This December, Hinsdale's Holiday Calendar Keeps Coming Back to Burlington Park

The village's pavilion project page still says construction of the privately funded Burlington Park pavilion is expected to be finished in fall 2026. Instead, the contractor dug down and ran into a stormwater culvert that Village President Greg Hart described to The Hinsdalean as "quite large." Starting Dec. 4, that same park becomes the center of Hinsdale's holiday season. Santa's Workshop is scheduled there on three separate days. The village holds its own free holiday festival there too.

That makes December 2026 an unusual season for the park. The events are the familiar ones, with the 60th Christmas Walk leading them. The ground they happen on is mid-change, and next year's holiday season should have a permanent structure standing at its west end.

What Hit the Pavilion Project

Trustees hired Dave Knecht Homes in July to build a permanent pavilion on the west end of Burlington Park as part of Hinsdale's celebration of America's 250th anniversary. The $526,000 project is fully funded by private sources. The largest gifts are $175,000 from UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale and $100,000 from the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce.

The Hinsdalean reported Oct. 7 that village officials already knew the culvert was there. It extends west beyond Washington Street. Its exact location was the surprise. The options on the table were moving the pavilion closer to the sidewalk or engineering a way to build over the culvert in its current spot, perhaps with a steel beam. Hart said he prefers keeping the original location. He put the added cost at a minimum of $15,000 and said he hoped to cover it without taxpayer dollars by "making phone calls trying to raise the delta."

Trustees pulled the vote on which option to pursue from that meeting's agenda so they could study it further. Hart said the pavilion should still be ready for the Uniquely Thursdays concert series in 2027. If that holds, this December is the last holiday season Burlington Park hosts without it.

The Season, Date by Date

Two organizers split the holiday calendar. The Village of Hinsdale runs the train trip, Santa's Mailbox and Hinsdale for the Holidays. The Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce runs the Christmas Walk and Santa's Workshop visits. Here is how the dates line up:

Only one event on that list leaves town. Three of the remaining four bring people back to Burlington Park.

Nov. 29: The One Event That Leaves Town

The Holiday Express runs the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Riders take the train from Hinsdale to the Two Brothers Roundhouse for holiday guests, a meal and family activities. Tickets cost $55, and the trip is limited to Hinsdale residents. There are four trip windows:

1. 9 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.
2. 10 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.
3. Noon to 3:40 p.m.
4. 1 p.m. to 4:40 p.m.

Because the trip runs on Metra, the village notes that times may change with the Metra schedule. Registration opened Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. Families who haven't signed up should check the village's registration page for the windows that are still open.

The next day, Santa's Mailbox opens at Village Hall. It takes Hinsdale residents' letters from Nov. 30 through Dec. 7. The service is free, and replies are expected within 7 to 10 business days. A letter dropped off on the night of the Christmas Walk is still inside that window.

Dec. 4: The 60th Walk Starts at Memorial Hall

The Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce has scheduled the 60th annual Christmas Walk for Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. The Chamber lists Santa, Santa's village, the tree lighting ceremony, a holiday train and the carousel. Edition counts in The Hinsdalean's past coverage line up with that number. The paper called the 2022 walk the 56th and the 2024 walk the 58th.

The Chamber's attendee page gives the evening's structure:

• 5 p.m.: Santa arrives and the tree is lit at Memorial Hall.
• 5 to 7 p.m.: Downtown businesses are open to walkers.
• 5 to 7 p.m.: Santa visits in Santa's Workshop in Burlington Park.
• 5 to 7 p.m.: Carousel and train rides run.

The same page names three places to park: the Upper and Lower Washington Street lots and the Village lot between Lincoln and Washington, north of the tracks. In recent years, The Hinsdalean placed the carousel on First Street just west of Washington. In 2024 it reported the train running down First Street. The Chamber hasn't published a 2026 ride map, so expect that arrangement but confirm it on the night.

The evening's geography follows from that schedule. The ceremony at Memorial Hall comes first, and the line to see Santa forms in Burlington Park. Families heading for the park this year will be walking past a construction site that's waiting on its fix. Trustees hadn't chosen a pavilion option as of the Oct. 7 report, so what the west end looks like on Dec. 4 depends on decisions still to come.

Dec. 12 and Dec. 19: Back to the Park

The Christmas Walk is the biggest night, but Burlington Park keeps hosting after it. On Saturday, Dec. 12, the village holds Hinsdale for the Holidays there from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's free, with gingerbread cookie decorating, horse-drawn carriage rides and a visit with Santa. The Chamber's Santa's Workshop runs during those same hours that day. It opens one last time on Saturday, Dec. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

That gives families three chances at a Santa photo in the same park. Friday evening on Dec. 4 means the full Walk crowd. Dec. 12 pairs the visit with the carriage rides and cookie decorating. Dec. 19 is the last Santa date on the calendar.

Toni's First Fourth Quarter Under New Owners

A few steps off the park, the season has a test of its own on South Washington Street. Toni's Patisserie & Café, at 51 S. Washington St., is heading into its first holiday rush under new ownership. Earlier this year, Hinsdale residents Craig Zoberis, Mark Konieczka and Tom Wake bought the bakery from Toni Cox and Paul Pell, who opened it in Hinsdale 32 years ago, according to The Hinsdalean.

Cox is staying on indefinitely during the transition, and Steven Rennau continues as director of operations. She told the paper what the coming months mean for the business. "The fourth quarter is always a huge thing for us and a lot of work," Cox said. "We have to be in a position where we are prepared."

Cox's recipes were part of the sale, and the new owners say customers' favorites will continue. Last year's Thanksgiving menu included pumpkin, apple, cherry-almond streusel, French silk and pecan pies, along with a pumpkin mascarpone roulade. The Christmas menu had a chocolate bûche de Noël and holiday cookie trays. Order deadlines change from year to year, so check Toni's website for this season's dates before planning a Thanksgiving table or a Christmas Walk gathering around a pickup.

The owners also told The Hinsdalean they had applied for a new liquor license from the village and expected it in October. They might expand beyond the café's wine and beer down the road. "Perhaps there are bloody Marys in the future," Konieczka said.

What December 2027 Should Look Like

The pavilion's new target is tied to a concert series. The village aims to have it ready for Uniquely Thursdays in 2027. If the culvert work-around stays on track, the Christmas Walk's 61st edition will send families into a Burlington Park with a permanent pavilion at its west end. That would give the Chamber and the village a new structure to plan Santa's Workshop and the December festival around. Where it ends up depends on the option trustees choose, either over the culvert or closer to the sidewalk, and on whether Hart's fundraising covers the extra cost.

For now, the calendar is set. The train is Nov. 29, the mailbox opens Nov. 30, the tree lighting at Memorial Hall is at 5 p.m. on Dec. 4, and Santa will be in Burlington Park on Dec. 4, 12 and 19.

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