Tomorrow night, Friday, at 7 p.m., the lights go down in the O. Wayne Rollins Planetarium at the Maxwell Center and Jack and Annie set off in Magic Tree House: Space Mission. At 8 p.m. the same night, a live presenter turns the optical star projector to Skies Over Georgia and walks the room through the constellations visible above the north Georgia mountains this season. That Friday is November 20. Three days later, Young Harris College stops classes for Thanksgiving.
The rest of the town's December follows from that calendar. Most of the public holiday events in Young Harris this year fall between the Monday students come back from Thanksgiving and the Monday final exams start. The college's Fall 2026 academic calendar lists Thanksgiving holiday from November 23 to 27, final examinations from December 7 to 11, and grades due December 14. Between those two breaks, the stages on campus and the City's one big December evening fill five days in a row.
The calendar the town shares with the college
The college's dates set the edges, and nearly everything else on this list falls inside them or right next to them.
| Date | What | Where | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 20 | Magic Tree House: Space Mission, 7 p.m.; Skies Over Georgia, 8 p.m. | Rollins Planetarium, Maxwell Center | $5 adults, $3 children |
| Nov 23 to 27 | YHC Thanksgiving holiday, no classes | Campus | — |
| Wed, Dec 2 | The Last Five Years, 7 p.m. | Dobbs Theatre, Goolsby Center | Listed at $0 |
| Thu, Dec 3 | A Christmas Cabaret!, 7 p.m. | Dobbs Theatre, Goolsby Center | Free |
| Fri, Dec 4 | Annual Tree Lighting, 6 p.m. | Mayor's Park | — |
| Sat, Dec 5 and Sun, Dec 6 | Christmas at YHC, "O Holy Night," 3 p.m. | Glenn~McGinnis Hall, Clegg Fine Arts Center | $10 general admission |
| Dec 7 to 11 | YHC final examinations | Campus | — |
| Fri, Dec 11 | Let It Snow, 7 p.m.; Season of Light, 8 p.m. | Rollins Planetarium, Maxwell Center | $5 adults, $3 children |
Before that stretch comes Thanksgiving week, when the biggest attraction near town keeps a short holiday schedule too.
Thanksgiving week on Brasstown Bald
The Brasstown Bald Visitor Information Center at 2941 Highway Spur 180 is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the last shuttle leaves at 4:30 p.m. The Forest Service lists all facilities as closed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving Day itself. This year those dates are November 25 and 26. Admission is $10 for ages 16 and up, and children 15 and under get in free.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28, FIND Outdoors lists a "Sunset on the Bald: Extended Hours" event. If you have family in town for the long weekend, check the hours with FIND Outdoors before you drive up the spur.
The same Forest Service schedule closes the Bald again on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Five days, three venues
When students come back from Thanksgiving, the college and the City have one week before exams. Here is how it fills up.
- Wednesday, December 2. Young Harris College theater stages The Last Five Years at 7 p.m. in the Dobbs Theatre inside the Goolsby Center. The college calendar lists the price as $0.
- Thursday, December 3. A Christmas Cabaret! takes the same stage at 7 p.m., and admission is listed as free.
- Friday, December 4. The City of Young Harris holds its Annual Tree Lighting at 6 p.m. in Mayor's Park. The college calendar lists that same Friday as the last day to withdraw from a fall course.
- Saturday, December 5. Christmas at YHC, themed "O Holy Night," starts at 3 p.m. in Glenn~McGinnis Hall at the Charles R. Clegg Fine Arts Center. PurplePass lists doors at 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, December 6. The college's event listing adds a second "O Holy Night" performance, also at 3 p.m.
The concert is the one ticketed event that week, and the college describes a program that runs "from Gregorian chant to Leroy Anderson's ever popular Sleigh Ride," performed by talent from the Young Harris College Department of Music and special guests. General admission is $10. It is free with a YHC ID and free for seniors 65 and older, first responders, and current or retired military with ID. Through PurplePass, the general admission ticket comes to $11.74 with taxes and fees, and that page also lists free tickets for children 14 and under.
The tree lighting falls on the Friday in the middle of that run. Students, faculty and families are all still in town, and the town's own evening sits between two nights in the Goolsby Center and two afternoons in the Clegg Fine Arts Center.
The planetarium takes the Fridays on either side
Rollins Planetarium holds public shows on select Friday evenings, and this season's two holiday-adjacent dates sit just outside that five-day run. November 20 comes before Thanksgiving break. December 11 is the last day of finals week.
The December 11 double bill is the more seasonal of the two. Let It Snow at 7 p.m. sets holiday songs by Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry, Burl Ives and Brenda Lee to full-dome animation and ends with a Trans-Siberian Orchestra finale. Season of Light at 8 p.m., narrated by NPR's Noah Adams, covers winter light traditions from the Yule log to luminarias and looks at possible astronomical explanations for the star of Bethlehem.
A few practical details from the planetarium's public show page:
- Admission is $5 per adult and $3 per child for each show. Children under 4 get in free, and so does anyone with a YHC ID.
- You can buy tickets online through Eventbrite, or at the door with cash or check. Any remaining tickets go on sale 30 minutes before showtime.
- The planetarium says shows often sell out and recommends buying online in advance.
- Every public show except the Cosmic Concerts includes a live-narrated seasonal stargazing segment along with the full-dome feature.
Each date has a 7 p.m. and an 8 p.m. show, and each is a separate ticket, so you can see one or both.
When campus empties, Main Street keeps the Saturdays
Grades are due December 14. After that, the City's 2026 events page has no more big gatherings for December. What remains are smaller events on Main Street that don't depend on the academic year.
The City is inviting local artists and crafters to sell handmade goods at Saturday pop-ups through December at The Fix, 1159 Main Street. Vendors reserve a spot and time by email. The December Saturdays are the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th. The first one is the same day as the first "O Holy Night" concert, and the other three come after finals. The Fix also hosts the recurring Game Night listed on the City's calendar.
Two blocks of the City's recurring calendar keep running into winter:
- The Pickin' Alley at Cable's Gallery. The bluegrass jam session meets Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m., except on holidays. Cable's also runs classes and posts details on its Facebook page.
- Tai Chi in Mayor's Park. Sharp Memorial UMC hosts it on Tuesdays at 10 a.m., in the same park where the tree goes up on December 4.
On December 30, after the semester ends, the Campus Cupboard food bank opens at 5:30 p.m. on Duckworth Street at Young Harris College. It also runs on November 25, during Thanksgiving week.
For Christmas Day itself, Brasstown Valley Resort at 6321 US Hwy 76 is serving its Christmas Day Buffet in the Dining Room from noon to 5 p.m. Reservations are required through Resy or at 706-379-4617. Prices are $92.18 per adult, $36.83 for children 6 to 12, and $13.46 for children 5 and under. Tax is extra and gratuity is included.
So the season starts at the planetarium on November 20, its busiest week runs December 2 to 6, and the December 11 planetarium shows close it out on the last day of finals. After that, the Main Street pop-ups and the Christmas Day buffet carry it to the end of the year.
If you have family coming for the holidays and want to talk through which week works best for a visit, or you're thinking about a place in Young Harris close to campus and Main Street, I'm here to help. Melissa Jenkins Stillwell can help you plan around the town's calendar. Schedule a free consultation.
