On the evening of Friday, Nov. 13, the shops around the Erath County Courthouse stay open late for the Downtown Merchants' Annual Holiday Open House. The Stephenville Chamber of Commerce listing runs it from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and calls it "a downtown tradition of over 40 years." This year's listing adds one line: "This year we will be having a courthouse lighting!"
The lighting comes 15 days before ChristmasVille's community tree lighting on Saturday, Nov. 28. That puts the start of downtown's holiday season in mid-November. ChristmasVille closes it out on Thanksgiving weekend. Most of the calendar items that need a decision, an order or a registration land before ChristmasVille, and several of them come due this week.
The Month at a Glance
The Chamber's November 2026 events calendar has the full list. These are the holiday and Thanksgiving events, with the details you need for each.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost or action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Julianne's Lifestyle Holiday Open House, 4 to 6 p.m. | 2551 Northwest Loop | Bow workshop, drawings, charcuterie |
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 6–7 | The Holiday Market | 378 W Long St. | Hosted by Stephenville Parks & Recreation |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Turkey Trot early registration ends, 11:59 p.m. | Online | $30 before the price increase |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Spirits of Erath Cemetery Walk, 2 to 5 p.m. | West End Cemetery | $10 |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Veterans Day Ceremony | Erath County Courthouse | Community ceremony |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Holiday Open House Sip-Shop-Stroll and CTFAC Open House, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Downtown and 148 W. Long St. | Free at CTFAC |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Masonic Lodge Fried Turkey pickup, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 244 S. Columbia St. | $55 per turkey, order ahead |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Huffin' for the Stuffin' Turkey Trot | 950 Bluebonnet St. | Check-in from 7:15 a.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | ChristmasVille, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Downtown Stephenville | Free to attend |
The busiest stretch on the table is the first eight days, and the only fixed price change of the month is on Nov. 7.
This Week Sets Up the Rest of November
Julianne's Lifestyle holds its holiday open house on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2551 Northwest Loop. Beneath the Surface News reported that the evening includes a Christmas bow workshop, drawings and charcuterie. A bow workshop comes at a useful time, about a week before the downtown open house and a little over three weeks before ChristmasVille.
The Holiday Market follows on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7. Stephenville Parks & Recreation hosts it, and the Chamber listing gives the address as 378 W Long St. Vendor registration opened back on Sept. 2, and the city also invited food trucks to apply.
The same weekend holds the one deadline on this calendar with a dollar amount attached. The Huffin' for the Stuffin' Turkey Trot is the Brinkley Family event presented by the Stephenville Running Club. The registration page lists a $30 fee and says the price goes up after 11:59 p.m. CST on Saturday, Nov. 7. The same date is the cutoff for a guaranteed shirt and medal.
If you plan to run on Thanksgiving morning, these are the things to handle before the weekend ends:
- Register for the Turkey Trot by 11:59 p.m. Saturday to get the $30 price and the guaranteed shirt and medal.
- Set aside a canned-food item for Grace Place, which the race organizers ask runners to bring.
- Call or email the Stephenville Masonic Lodge if you want a fried turkey for pickup on Nov. 25. Orders go through the Lodge directly.
ChristmasVille's own vendor calendar shows the same timing. The EventHub page for vendors says payments are due Nov. 6, which is the day the Holiday Market opens.
A Sunday at West End Cemetery
On Sunday, Nov. 8, the 16th annual Spirits of Erath Cemetery Walk takes place at West End Cemetery. The Dublin Citizen reported performances at 2 and 3:30 p.m. and a $10 entry. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Dick Smith Library and the Stephenville Historical House Museum. The Chamber listing gives the window as 2 to 5 p.m.
Beneath the Surface News described the walk as telling the stories of local pioneers. The walk falls on the quiet weekend between the first round of holiday shopping and the night the square is lit, and the people it portrays are tied to the same downtown and courthouse that hold the rest of the month's events.
The Square Becomes the Center
From Nov. 11 on, most of the month's events take place around the Erath County Courthouse. The Chamber calendar lists a Veterans Day Ceremony at the courthouse on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Two days later, the Sip-Shop-Stroll lights the building.
The Downtown Merchants' open house has been the start of the downtown shopping season for more than four decades, according to the Chamber. In 2022, Beneath the Surface News spoke with Scott's Flowers on the Square, whose representative James Kimbel called that year's event the shop's 49th Holiday Open House. Frames Etc owner Julie Lowrance told the outlet then that most businesses would offer wine, snacks and festive activities. That is where the "sip" in Sip-Shop-Stroll comes from.
"Please join us for a festive evening in downtown Stephenville to kick off the holiday season."
That line comes from this year's Chamber listing, which places the courthouse lighting inside a tradition already more than 40 years old.
The Cross Timbers Fine Arts Council holds its own Annual Holiday Open House at the same hours, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at 148 W. Long St. The Chamber's CTFAC listing says admission is free and that the gallery will offer artwork, handmade items and locally made gifts as part of the Downtown Merchants' open house. Both events run on the same night, so you can shop the square, see the courthouse lit and visit the gallery in one evening.
Thanksgiving Week Runs on Earlier Orders
Two Thanksgiving-week traditions depend on decisions made earlier in the month.
On Wednesday, Nov. 25, the Stephenville Masonic Lodge holds its 21st annual fried turkey fundraiser, with pickup from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 244 S. Columbia St. The Lodge sells Cajun-fried turkeys of 10 to 12 pounds for $55 each and offers local delivery. The Order of the Eastern Star holds a holiday dessert bake sale alongside it. Orders go to the Lodge by phone or email, as described on the Chamber listing.
On Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, the 8th annual Turkey Trot starts at the Lakeside Physicians parking lot, 950 Bluebonnet St. Check-in begins at 7:15 a.m., and the race runs from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Families can choose a 1-, 2- or 3.1-mile run or walk. The course has aid stations, and runners get pumpkin pie and Volleman's chocolate milk plus a door-prize ticket for every lap. Anyone who registered by Nov. 7 has a shirt and medal waiting at check-in.
ChristmasVille Closes the Season
ChristmasVille takes over downtown on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is hosted by Stephenville Main Street, falls on Small Business Saturday and is free to attend. The EventHub page gives 298 W. Washington St. as the map pin. Last year's event drew 59 exhibitors, vendors and sponsors.
Main Street manager Ashley Thomas described the day to Beneath the Surface News:
"The downtown comes alive with holiday music, local vendors and visits from Santa as he makes his way through shops and restaurants, spreading cheer and joining in on special in-store activities."
The daytime schedule includes horse-drawn carriage rides, progressive bingo and Rudolph's chili cook-off, which Beneath the Surface News covered when the city opened registration in September. Some vendors set up around the courthouse, according to the EventHub vendor terms. After dark, the lighted Christmas parade and fireworks lead up to the community tree lighting that ends the day.
The courthouse lighting on Nov. 13 comes 15 days before that tree lighting.
If a Stephenville home within walking distance of the square is on your list for next year's open house, Edge Real Estate knows Erath County beyond the holiday calendar. We would be glad to walk downtown with you and talk through what is available. Let's Connect.
