If your house in Orange Township is decorated by Thanksgiving weekend, when do you have to tell the township so it can enter the Light Fight? The township's main contest page gives only the end of voting. It says voting is open until December 31 at 11:59 p.m. The contest's own registration site lists two separate windows. Registration runs October 31 through December 14, 2026, and voting runs December 17 through 31. A house that isn't registered by that Monday in mid-December won't be on the ballot when voting opens that Thursday.
The rest of the season follows a similar pattern. The events bunch up on the first weekend of December, when Evans Farm, Orange Township and Polaris Fashion Place all hold their big gatherings within about 30 hours of each other. Most of the dates that need action from you come afterward, between December 12 and December 18.
The Lead-Up Starts Before Thanksgiving
Your first holiday task is at Township Hall Park. Santa's Mailbox returns there on November 18 at 1680 East Orange Road and stays through December 5, according to Orange Township's announcement. The township asks letter writers to include a legible name and a complete mailing address so a reply can come back.
The next evening, November 19, Polaris Fashion Place holds KidX Cat in the Hat from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Characters sing, dance and read, and the first 50 children get a free movie ticket offer.
On Thanksgiving morning, November 26, Standardized Brewing hosts the Evans Farm Turkey Trot. The free 100-meter kids' run starts at 8:55 a.m. and the 5K starts at 9:00 a.m. The event is listed at 5920 Evans Farm Drive. There are two ticket options:
- 5K with a donut: $10 plus a 25-cent service fee
- 5K with a mug, drip coffee and a donut: $20 plus a 50-cent service fee
Those three dates stand alone on the calendar. Then comes the first weekend of December, when everything lands at once.
Thirty Hours, Three Hosts
On Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6, Lewis Center has holiday events from three different hosts. Here's the weekend in order:
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5, 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. | Light the Night, tree lighting at 5:45 p.m. | Evans Farm, 5915 Evans Farm Dr. | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. | Sensory Santa | Polaris Fashion Place, Center Court | Not listed |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Santa's Mailbox moves to the Holiday Event | North Orange Park | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Orange Township Holiday Event | North Orange Park, 7560 Gooding Blvd. | Not listed |
Saturday is the biggest of the weekend. Destination Delaware County's listing for Light the Night includes a fire truck and a train, an iceless skating rink, a DJ, Santa, local choirs, food trucks, holiday shopping and more than 50 vendors. Evans Farm's own event page lists it as free and adds hot cocoa and caroling. If you want to see the tree lit, the 5:45 p.m. lighting is late in the afternoon, so you can browse the vendors first.
Sunday has two very different events at opposite ends of the day. Sensory Santa at Polaris runs from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in Center Court and offers sensory-friendly activities. The township's outdoor gathering starts at 4:30 that afternoon. A family could do both, with the whole middle of the day free in between.
Why the Township Holds Its Event at North Orange Park
Orange Township holds its Holiday Event at North Orange Park, not North Road Park. North Road Park, at 5864 North Road, has the soccer fields, cricket and pickleball courts. North Orange Park is off U.S. Route 23 at 7560 Gooding Boulevard. The township's park page lists walking and nature trails, fishing ponds, soccer and basketball courts, an ADA-accessible playground, a fireplace shelter and the Aquatic Center. In 2020, the Delaware Gazette described the 36-acre park as having an amphitheater, charcoal grills, a picnic area and a sledding hill.
The township says this year's event will have performances by Olentangy Schools, train rides, and visits from the Grinch, Santa and Mrs. Claus, along with hot chocolate, coffee and cookies. The township is also collecting toys at the event for the People In Need, Inc. Toy Drive, so you can bring a toy to donate.
Santa's Mailbox moves to the park for the Holiday Event and goes back to Township Hall Park on December 7. You can drop off a letter at the Sunday event, and if your child finishes one later, the mailbox is back at its usual spot the next morning.
The township has held this event on the first weekend of December before. Its 2025 event was on December 7, also from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
After the Weekend, Dates Become Deadlines
Once December 6 is over, the calendar changes. The remaining dates are mostly cutoffs, and they fall close together:
- Saturday, December 12. Breakfast with Santa at California Pizza Kitchen inside Polaris Fashion Place runs from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. It costs $25 per person, and reservations are required at 614-985-6304. Because you have to call ahead, this is a deadline too.
- Monday, December 14. Light Fight registration closes.
- Thursday, December 17. Light Fight voting opens. The same evening, Polaris holds the free KidX Cookies & Claus next to its indoor kids' playground from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., with cookie decorating and holiday characters.
- Friday, December 18. Last day to mail a letter at Santa's Mailbox.
- Thursday, December 31, 11:59 p.m. Light Fight voting closes.
Four of these five dates fall within one week, from December 12 to December 18. If you have young kids and a decorated house, that week matters more than the busy weekend before it.
How the Light Fight Is Set Up
The township calls the Light Fight a friendly competition among its neighborhoods. It's also the only event this season that runs on two separate windows, registration first and voting later. To enter, you fill out a short form on the Light Fight registration page with your full name, email, phone number and home address. The entries page shows registered houses in a Gallery view and a Map view. You can use the map to plan a drive through the neighborhoods to see the lights, even if you're not entering.
Registration closes on December 14 and voting opens on December 17, so on December 15 and 16 the list of entries is final but nobody can vote yet. After that, voting stays open for two weeks, including Christmas.
Past winners show how far the contest reaches across the township. The Winter 2026 township newsletter lists Light Fight winners by address. First place went to a home on Scarlet Avenue, second to one on Baltic Avenue and third to one on Feathertip Lane. In 2024, the township named winners in four categories: Trustee's Choice, Kids' Choice, People's Choice and Griswold.
If you have questions, the township takes them at [email protected]. If your yard is already decorated, the date to remember is December 14, not December 31.
Our team lives and works in these neighborhoods all year, and in December that means knowing which street is on the Light Fight map and which weekend North Orange Park will be busy. If you're starting to plan next year, whether that's a move within Orange Township or a sale in the spring, Linda M Rano Jonard would be glad to sit down with you after the holidays. Request a Free Home Valuation & Consultation, and we'll show you what your home is worth in today's market.
