La Palma's Holiday Season Fits on One Block of Walker Street

City Hall is at 7822 Walker Street. The Community Center and Central Park are directly across at 7821. The Police Department is a short walk down at 7792. Nearly every city event from now through the new year happens within that stretch of street: the Veterans Day ceremony, the tree lighting, the Giving Tree drop-offs and both December council meetings.

The block runs on two schedules, and those schedules shape the season more than any single event. City Hall is open 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Across the street, Central Park keeps extended hours, until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. So when a holiday deadline lands on a Friday or weekend, it goes to the building that's actually open.

Inside the Palm Rooms

The meeting rooms at the Community Center are named after palm trees: Royal Palm, King Palm, Queen Palm, Sago Palm and Pygmy Palm. The winter recreation guide also lists classes in a Fan Palm Room. If a flyer sends you to one of them, the Community Center is where to go.

Two regular programs keep those rooms busy through the holidays. The La Palma Chess Club plays a classical game every Friday in the Royal Palm Room. On Mondays from Nov. 2 through Dec. 14, North Orange Continuing Education teaches a free class called Staying Mentally Sharp in the Sago Palm Room from 1 to 2:50 p.m. It's aimed at adults 50 and older but open to anyone 18 or older. Walk-ins can register during class time, and the class breaks for Thanksgiving week, Nov. 23 to 27.

All of it is listed in the city's Winter 2026-27 Mosaic, the quarterly newsletter and recreation guide, and on the city events calendar.

November Opens on a Saturday

The Veterans Day Ceremony is this Saturday, Nov. 7, at 11 a.m. The city's message calls the venue the Community Center, and its calendar page says Central Park. Both are the same complex at 7821 Walker Street. You have to register in advance, and La Palma veterans get priority. The ceremony is the weekend before the holiday itself. City offices close on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The same afternoon, the OC Public Libraries La Palma Branch is showing a family movie from 2 to 3 p.m. That makes it easy to pair the late-morning ceremony with a quiet afternoon.

The week after brings the first council meeting since the Nov. 3 election. That election put the council seats for Districts 2 and 4 on the ballot, and the city says it completes La Palma's change to district-based council elections. The Orange County Register covered the four candidates who ran for the two seats. The council meets Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The Community Activities & Beautification Committee meets earlier that evening, at 5 p.m. Anyone can speak during Public Communications, on any topic, for up to five minutes.

Thanksgiving Moves the Curb Schedule

City offices and facilities close on Thursday, Nov. 26. Trash pickup that day moves back one day, and street sweeping is canceled. Several Thursday recreation classes also skip Nov. 26, including the AGI Academy math workshop and computer class held at the Buena Park Community Center. If your trash day is Thursday, your bins go out Friday that week.

Dec. 2 at Central Park, Then Dinner on Centerpointe Drive

The annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony is Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Central Park. Santa Claus starts visiting at 4:30 p.m., and the ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. Since it's on a weeknight, the Santa visit lines up with the end of a school or work day, and the ceremony wraps up around dinnertime.

Centerpointe Drive has several dinner options nearby:

• Isla Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar, 30 Centerpointe Drive. Its posted hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, so it's open after a Wednesday ceremony.
• Panda Inn, 2 Centerpointe Drive, which posts daily hours on its site.
• A'Roma Ristorante, also at Centerpointe La Palma.

The Giving Tree Has Two Deadlines

The La Palma Giving Tree opens Monday, Dec. 7, at three Walker Street locations: City Hall, the Police Department and the Community Center. Each ornament stands for a child that local schools have identified as needing help this season.

1. Pick an ornament at any of the three locations.
2. Buy the gift written on it.
3. Return the gift, unwrapped, with the ornament.

Where you return it determines your deadline. Gifts are due at City Hall by Thursday, Dec. 10, and at the Community Center or Police Department by Sunday, Dec. 13. Thursday is the last day of City Hall's week, so the two extra days come from the buildings that stay open. If you plan to shop over the Dec. 12 weekend, take the gift across the street to the Community Center. The city says residents, businesses and local organizations can all take ornaments.

Where the Service Clubs Fill In

The city covers the big events. Local clubs cover the smaller dates in between, often at businesses a few minutes from Walker Street.

The Kiwanis Club of La Palma has three fundraisers this season. Its See's Candy online storefront is open now for mid-December delivery, including gifts shipped to family in other states. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the club holds an all-day fundraiser at the El Pollo Loco at La Palma Avenue and Valley View Street. On Jan. 13, 2027, it's at Flame Broiler, 38 Centerpointe Drive, Unit 1, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The money supports the club's work with local children. That includes a $4,400 Kiwanis International grant for early-grade literacy, to which the La Palma club is adding $2,800 of its own.

La Palma Toastmasters meets every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:40 p.m. at George B. Miller Elementary School, 7751 Furman Road. Guests are welcome, and anyone 18 or older can join. In 2025-26 it was one of four clubs to win the Smedley Award. Details are at lapalmatoastmasters.org.

The La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Branch, founded in 1972 and now in its 54th year, holds its November program on Nov. 19 at the ABCUSD Adult School Auditorium, 20122 Cabrillo Lane in Cerritos. Social time starts at 6:30 p.m., and the program on AI and ChatGPT, presented by a technology integration specialist from Cal State Long Beach, follows at 7. The December holiday party's date and place haven't been set yet.

The newsletter also shares a story from Marion Cubero, La Palma's Code Enforcement and Business License Officer, about working with La Palma Christian Church and Orchard Hardware on the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. Volunteers repaired and painted homes for five La Palma residents. "It was about people coming together to help their neighbors," Cubero said in the city's Mosaic.

The Season at a Glance

After the Lights Come Down

City offices close for the winter holidays from Wednesday, Dec. 23, through Thursday, Dec. 31, and reopen Monday, Jan. 4, 2027. Police, Fire and Public Works stay available 24/7 for emergencies such as water leaks. During the closure, water bills can be paid online at EDCOdisposal.com, by phone at 714-522-3577, or at the drop boxes outside City Hall and in the Police Department lobby.

Trash pickup moves back a day again on Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1, and street sweeping is canceled both days. For one week after Dec. 25, EDCO sends a separate truck to collect holiday trees for recycling. Put your tree out on your usual trash day that week.

After the holidays, Valley View Street is next. According to Voice of OC, Buena Park, La Palma and Cerritos are planning to repave about 2.85 miles of Valley View between Lincoln Avenue and Artesia Boulevard. Construction is expected to start in January 2027 and take about four months, with work phased or scheduled for off-peak hours. La Palma's share is estimated at $900,000. The La Palma council approved a cooperative agreement with Buena Park and Cerritos for the project at one of its Aug. 4 or Sept. 1 meetings.

Hosting family this season and want help planning a Walker Street evening, from Santa's arrival to a table on Centerpointe Drive? Gina Oddo is glad to share her favorite La Palma holiday stops. Let's Connect.