On December 13, Santa Is Booked All Over Oak Brook

At 8 a.m. on Sunday, December 13, families sit down to a breakfast buffet at Labriola Ristorante on Butterfield Road, with gingerbread-house supplies already on the tables. Santa starts photos at 10 a.m. in the lower level of The Drake Oak Brook. Lucca Osteria on 22nd Street opens its Santa brunch half an hour later. At 1 p.m. the Oak Brook Park District sends out its first trolley to a "North Pole" at Central Park West. At Pinstripes, Santa takes visitors until 3 p.m.

That makes five Santa appearances in one Oak Brook Sunday, Four of them require a reservation, a ticket or a registration, and Pinstripes recommends reserving.

A holiday season with no village square

Oak Brook doesn't have a downtown main street, so there is no one spot where the village gathers in December. Instead, a handful of separate venues each put out their own holiday program. The Drake Oak Brook runs a full calendar from Thanksgiving through December 28. Oakbrook Center has Santa on The Lawn from November 13 through Christmas Eve. The restaurants sell seats to their own Santa brunches, the Park District holds its events in Central Park, and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County adds programs at Graue Mill and Fullersburg Woods.

Each of these hosts sets its own dates. December 13, the second Sunday of December, is the one date on which Lucca, Labriola, The Drake, Pinstripes and the Park District all hold a Santa event.

Sunday, December 13, by the clock

The Park District's Cocoa Cabin is open that Sunday too. December 13 is one of its scheduled dates during Winter Lights.

What each booking actually buys

The five events look alike on a calendar. Their rules and prices are where they differ.

Labriola runs the earliest seating and has the most detailed ticket menu. On OpenTable, an adult ticket with a gingerbread house is $65.95, a child ticket with a house is $50.95, an adult buffet ticket without a house is $35.95, and children under 3 are $1. Extra gingerbread houses are $29.95. Every guest needs a ticket. Labriola's event page describes a breakfast buffet, supplies for the houses and a guest from the North Pole. The brunch also runs December 5, 6 and 12, so it's the easiest of the five to move to another weekend.

Lucca Osteria is a single date. It's $70++ per adult and $37++ per child age 10 and under, and children 2 and under are free. Reservations are required. According to Chicago Parent's Oak Brook holiday guide, the morning includes a build-your-own hot chocolate bar, a crafts table, and a framed photo for every family, plus a digital copy sent to your phone.

The Drake adds Santa and Mrs. Claus to its regular Sunday brunch, with professional photos from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the hotel's lower level. The hotel runs the same brunch on Saturday, December 19, and a Santa-and-the-Grinch version on Sunday, December 20, with a "Roast Beast" on the buffet.

Pinstripes runs a bottomless brunch buffet every Saturday and Sunday from November 28 through December 20. Visits with Santa are complimentary, families take their own photos, and reservations are recommended. With so many weekend dates, it has the most room to move after December 13.

Holiday Express is the Park District's version. A trolley leaves the Family Recreation Center for Santa's "North Pole" at Central Park West, which has crafts, a bounce house and light refreshments. Trolleys leave every 20 minutes from 1 p.m. through 3:40 p.m. Everyone over age 2 has to register, and children 2 and under ride free. You register through the Park District's online system, which has the fee details. It's the only Santa event of the day that starts after lunch. A family could do a morning brunch and still make an afternoon trolley.

The one night out that needs no reservation

All five Santa events either require a booking or recommend one. Winter Lights at Central Park needs neither. The half-mile walk runs every night from November 20 through January 3, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., and admission is free. The paved, one-way loop passes dancing trees, rainbow arches, cascading snowflakes, twirling icicles, butterflies and musical hearts. The Park District page lists a few details worth knowing before you go:

• Sensory-friendly half hour. Every evening from 4 to 4:30 p.m., the moving lights hold still and the music is off.
• Dogs. Leashed dogs are welcome on the path.
• Restrooms. Indoor restrooms are open during Cocoa Cabin hours. On other nights, there are limited restrooms on the back side of the Central Park West building.
• Weather and parking. The path closes in heavy snow, ice, rain or lightning, and closures are posted on the event page. On mild nights the lots can fill up, and the Park District marks an overflow parking area on its map.

Admission is free, but donations go to People's Resource Center and the Oak Brook Park District Foundation.

The Cocoa Cabin is where the lights and the rest of the calendar meet. It's scheduled for November 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29, then December 3 through 6, 10 through 13, 17 through 23, and December 26. Most of its December nights fall Thursday through Sunday. During the week before Christmas, it's open every night from December 17 through 23.

The rest of the season, week by week

Nothing else on the calendar draws as many events as December 13, but most of these dates still need a booking.

• Friday, November 13 through December 24: Santa photos on The Lawn at Oakbrook Center, with reservations through the mall.
• Mondays and Tuesdays, November 23 through December 15: Pet Night with Santa at Oakbrook Center, 4 to 7 p.m.
• Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving Brunch at The Drake, with seatings from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Friday, November 27: Black Friday high tea at The Drake and the Holiday Refresh Hike at Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, 3609 Spring Road, 10 to 11:30 a.m., $5 per person. Children under 13 need an adult.
• Wednesday, December 2: The Drake's annual tree lighting, 4:30 to 6 p.m. It's free, with carolers, hot chocolate and cookies. Bring a canned good for the hotel's food drive for the local food pantry.
• Saturday, December 5: Mistletoe and Merriment at the Mill, 10 a.m. to noon, at Graue Mill and Museum, 3800 York Road.
• Friday, December 11: A Dickens Christmas Dinner at The Drake, with carolers from 6 to 8 p.m. and a four-course prix fixe menu.
• Wednesday, December 16: Gingerbread House Workshop at The Drake, taught by Executive Chef Ezequiel, who builds the gingerbread house in the hotel lobby each year.
• Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve buffet at The Drake, 3 to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, December 26: A second Holiday Refresh Hike at Fullersburg Woods, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
• Monday, December 28: Teas and Tiaras, The Drake's first Princess Holiday Tea Party, 2 to 5:30 p.m. Tiaras are provided, and there's a photo booth.

Chicago Parent's guide lists a few more dates; check times with each host before you go. They include a Holiday Stroll at Oakbrook Center on December 1, a Holiday Market at Mayslake Peabody Estate on December 12 and 13, and Prancer's Pop-Up Pub at Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook Chicago from November 27 through January 3, which is open to all ages. If the Mayslake market happens as listed, it adds a sixth December 13 option for families who'd rather shop than do brunch.

Most of these events can be booked today. Santa photos at Oakbrook Center start Friday, November 13, Winter Lights opens a week later, and Lucca's December 13 brunch has no other date.

At Kathy Szuba, we keep track of Oak Brook's calendar for the same reason you do: we live and work here too. If friends or family are thinking about joining you in Oak Brook next December, we'd be glad to help them find a home close to Central Park and the rest of the season. Get your free home valuation, or just get in touch to talk about the village. We're happy to help in English or Polish.