On Friday, November 27, The Cloister has three holiday events in about seven hours. The Black Friday Thanksgiving Takeaway Café and Bloody Mary Bar opens in the Colonial Lounge at 11 a.m. At 3 p.m., the 2026 gingerbread house is unveiled in the Solarium. At 5:45 p.m., the tree is lit. The following evening, something new opens on the North Patio, and it stays open most nights until Christmas.
The Holiday Palais is a free walk-through you can visit nearly any evening without checking a calendar, and Sea Island lists it as new this year. It runs from November 28 through December 25. Most other events on the schedule still happen once, at a set hour. A family visiting in early December now has a default evening plan, and the afternoon of November 27 is when the whole season switches on.
Friday, November 27, hour by hour
Here is the day after Thanksgiving, in order, as Sea Island lists it:
- 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Thanksgiving Takeaway Café and Bloody Mary Bar in The Cloister Colonial Lounge. The dining page calls it a tradition and says it takes no reservations.
- 3 to 3:30 p.m. The gingerbread house reveal in the Solarium. Sea Island says the 2026 house will show off the Bake Shop's craftsmanship. The listing doesn't give a theme.
- 5 p.m. Live music starts for the annual tree lighting.
- 5:45 p.m. The tree is lit.
- 6 to 9 p.m. Photos with Santa. The tree lighting is complimentary and takes no reservations.
Some Sea Island listings say the tree lighting starts at 5 p.m. That's when the music begins. The event's own page puts the actual lighting at 5:45. If you're bringing small children for the moment the tree lights up, plan around 5:45.
The jewelry box on the North Patio
Sea Island describes The Holiday Palais: Jewel of Memory as "a new interactive walk-through experience inspired by the wonder of a larger-than-life jewelry box," with holiday displays, hidden details and small surprises throughout. It's complimentary. Mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and a cash bar are sold à la carte on the patio.
Sea Island's archived Christmas pages from 2024 and 2025 show the same resort-wide decorations used this year: more than 100,000 outdoor lights, 2,800 feet of garland and 95 trees. In both years, the main indoor attraction was the life-size gingerbread house in the Solarium. Those pages don't mention anything on the North Patio. The Palais adds a walk-through outside without changing the indoor traditions.
The Palais also starts the season earlier. On those archived pages, Sea Island's Christmas program ran December 22 to 26 in 2024 and December 20 to 26 in 2025. The 2026 Christmas program runs December 19 to 26. The Palais opens three weeks before that, on November 28.
Five nights the Palais stays dark
The Palais is open daily from 4 to 9 p.m., November 28 through December 25, with five exceptions. That works out to 23 open evenings out of 28. Before you promise visiting family a walk through it, check the closed dates:
| Closed date | Day of week |
|---|---|
| December 1 | Tuesday |
| December 5 | Saturday |
| December 7 | Monday |
| December 9 | Wednesday |
| December 16 | Wednesday |
December 5 is the one most likely to catch people out, since it's a Saturday early in the month. Sea Island has a separate event that night: a WhistlePig dinner in the Georgian Rooms Orangery from 6 to 9 p.m. The day before, Friday, December 4, from 3 to 5 p.m., WhistlePig chief blender Meghan Ireland hosts a single-malt tasting in The Cloister Wine Cellar. It costs $100 per person plus a 25% service charge and is limited to 20 guests.
Thanksgiving week comes first
The Palais opens at the end of a Thanksgiving program that runs November 24 to 29, and that week still runs on reservations and set times.
- Wednesday, November 25, 5:30 p.m. A complimentary Thanksgiving reception in The Cloister Colonial Lounge for Sea Island Club Members and Resort Guests.
- Thursday, November 26, 8:30 a.m. A 5K at the Beach Club, followed by a 9 a.m. service in The Cloister Chapel.
- Thursday, November 26, 11 a.m. Two Thanksgiving meals. The Cloister serves a brunch buffet in the Mizner Ballroom, and The Lodge serves a family-style feast. Both are listed at $145 per adult and $50 per child ages 4 to 12, and both require jackets and reservations.
If visiting family are joining you for either meal, tell them to pack a jacket. If you want an earlier start to the season, The Market hosts a holiday wine tasting at The Inn by Sea Island on Thursday, November 12, from 5 to 7 p.m.
December fills in around it
Once the Palais is open, most of December's other events are short, set-time additions nearby. The Month of Merry Magic runs December 1 to 18. It includes daily gingerbread viewing in The Cloister Solarium, Santa letter drop-off in the Colonial Lounge, and a mix of children's activities, music, decor tours, Santa breakfasts and Santa photos.
From December 19 to 26, the Christmas program takes over, with what Sea Island calls more than 30 unique Christmas events. A few dates to note:
- Monday, December 21, 6 p.m. Storytime with Santa's Elves in The Cloister Clubroom.
- Wednesday, December 23, 3:30 to 5 p.m. The 24th Annual Reindog Parade on the Beach Club Lawn. It's complimentary, reservations are requested, and the event page welcomes people who aren't bringing a dog.
- Thursday, December 24, 9 a.m. The Children's Christmas Party in the Beach Club Ocean Room.
- Thursday, December 24, 8:30 p.m. The Yule Log Ceremony in The Cloister Colonial Lounge, with sacred and popular Christmas music and seasonal readings.
The Palais closes for the season on December 25.
The golf calendar runs on its own schedule
Golfing households will be watching a second calendar, and it tightens over the same weeks. Seaside closed for restoration on May 4 and has been cart-path-only since October 19. That runs through November 23. Plantation is cart-path-only November 1 to 23. Retreat is closed for overseeding November 2 to 9.
| Dates | Courses affected | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| November 10 and 12 | Seaside closed | RSM Classic |
| November 11 | Plantation closed | RSM Classic |
| November 16 to 22 | Plantation and Seaside closed | RSM Classic |
| November 23 to 26 | Plantation closed | Fairway overseeding |
| November 29 to December 2 | Seaside closed | Mariner's Chalice |
| November 30 to December 2 | Plantation closed | Fairway overseeding |
| December 6 | Retreat closed | Jones Cup Junior Qualifier |
| December 6 to 8 | Seaside and Plantation closed | Georgia PGA Section Pro-Pro |
| December 18 to 21 | Seaside closed | Jones Cup Junior |
Read against the Palais calendar, a few dates stand out. On December 6, all three courses are closed. From November 30 through December 2, Retreat is the only course open, and the Palais is dark on December 1. The RSM Classic's free Wednesday Community Day falls on November 18, during tournament week.
Who the calendar is for
Sea Island's Santa schedule says its offerings "are limited to Resort Guests and Sea Island Club Members." The Thanksgiving reception is listed the same way. The Holiday Palais page says the walk-through is complimentary but doesn't say who can attend. Every listing is subject to change, so confirm the date and access for each event before you send relatives a plan.
If you'll spend part of the season away from the island, we can make sure the house is ready before family arrives and checked again after they leave. Coastal Georgia Real Estate offers turnovers, holiday prep and 24/7 owner support across Sea Island. Schedule a Free Consultation and Linda will help you line up your property's calendar with the island's.
