New Castle's Spirit of Christmas Nearly Skipped a Year. Here's the Season Around Its Return.

Old New Castle's holiday season is put together by a short list of local organizations and the residents who volunteer for them. Last November that came close to costing the town its biggest December day. This year the season looks familiar again, but the work behind it has changed hands. Several pieces fill up long before Thanksgiving.

The Spirit of Christmas returns on Saturday, December 12, 2026. The day features decorated private homes and museums, heritage Santas, a Christmas Market and a tree lighting in Market Square. To see why that date matters more than usual, start with what happened a year ago.

The November when the town's biggest day went on pause

In early November 2025, the committee that ran Spirit of Christmas, and held the money and assets from past years, said it would pause the event for 2025 while it reworked parts of it. The New Castle DIGEST newsletter reported that people reacted quickly. Nearly four dozen residents met in Old Town Hall on November 9 to work out another plan.

That meeting took place in the old Council Chambers, a space The Mercury now manages. Councilman Andrew Zeltt helped draw people there by sending email updates to local groups. According to the DIGEST, Zeltt and Mayor Valarie Leary worked with a small ad-hoc committee and said openly that they were acting outside their official roles. New Castle Presbyterian, the New Castle Public Library and other churches and groups agreed to offer what they normally do on the day. Sponsors stepped forward to help pay for police and public works, and the Trustees of the New Castle Common were among them.

City Hall did not end up holding the money. A plan for a special City account was dropped, and New Castle Community Partnership became the event's legal and financial home for 2025. The event ran as "Spirit of Christmas - 2025" and used none of the earlier event's money, website or social media accounts. Visitors still got the usual day: home tours, roving Santas, a Winter Festival at the library, snack stations at the churches, kids' crafts, music and the town tree lighting.

The 2025 event went ahead on December 13. When City Council met on January 13, 2026, Zeltt said it had drawn more than 3,000 visitors, the February DIGEST reported. That is a large crowd for a day organized in about five weeks.

Who is behind December 12 this year

The setup is less improvised this time. At that January meeting, Council President Suzanne Souder said Council looked forward to working with New Castle Community Partnership on the 2026 event, and Councilman Joseph Day and Mayor Leary also thanked everyone involved. The public listing on Visit Wilmington names "Historic New Castle" as presenter and sends readers to the New Castle Historical Society's events page for details.

Here's what has been published so far for December 12:

• House tours: $10 if you buy in advance, $15 on the day
• Free: everything else, including the music, the Christmas Market and the heritage Santas
• Food: holiday treats from local restaurants
• Finale: the Tree Lighting in Market Square
• Updates: posted on the event's Facebook and Instagram pages

The listing doesn't give start and end times or a tree-lighting time yet, so check the event's social pages before you plan the afternoon. Last year's day began at 10 a.m. Buying house-tour tickets ahead saves $5 per person. Last year the organizers asked for docents at the open houses, volunteers, sponsors and benefactors, and help getting the word out. If you want to help in 2026, those roles are a good place to start asking.

The Arsenal's season fills before Spirit of Christmas arrives

If one building anchors the rest of the season, it's the Arsenal at 30 Market Street. The New Castle Historical Society runs most of its holiday programs there, and it doubles as the New Castle Visitor Center where tour tickets are sold. The rooms are small, and that sets how far ahead you need to plan.

Fezziwig's Ball is already sold out. The Society's version of the holiday party thrown by Dickens' Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig is on Friday, December 11, the night before Spirit of Christmas. It includes called 19th-century dances and live music. There's room for only 50 guests. Ticket holders get a free dance rehearsal at the Arsenal on December 1. If you missed it, you can join the waitlist through the Historical Society's events page.

Tavern 250 still had tickets as of late October. On Saturday, November 21, from 7 to 10 p.m., the Arsenal becomes an 18th-century tavern for a "Spirit of Independence" night of colonial games, period music and a three-course tavern meal. The meal starts with a bread and cheese course, then fried chicken with Hannah Glasse's Potatoes Mashed and cornbread, then dessert. Tickets cost $65, or $60 for Society members. They include two alcoholic drinks and must be bought in advance. The Trustees of the New Castle Common fund the program.

The Trustees helped pay for last December's rescued Spirit of Christmas and also fund the tavern night. The same few local institutions keep turning up behind the season's events.

The calendar from now through the last tour

This is the season in date order, from the week this post goes up to the final weekend tour. Dates come from the Society's events calendar and visitor information page unless noted.

1. Saturday, November 7: The Amstel House is closed. Dutch House tours start every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
2. Saturday, November 14: Hearth Cooking at Amstel House
3. Saturday, November 21: Tavern 250 at the Arsenal
4. Thursday, November 26: The Amstel and Dutch Houses are closed for Thanksgiving.
5. Friday, November 27: Fourth Friday Art on the Town
6. Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday
7. Friday, December 11: Fezziwig's Ball, sold out with a waitlist
8. Saturday, December 12: Hearth Cooking at Amstel House and The Spirit of Christmas
9. Thursday and Friday, December 24 and 25: The houses are closed.
10. Sunday, December 27: Last day of the season's weekend tours.

December 12 is the busiest day on that list by a wide margin, with a hearth-cooking program at Amstel House and the town's largest event in the same few blocks. The weekends that follow are much quieter, and the historic houses stay open through them.

Where the doors stay open after December 12

The Amstel and Dutch Houses are open for weekend tours through December 27. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday hours are noon to 4 p.m., with the last tour starting at 3 p.m. both days. Amstel House tours start on even hours and Dutch House tours on odd hours, so you can see both in one afternoon. Tickets are sold at the Arsenal: $8.50 for one house or $15 for both for adults, and $4 or $6 for children ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under get in free.

Two other sites are open on different schedules. Read House & Gardens, run by the Delaware Historical Society, is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of the year. Adult admission is $10. The New Castle Court House Museum is run by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. It offers free guided tours year-round, Wednesday through Saturday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Sundays at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

One museum is gone from the list. The Historical Society's Old Library Museum is now permanently closed. If your holiday walk around the Green used to include it, end the walk at the Court House Museum, which is free.

The season still runs on volunteers, small rooms and a handful of local funders, and the December 2025 turnout showed how much the town wants it to continue. If you want a seat at the Arsenal, a house-tour ticket at the $10 price, or a docent shift on December 12, sort it out before Thanksgiving.

Families who have lived near the Green for years know New Castle's December traditions, and so do newer neighbors. If you're thinking about a move in or around Old New Castle next year, Myking Johnson can tell you how the town's calendar and the homes near it fit your plans. Get your free home valuation or schedule a consultation.