Fearrington Village's first holiday deadline is Wednesday, November 18, six days from today. The second is Sunday, November 22. By the time the Fraser firs reach the gravel lot by The Roost, the Christmas Eve feasts are boxed at The Fearrington Barn, and Donald Davis takes his seat in the Barn, the people who will be there have already placed their orders. For a household that wants a Fearrington-made Thanksgiving, a village tree and a seat at the storytelling, December is mostly pickups.
Below is the 2026 season sorted by when you have to act, alongside the free county events that land on some of the same days.
Six Days Until the First Cutoff
Fearrington's two seasonal food menus and its Christmas tree lot all work the same way. You order online ahead of time, then collect on a set morning in a one- or two-hour window. Nothing is sold walk-up on the day.
What | Order by | Pickup | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Thanksgiving Takeout for Two | Wed., Nov. 18 | Thu., Nov. 26, 10–11 a.m. | The Fearrington Barn | $196 |
Fraser Fir Christmas Tree | Sun., Nov. 22 | Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–noon | Gravel area by The Roost | $48 |
Christmas Takeout for Two | Wed., Dec. 16 | Thu., Dec. 24, 10–11 a.m. | The Fearrington Barn | $198 |
Chocolate Bourbon Cherry Yule Log | Wed., Dec. 16 | Thu., Dec. 24, 10–11 a.m. | The Fearrington Barn | $45 |
The Thanksgiving box comes first, and it has the softest deadline. The Thanksgiving Takeout for Two page says plainly that it "may sell out sooner than November 18th." The menu runs from Whole Wheat Parker House Rolls with Fearrington Honey Whipped butter, through Butternut Squash Bisque, sliced honey-roasted turkey and the Classic Fearrington Herb and Sage Stuffing, to a Pumpkin Cheesecake on a ginger snap crust. Reheating instructions come with it, tax and service fee are included, and orders are taken online only. Fearrington also says it can't make allergy substitutions, so the box is the box. A white and a red wine pairing can be added to the order.
The Fraser Fir Christmas Tree is a preorder in the strict sense. Fearrington says "pre-orders are required," and lists three heights: 3–4 feet, 5–6 feet and 6–7 feet. Every tree is $48 at every size, so ordering on time matters more than which height you pick.
November 22 Is a Deadline and a Downtown Party
The tree cutoff lands on the same Sunday as the Pittsboro Business Association's Holly Days and Tree Lighting. It starts at 3 p.m. downtown, with Santa, food trucks, entertainment on the main stage, a train ride, a bouncy house and, as the association puts it, "a vendor market this year!"
That makes the 22nd the hinge of the month. You can order the tree online that morning and still make downtown Pittsboro by 3. The Fearrington order window closes that day, while the downtown lighting is the start of Pittsboro's public season.
Five days later, Fearrington's own shopping season begins. The village's November roundup frames Friday, November 27 as Black & White Friday, a day built around the shops, the gardens, the spa, The Belted Goat, Afternoon Tea, cocktails and dinner. Nest Home has already rolled out its holiday collection, and Dovecote Style and Thistle & Oak are both running fall trunk shows this month.
December 5 Splits Into Morning and Evening
The first Saturday of December has two separate draws about fifteen minutes apart. From 10 a.m. to noon, preordered firs are handed out by The Roost. That evening, Brightspeed's Merry + Bright Christmas Drone Light Show fills the Philip H. Kohl MOSAIC Family Commons at 457 Freedom Parkway. Shopping and the holiday concert begin at 6 p.m. and the drones go up at 7.
Even this free event follows the reserve-ahead pattern. MOSAIC asks attendees to secure free tickets through Eventeny. The 2026 program lists a market of more than 30 local vendors, free photos with Santa, Christmas train rides, kids' crafts and a visit from "everyone's favorite snow sisters." The musical guests are the Northwood High School Marching Band and the George Moses Horton Middle School Choir. The Blood Connection, a local nonprofit, is holding a blood drive at the Family Commons the same day from 3 to 8 p.m., where appointments get priority and walk-ins are welcome.
So one Saturday covers a tree in the morning, a pint donated in the afternoon and drones after dark. The tree needs a preorder and the drone show a free ticket, and booking a blood-drive appointment ahead moves you up the line.
