How many December evenings can you spend at the club and still catch the holiday shows at Reinhardt? This year you can do nearly all of them. Lake Arrowhead's holiday events mostly fall on Friday nights at the Yacht & Country Club. The Falany Performing Arts Center's touring holiday shows mostly land on Mondays and Thursdays.
The two calendars meet on only one night, Friday, December 4. If you plan around that date, a resident can fill the season from Thanksgiving morning to New Year's Eve without missing anything at either venue.
Thanksgiving morning starts at Great Festival Park
The season starts one week from today. On Thanksgiving Day, November 26, the Lake Arrowhead 5K Turkey Trot runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at Great Festival Park. Registration is $15 per person. Proceeds go to the Canton First Methodist Church Community Fund, which helps neighbors with winter heating bills.
The Lake Arrowhead Clubhouse Thanksgiving buffet begins at 11 a.m., when the Turkey Trot ends, and runs until 2 p.m. If you're running in the morning, you can go straight to lunch. The club asks for reservations at 770-721-7900, extension 3. With one week to go, today is a good day to make that call.
Five weeks, two venues
From the Monday after Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, here is how the club calendar at 486 Arrowridge and the Falany at 199 Fine Arts Drive line up. Both are Waleska addresses.
Week of November 30
- Monday, Nov. 30: the Atlanta Pops Orchestra at the Falany, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 3: Christmas at Reinhardt, 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Christmas at Reinhardt, 7:30 p.m., and live music with Scott Puckett at the club, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6: Christmas at Reinhardt, 3 p.m. both days
Week of December 7
- Monday, Dec. 7: Nashville Noel at the Falany, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: the Women's Activity Club meets at 11:30 a.m. and Poker Night starts at 6:30 p.m. at the club
- Friday, Dec. 11: S'mores with Santa at the club, 5 to 7 p.m.
Week of December 14
- Thursday, Dec. 17: Celtic Angels Christmas at the Falany, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 18: Christmas Dinner and Ballroom Dancing at the club, 6 to 8 p.m.
Week of December 28
- Wednesday, Dec. 30: Poker Night at the club, 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 31: the New Year's Eve Party at the club, 6 to 10 p.m.
On this list, the club's social events fall on Fridays, Wednesdays and New Year's Eve. The Falany's touring holiday shows fall on Mondays and on Thursday, December 17. Reinhardt's own concert series takes up one long weekend.
December 4 is the night you have to pick
Christmas at Reinhardt is the university's annual holiday program, featuring the University Chorale and Wind Ensemble. It runs Thursday through Sunday, December 3 to 6. The weeknight performances start at 7:30 p.m. and the weekend matinees at 3 p.m. On Friday, December 4, the 7:30 curtain falls in the last half hour of Scott Puckett's 6-to-8 set at the club.
Because the program runs four times, you don't have to give up either one. Here are three ways to keep both:
- Go to the concert on Thursday. Friday stays open for the club.
- Go to a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday or Sunday. Your weekend evenings stay free, and Friday night belongs to the club.
- Go to the club on Friday, but leave early. The Friday 7:30 concert means skipping the final stretch of the set, and that leaves very little time to get to your seat.
The Saturday matinee also leaves Sunday completely open. That's useful because Monday, December 7, brings Nashville Noel to the Falany.
The Falany's holiday shows mostly fall on Mondays and Thursdays
The Falany is celebrating its 25th season this year. Reinhardt announced the 2026–2027 lineup at a Sneak Peek event in May that drew more than a thousand people. Its three touring holiday shows, running from November 30 to December 17, are spread out so that none of them lands on a club Friday.
The Atlanta Pops Orchestra opens the run on Monday, November 30, with performances at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Nashville Noel – A Country Christmas Spectacular follows on Monday, December 7, also at 3 and 7:30. It mixes country music with holiday songs. Celtic Angels Christmas comes on Thursday, December 17, with Irish Christmas songs, singers and step dancers at 3 and 7:30.
Every one of these shows has a 3 p.m. performance. If you'd rather not drive the back roads after dark in December, you can see each one in daylight and keep the evening for yourself.
December 17 and 18 work as a pair. If you go to Celtic Angels on Thursday, you can attend the club's Christmas Dinner and Ballroom Dancing on Friday evening without overlapping anything.
Tickets are already on sale. Reinhardt opens general ticket sales 60 days before each event, so every one of these shows has been on sale since October. Patrons who renewed in May could buy earlier. You can buy online through the Falany's ticketing site or call the box office at 770-720-9167.
Tuesday nights are quiet at the club for the winter
Neither calendar has a holiday event on a Tuesday, and that matches the club's winter schedule. Highlands Grill closes on Tuesdays starting the first Tuesday in November and reopens on Tuesdays the first Tuesday in March. The Grill also notes that its hours can change with weather, crowd size or scheduled events.
The golf course follows a similar schedule, closing on Tuesdays from the first Tuesday of November through the last Tuesday of February. The pro shop's posted hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In practice, December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 are quiet evenings at the club, apart from the Pickleball and Tennis listings that appear on its calendar every day. If you want to host a holiday dinner at home or have family coming in, a Tuesday won't pull you away from any holiday event on either calendar. Golfers who want a Thursday round before an evening show will find the pro shop open until 6, and a matinee day frees up the whole morning.
A new name on Reinhardt College Parkway
On Falany nights you'll probably want dinner before or after the show. In October, the Tribune-Ledger News profiled Milpas Cucina at 6874 Reinhardt College Parkway in Waleska. The paper described a Tex-Mex menu drawing on Maya and other Mesoamerican food traditions. According to that story, Lorena and Julio Jaramillo are behind the restaurant, Alejandro Carrillo is the manager and Enrique Carrillo is the chef. The plan called for a full bar, about 40 seats, and hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
With only 40 seats, a party arriving right after a 3 p.m. matinee lets out would fill a good share of the room. Call ahead before you build an evening around it.
New Year's Eve falls on a Thursday
After the club's Christmas dinner on December 18, both calendars go quiet until Poker Night on Wednesday, December 30. The year ends the next night with the club's New Year's Eve Party, from 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, at 486 Arrowridge. The party ends at 10, so you can be home before midnight or host a smaller countdown of your own afterward.
On the Falany side, Reinhardt has set a 25th birthday celebration for the arts center on February 2, 2027. It's the next Falany date to put on next year's calendar.
The holidays are when a lot of Lake Arrowhead homeowners start thinking about spring, whether that means a new listing or simply knowing where their home stands. If you'd like a clear picture before the new year, One Nest Georgia offers a free home valuation and pre-listing consultation, and Dan Rohrer is glad to schedule it around your club Fridays and Falany nights.
