same way it started, as a daytime visit. Between November 27 and December 24, the carolers are scheduled for 21 evenings, and for most of that stretch the doors stay open until 8.
Holiday traditions in Corona del Mar are part of what our team pays attention to all year, from the garden center up San Joaquin Hills Road to the village shops on Coast Highway. If you're thinking about how your own home on these streets fits into the holidays, or into your next move, Annie Clougherty and the team would be glad to talk it through. Request a private consultation.