The December Tickets Work Like Deadlines Too
Fearrington's December events are small and priced per seat, so a ticket bought in November is effectively a seat claimed early.
- Tea with Santa. Sundays, December 6 and 13, 1:30–3:30 p.m. on The Garden Terrace beside The Fearrington House Restaurant. Storytime with Santa, tea or hot chocolate, treats, and visits and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. $125 per person, tax and service included.
- Festive Floral Workshop: Wreaths & Bows. Thursday, December 10, 10 a.m.–noon at the Cottage at Fearrington Village. $125 covers supplies, wine, light snacks, tax and service.
- Wine Class: Bubbles! Thursday, December 10 at 6 p.m. on the terrace behind The Fearrington House Restaurant. Wine Director Troy Revell leads a tasting of six sparkling wines, from Champagne and other regions. $95 with small bites.
- Champagne & Caviar Dinner with Champagne Jacquesson. Thursday, December 17 at 6:30 p.m., with guest Chris Lozano, Chef Paul Gagne and Troy Revell. Listed at $385, tax and service included.
Before any of those, the November wine class, The Colors of Wine: Holiday Selections, meets Thursday, November 19 at 6 p.m. for $75 with small bites. December 10 is the busiest day on the village calendar: a morning wreath workshop, an evening wine class and, at McIntyre's Books, Denise Kiernan with Obstinate Daughters and Elizabeth Kostova with Mystery Play at 6:30 p.m.
Thirty-Five Years of Stories, and a Warning to Book Early
The longest-running fixture on Fearrington's calendar costs the least of its ticketed events, and McIntyre's expects it to sell out. Hall of Fame storyteller Donald Davis returns for Stories for a Holiday Season for the 35th year. He tells at The Fearrington Barn on Saturday, December 19 at 11 a.m. and Sunday, December 20 at 2 p.m.
McIntyre's is direct about it. "Capacity for this event is limited. We expect to sell out." Every adult and child needs a ticket, listed at $10.70. All ticket money goes to CORA, Chatham County's food pantry. The store also asks guests to bring canned goods and names this month's most-needed items: cereal, oatmeal packets, cooking oil, soup, apples and pasta sauce. Davis is the author of eighteen books and more than forty original recordings, and he has received both the Circle of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Storytelling Network.
McIntyre's runs a separate, smaller author calendar between now and then. Craig Johnson and Longmire actor A Martinez discuss Have Courage at the Barn on Sunday, November 15 at 2 p.m., and buying the $28 book gets you two tickets. Walter Bennett talks about Sayla Is My Name with Marjorie Hudson on Saturday, December 12 at 11 a.m., also with two tickets per book.
What Runs Without a Reservation
The county's public events are the walk-up side of the season, and they cluster in mid-December:
- Siler City Christmas Parade, Thursday, December 3, 7–8:30 p.m., starting at 106 West Raleigh Street, from the West Chatham Area Chamber.
- Holiday in the Park, Friday, December 11, 5–8 p.m. at Northwest District Park, free from Chatham County Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources. The tree lighting at 5:15 p.m. opens the evening, and there's a 20-vendor holiday market selling handmade goods.
- Pittsboro Christmas Parade, Sunday, December 13 at 3 p.m. downtown. The route starts from MLK Drive, follows East and West Streets and ends at Farrell Street.
Fearrington has a weekly fixture of its own. McIntyre's Thursday Storytime with Johanna Banana runs from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on December 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, so on Christmas Eve morning, families collecting a prime rib or butternut-squash lasagna box at the Barn between 10 and 11 can stop at the bookstore during the same hour.
The last Fearrington order cutoff of the year is Wednesday, December 16, for the Christmas Takeout for Two and the Chocolate Bourbon Cherry Yule Log, both picked up at The Fearrington Barn on December 24 from 10 to 11 a.m.
If you're getting the house ready for a December full of guests, or weighing whether the next holiday season should be in a different home, Erika & Co. knows Chatham County's calendar as well as its streets. Schedule your complimentary market consultation, and we'll help you plan your move around the dates that matter to your household.
