Things to Do in Santee and El Cajon: December 5-6, 2026

This weekend in Santee and El Cajon at a glance

Two free tree lightings anchor the weekend, one on each day. Everything below with a date has been confirmed on the organizer’s own 2026 page; check again before you go.

• Saturday, December 5, from 3 p.m.: Spirit of Christmas in Lakeside, tree lighting and Santa’s arrival at 5 p.m.
• Sunday, December 6, 3 to 7 p.m.: Holiday Lights in Downtown El Cajon, tree lighting at 6:30 p.m.
• All weekend: Small Business Season shopping in downtown El Cajon (runs November 28 to December 24).
• Both mornings: Santee Lakes and Mission Trails Regional Park, before the afternoon events.
• Both days: the Yuletide Medieval Festival in Lakeside, Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ticketed).

Sunday, December 6: Holiday Lights in Downtown El Cajon

The headline event for El Cajon this weekend is the Downtown El Cajon Association’s free, community-wide Holiday Lights, from 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Expect a microbubble Snow Zone, live music, kids’ train rides, photos with Santa and an artisan market with local vendors.

At 6:30 p.m., Mayor Bill Wells leads the tree lighting in Prescott Promenade. Because the sun is down by about 4:41 p.m., the second half of the event takes place after dark, which is when the lights look their best.

• 3 p.m.: arrive for the artisan market while it is still light, and let younger kids loose in the Snow Zone.
• 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: catch the train rides and Santa photos, or slip into a downtown restaurant for an early dinner.
• By 6:15 p.m.: find a spot on Prescott Promenade for the 6:30 p.m. tree lighting.
• 7 p.m.: the event wraps up.

Saturday, December 5: a tree lighting next door in Lakeside

On Saturday, the action is just over the line in Lakeside, where the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce holds its 28th annual Spirit of Christmas. From 3 p.m. there are local clubs and vendors selling gifts, children’s activities, craft booths, youth performances, treats and a Mailbox for the North Pole.

At 5 p.m. the Lakeside Historical Society leads the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Olde Presbyterian Church, and Santa arrives. Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus are part of the day, though no time is posted. With a Saturday tree in Lakeside and a Sunday tree in El Cajon, families can do both without rushing.

Downtown El Cajon: dinner and Small Business Season

Downtown El Cajon calls itself the heart of East County, with several blocks of storefronts, restaurants and shops. This weekend falls early in the Downtown El Cajon Association’s Small Business Season, which runs from Saturday, November 28 through Thursday, December 24 and encourages holiday shoppers to buy local.

If you are coming for Sunday’s lights, it is worth making a full afternoon of it: shop the artisan market, browse the downtown storefronts, then eat locally before the tree lighting. The association’s website has a restaurant finder if you want to pick a place in advance.

Morning outdoors: Santee Lakes and Cowles Mountain

Both tree lightings start in the afternoon, which leaves the mornings free. Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, owned by Padre Dam Municipal Water District, is a 190-acre park with seven lakes filled with recycled water and stocked with sport fish year-round. In winter it opens at 6 a.m. on Fridays through Sundays and closes at 5 p.m., and weekend parking is $7 per vehicle. Pedal boats run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the sprayground is closed from November through February. Dogs are not allowed in the day-use area, though there is a pet walk on the east side of Lake 5 and around Lake 6.

For a workout with a view, head to Mission Trails Regional Park, about 8,000 acres of natural and developed recreational land. Its best-known climb, Cowles Mountain, is the highest point in the City of San Diego at 1,593 feet; the main trail starts at Golfcrest Drive and Navajo Road and climbs about 950 feet in roughly 1.5 miles each way. It is a busy trail, so a cool early-December morning is a good time to go. The park’s Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A medieval option in Lakeside

This is also the opening weekend of the Yuletide Medieval Festival at El Monte County Park in Lakeside, a ticketed event recreating a holiday in England in 1420, with jousting, a battle pageant, reenactor encampments, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas and Krampus. Tickets are bought online in advance by day. Saturday runs until 8 p.m., so it overlaps with the Lakeside tree lighting; choose one for the evening rather than trying to squeeze in both.

Weather and daylight for December 5-6

No forecast is reliable this far ahead, so plan from the averages. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals for El Cajon put the typical December high at about 68°F and the low at about 42°F, so a sunny afternoon can feel mild while the evening drops fast. Bring a real jacket for both tree lightings.

Daylight is short. The U.S. Naval Observatory gives sunrise at about 6:36 a.m. and sunset at about 4:41 p.m. in El Cajon on both days, with civil twilight ending around 5:08 p.m. Plan hikes so you are off the trail well before then, and check the National Weather Service forecast a few days out.

Tips for the weekend

• Do one tree lighting per day: Lakeside on Saturday at 5 p.m., El Cajon on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
• Bring a phone or camera for Santa photos at both events, and some cash for market vendors.
• Start early on Cowles Mountain, which draws hundreds of hikers a day, and finish before the afternoon events.
• Pack warm layers in the car: El Cajon’s average December low is in the low 40s.

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