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The Christmas lights are up in DeRivera Park and more are popping up faster than a Jack-in-the-Box convention in other places around the island! So now it’s time for some holiday fun as Put-in-Bay brings 2025 to an end, and as usual, there is no shortage of “Holiday Happenings” on South Bass Island this December. Check out these events and make sure you attend as many as possible.
Giving Tuesday – Dec. 2nd
Back by popular demand there will again be a combined Giving Tuesday event with nonprofits on the island-stops at the Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center, Lake Erie Islands Historical Society, and the Duff Homestead and Bayfront Preserve (Lake Erie Islands Conservancy, Put-in-Bay Township
Park District, and The Perry Group offices.) Giving Tuesday will take place on Tuesday, December 2nd, from 4 to 7 p.m. The Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center will have a fun kids activity and will be open for visitors. There will be snacks, beverages and shopping opportunities at the Duff Homestead and Bayfront Preserve and the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society. This is a great opportunity to come out and see what our island non-profits have been up to this year! Participants that visit all three locations will be entered in a drawing for a basket!
The Art of Christmas Home Tour – Dec. 4th
There’s a fun new event this holiday season. It’s the Art of Christmas Home Tour on Thursday, December 4th, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The event, a fundraiser for the Put-in-Bay Arts Council, is a tour of five island residences decorated for the holidays. You will find the eclectic mix of featured properties quite enjoyable. Tickets are $25 and kids under 12 are free. To reserve, call or text Katherine Woischke at (419) 631-1441, or email putinbayarts@gmail.com. More details will.be available upon reservation.
Community Holiday Baskets – Dec. 7th
Island seniors can swing by the PIB Fire Station between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. pm Sunday, December 7th, and pick up their beautiful holiday fruit basket The baskets are from the Put-in-Bay Recreation Committee and are for every island senior, 60 and over.
Santa Arrives on South Bass Island – Dec. 7th
Santa will be making a pre-Christmas visit to South Bass Island to check and see if island kids have been naughty or nice this past year. He will be hitching a ride on one of the PIB Vol. Fire Dept. trucks and will traverse the island in the afternoon handing out gifts to island children with the help of several of his elves. Santa was persuaded to visit early thanks to the Put-in-Bay Recreation Committee.
Put-in-Bay Quick Links
- Things To Do At Put-in-Bay
- 2026 Put-in-Bay Event Calendar
- Our Favorite Places To Eat At PIB
- Put-in-Bay Ferry Service
Christmas Light Judging – Week of Dec. 8th
Put-in-Bay High School’s cheerleaders will be out judging the beautiful holiday lights and decorations the week of December 8th. All lights will be judged including commercial and residential. There will be first, second and third prizes. Judging is weather dependent, plus may take a couple of evenings due to the busy schedules of the cheerleaders.
Conservancy Holiday Potluck – Dec. 9th
The Lake Erie Islands Conservancy will hold its annual Christmas Potluck at the Duff at the Duff Homestead and Bayfront Preserve on Tuesday December 9th, starting at 6 p.m.. Ham, coffee and hot cider will be provided. Please bring a dish, salad, or dessert to share as well as a beverage of your choice. Please bring your own table service so that we can be eco-friendly this holiday! RSVP by calling or texting Lisa Brohl at (419) 366-2087 or e-mail at leiconservancy@gmail.com. There is lots to celebrate again this year, plus enjoy the Duff Homestead decorated for the holiday season!
Cut Out Cookie Day – Dec. 12th
If you love decorated cut-out cookies, but don’t have time for all that rolling and baking? Come down to the Put-in-Bay Yacht Club on Friday, December 12th at 3 to 5 p.m. They’ll have pre-baked cut-outs, ready for decorating with colored frostings and sprinkles. The cost is $10 per dozen. If you want, you can also bring your own decorations.
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Audubon Christmas Bird Count – Dec. 14th
The Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count will be held in the Lake Erie Islands Count Circle on Sunday, December 14th, 2025. Participants will be needed on Kelleys, Pelee, and the Bass Islands that day. On South Bass, we need volunteers to listen for owls in the early morning, travel the island bird watching during the day, and to watch their feeders at home. On South Bass, we would love to have someone spend time at our island preserves to watch that day-any amount of time is good. We have a form that will help with observations recording time of day, time spent, distance traveled, weather conditions and a bird checklist. These areas are also listed as ebird hotspots-Massie Cliffside, Dodge Woods, Scheeff East Point, Cooper’s Woods, Jane Coates Wildflower Trail, Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center etc. If you are interested in watching your feeders or traveling the South Bass Island for all or part of the day, call Lisa Brohl at (419) 366-2087 or e-mail at leiconservancy@gmail.com. We may get together for a potluck afterwards at the Brohl home.
We are also looking for birders or feeder watchers to help with Middle Bass and North Bass. Contact Teddi Keith Morris (614) 373-7533 or (419) 285-0042 to participate on Middle Bass.
John Pogacnik, the official Count Circle Compiler, will be coordinating the efforts on Kelleys Island. Please correspond with him at jpogacnik@hotmail.com or with Tom Bartlett at hthomas.bartlett@gmail.com if you wish to help at Kelleys.
Participation in the Christmas Bird Count is free and a lot of fun! The data gathered over 100 years of the count show important trends in bird populations.
Community Christmas Party – Dec 14th
This year’s Community Christmas Party will be held at the Put-in-Bay Town Hall at 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 14th. The party will feature a catered dinner from 1812 Food & Spirits of Catawba. Kids and families will have the opportunity to have photos taken with Santa. Everyone is welcome, so please stop by!
Christmas Carolling – Dec. 16th
Helping to spread some Christmas cheer on the island this holiday season will be the Merry Mobile Minstrels singing carols on Tuesday, December 16th, beginning at 6 p.m. This traveling adult choir is sponsored by the PIB Arts Council. If you would like the Minstrels to stop by your house that evening, please sign up at the Hardware Store or call (419) 631-1441 or email putinbayartscouncil@gmail.com. If you’re interested in joining the choir, please contact the phone or email above. This event is weather permitting and may change.
New Years Eve – Dec. 31st
To end this year and enter 2026, PIBYC will have a New Year’s Eve Party on Wednesday, December 31st. The New Year’s Eve Party will start with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will follow. Lucas Guy will be providing the live entertainment. The cost is $30 per person. Please RSVP by December 26th by calling the yacht club at (419) 285-4505.
David Hill says Topsy Turvey’s will be celebrating the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 with live music and plenty of holiday spirit.
The Forge will also be open for New Year’s Eve. They will be serving dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. and the Shanty Bar will be open late.
There will also be private parties around the island, too, so make sure you begin planning on where on the island you’ll be celebrating.
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