Greensboro and Eatonton Run Separate Holiday Calendars. This Year They Line Up Almost Date for Date.

Lake Oconee sits between two county seats, and each one puts on its own holiday season. Greensboro's calendar comes from Downtown Greensboro and the Greensboro Business Association. Eatonton's comes from Eatonton Main Street. In 2026 their big dates fall on the same day or one day apart, from this weekend through Dec. 12. If you live between the two towns, you can treat the season as one calendar with a choice of downtowns on most dates.

The one big event on the lake itself, at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, falls in the gap between the two towns' calendars. It also brings a second Mistletoe Market, which is easy to mix up with the first.

The full season, in date order

Three of the five town dates are paired: the opening weekend, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Dec. 12. The tree lightings are one night apart. The sections below go through the season in order and show what each date involves in each town.

Opening weekend starts tomorrow in Greensboro

Greensboro starts first. The Holiday Open House opens downtown at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, and continues into Saturday, Nov. 14. Downtown Greensboro's calendar promises "delicious treats, festive shopping, artist specials" along with sales. The Greensboro Business Association presents the weekend, and its listing describes downtown storefronts decorated for the holidays, with boutiques, seasonal décor and gifts inside.

Eatonton's main event that weekend is Saturday only. Eatonton Main Street's Mistletoe Market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Courthouse Lawn, with more than 100 arts-and-crafts vendors, handmade gifts and live art demonstrations. The market's vendor page lists every vendor space for this year as full. The market has been running for years. The Eatonton Messenger called it an annual event in 2022, when its report said the market started Christmas shopping season in town.

Because the market closes at 3 p.m., you can shop downtown Eatonton the same afternoon. Visit Eatonton's downtown guide lists shops including Maggie Lane, Red Dog Apparel Co., The Artisans Village Art Gallery and Taylor Flowers & Gifts. For coffee or lunch, the same guide lists Sylvia's Coffee, SIPS 31024, Essential Bowls, Tipsy Turtle and La Reine Belle, among others.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, both downtowns have holiday events at once. Greensboro's Open House runs Friday and Saturday, and Eatonton's market is Saturday only. That makes Friday the day to see Greensboro if you also want the full Mistletoe Market on Saturday.

The night before Thanksgiving, the lake gets its own event

After that weekend, neither town has a holiday event for almost two weeks. The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee holds its Annual Lighting at the Lake in that gap, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving. According to the resort's event page, the evening starts at 6 p.m. with a live set by John Driskell Hopkins and his band, mixing country hits and Christmas classics. Santa then cues the lights, and the resort says that means "hundreds of thousands" of them. After the lighting, there are photos with Santa and The Winter Forest, which includes a 5,000-square-foot ice rink.

This is the second Mistletoe Market of the season. The Ritz-Carlton runs its own Mistletoe Market of local vendors from 4 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 25. Eatonton's market is a daytime event on the Putnam County Courthouse Lawn on Nov. 14. The resort's market is an evening event at 1 Lake Oconee Trail, eleven days later, built around the lighting. If someone mentions "the Mistletoe Market" in November, ask which date they mean.

The resort is also running a drive that night through its Community Footprints partnership. It asks guests to bring canned goods, non-perishable food or winter coats, and collection bins will be on the Front Drive before and during the event.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, both towns have the same hours

On Nov. 28, both towns go back to their downtowns with the same hours. Greensboro's Shop Small Saturday runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eatonton's Small Business Saturday also runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the one date where the two towns' hours match exactly, so a single Saturday trip covers either downtown for the whole day.

Three days later, Greensboro starts something that runs until Christmas. The Holly Jolly Scavenger Hunt runs Dec. 1 through Dec. 25. Daily clues lead to hidden ornaments around downtown, and some of them are miniature pieces by Nicole's Tiny Art. Since the hunt runs every day of December until Christmas, any trip into Greensboro that month, whether for errands or the bigger events below, can include it.

Two tree lightings, one night apart

Eatonton lights its tree first, on Thursday, Dec. 3. A Christmas Evening in Eatonton runs from 5 to 8 p.m. downtown, and the Great Tree on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn is lit at 6 p.m. Horse-drawn carriage rides are free that evening. Participating businesses hand out punch cards, with one punch for each $15 purchase at a single business. Five punches enter you in a drawing for a gift basket of items from downtown businesses. Farmers & Merchants Bank and Leafguard sponsor the evening.

Greensboro lights its tree the next night, Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. Downtown Greensboro's listing includes live entertainment on the community stage, visits with Santa and his elves, arts and crafts activities and food vendors.

The two evenings are set up differently. Eatonton's is built around shopping, with the punch card tied to purchases at downtown businesses. Greensboro's is built around the stage, Santa and food vendors. They fall on a Thursday and a Friday, so you can go to both.

Dec. 12 overlaps, but you can still do both

Dec. 12 is the date with the tightest timing, because the biggest event in each town overlaps the other's. Greensboro's Tour of Homes runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It opens private homes and significant historic sites around downtown Greensboro, and tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Christmas in Eatonton runs from 4 to 8 p.m. The parade starts at 6 p.m., and food trucks and arts-and-crafts vendors are on the Courthouse Lawn before and after.

The overlap is only the two hours between 4 and 6 p.m., and the main event in each town falls on its own side of that window. The tour is a daytime event and the parade is at night, so one Saturday can cover both:

1. Buy Tour of Homes tickets ahead of time to pay the $25 advance price instead of $30 at the door.
2. Do the tour in Greensboro in the late morning and early afternoon, while it runs from 10 a.m.
3. Check for a Holly Jolly Scavenger Hunt ornament while you're downtown, since the hunt is still running.
4. Leave Greensboro in time to get to the Eatonton Courthouse Lawn before the 6 p.m. parade, while the food trucks and vendors are already set up.
5. Stay on the lawn after the parade, since Christmas in Eatonton runs until 8 p.m.

The towns plan their calendars separately, so nothing guarantees they will line up like this every year. In 2026 they do. The season starts with Greensboro's Open House this Friday and ends with the Eatonton parade on Dec. 12, and each of the five town dates falls on the same day as an event in the other town or one day from it.

Holiday weekends like these are a good time to explore the towns around the lake. If you want to know more about the two downtowns on either side of Lake Oconee, Traci Nelson grew up in Lake Country and is glad to share what she knows, whether you're on the Greensboro side or the Eatonton side. Find Your Lake Lifestyle.