The white fir standing at The Promenade at Westlake this week grew in the Mt. Shasta region of Northern California for close to 80 years before it was cut. The center chooses its tree only once it is "nearing 80 years or older, marking the end of its woodland life cycle." It reaches 60 feet and carries 4,000 lights and more than 3,500 ornaments. After the holidays its branches are recycled as mulch and firewood, and the center says 10 new white firs are planted where it stood.
One old tree comes out and ten new ones go in. That swap is the best way to read The Promenade this holiday season. The center has been at the corner for three decades, and it stays that way by replacing pieces on a schedule. This year the swap goes beyond the tree to the storefronts around it.
One fir out, ten in
The ritual is older than many of the families who now come to watch it. Caruso opened The Promenade at Westlake in 1996 and describes it as a project that changed how the industry thought about shopping centers. Last November the Thousand Oaks Acorn photographed the 30th annual lighting. It showed carolers, children's activities, food sampling, live entertainment and fireworks under a lit 60-foot tree.
The tree on the plaza changes every year. The size, the light count and the evening around it stay the same. The center's page calls the fir "one of Thousand Oak's most beloved seasonal monuments," and that word fits a different tree each December. Each one is chosen at the end of its life in the forest, and each lighting comes with ten new trees planted for the next generation of firs.
The tree went up for display on Nov. 15 and stays through Dec. 25. So it's already standing, fully decorated, on the plaza you walk past for coffee. Tomorrow night is the lighting.
Friday night and the five weeks after
Caruso's Winterland holiday page lists the Christmas at The Promenade at Westlake tree lighting for Friday, Nov. 20. The Holiday Market opens at 4 p.m. and the ceremony follows in the evening. The Conejo Valley Guide's Westlake Village events listing bills it as a whimsical holiday show with musical entertainment, carolers, candy cane stilt walkers, Santa's arrival and a fireworks finale. It also notes that the Holiday Market returns with family activities and seasonal samplings. The center's page describes the market as a curated set of treats from its own restaurants and retailers, alongside in-store offers and kids' activities. Check the schedule at shoppromenade.com before you head out.
The season keeps going once the fireworks are over. Here is how the calendar runs between Friday and Christmas:
| Dates | What | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 15 to Dec. 25 | The white fir on display | 60 feet, 4,000 lights, 3,500+ ornaments |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Tree Lighting Celebration | Holiday Market at 4 p.m., ceremony in the evening, fireworks |
| Nov. 21 to Dec. 24 | Santa's Cottage | Near Farfalla Trattoria and World Market. Walk-ins welcome, advance booking available |
| Nov. 21 to Dec. 24 | Letters to Santa | Free postcards at the Cottage and a mailbox to send them |
| Thursdays through Dec. 24 | RED O Tulum Thursdays | Ongoing restaurant program |
| Tuesdays through Dec. 29 | RED O Taco Tuesdays | Ongoing restaurant program |
Santa's Cottage is the one to plan around. Walk-ins are welcome, but the center says waits vary and offers booking ahead. Booking is also how Caruso sells its loyalty program. Caruso Signature members could reserve a Santa visit early, from Nov. 2 through Nov. 4. If you want a Saturday morning slot in mid-December, book it now. Don't count on walking up.
The Letters to Santa mailbox is the low-effort version. Pick up a free postcard at the Cottage, write it on the spot and drop it in the box.
The same swap at 140 Promenade Way
Caruso's own page for The Promenade lists the center as 100% occupied, at 206,000 square feet across seven separate structures. It credits the property with five straight years of double-digit sales growth. It also calls the center's RH one of the top Restoration Hardware stores in the country by sales volume. Even so, two names on its tenant list carry the tag "Coming Soon."
One of them fills a grocery space. Conejo Valley Guide reported the Amazon Fresh store at The Promenade's last day as April 28. By October 2025, the Ventura County Star reported that Whole Foods Market would take over the recently closed space. At that point no opening date was planned.
Since then the timeline has firmed up. Whole Foods' official hiring page lists the Westlake Village store at 140 Promenade Way as "Opening Fall 2026." The page is recruiting full- and part-time team members across departments.
The other name on the list sells furniture. WhatNow reported in late October that Arhaus is planned for 160 Promenade Way, Suite 1. Arhaus joins a home-goods lineup at the center that already includes RH, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Roche Bobois and The Shade Store.
So the tree and the storefronts are going through the same process. Each December the center takes down one fir and commits ten new firs to replace it. Over the past year and a half it has done the same with tenants. A grocery store closed, and a different grocery store is staffing up for the same address. A furniture showroom is coming in next to the stores that already make The Promenade a destination for home goods.
Where the season goes after the lighting
The fir stays lit on the plaza through Dec. 25. Meanwhile the first weekend of December fills up with two community events that are easy to fold into a Promenade errand run.
- Holidays in the Village, A European Marketplace, Dec. 5 and 6. Now in its fifth year, the Rotary Club of Westlake Village hosts 60 artisan shops in the parking lot at The Oaks, at W. Wilbur Rd. and W. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Food includes bratwurst, soft pretzels, French pastries and Glühwein. There's also a Kris Kringle Village with a holiday train and a Village Bear Scavenger Hunt. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free, and proceeds support local nonprofits. Details are at HolidaysInTheVillage.org.
- Westlake Village Holiday Sing-Along, Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 to 6 p.m. The City of Westlake Village and The Shoppes at Westlake Village hold it in the Fountain Courtyard at 30770 Russell Ranch Road. It features caroling, live music, hot cocoa and face painting, plus a food drive for Manna, a holiday giving drive for Casa Pacifica, and a book drive. More at WLV.org/SingAlong.
Sunday, Dec. 6 can cover both. Spend the early afternoon at the marketplace, which runs until 6 p.m., then catch the sing-along before it wraps at 6. Finish on The Promenade's plaza, where the fir stays up through Christmas Day before it goes to mulch and ten new white firs are planted in its place.
A grocery store coming to the old Amazon Fresh space and a new furniture showroom next door are the kinds of changes a buyer notices on a first drive through the area. If you'd like to know how your home's value stands as The Promenade's lineup changes, the Shari Schiff Team is happy to help. Request your complimentary home valuation, and we'll walk you through what's moving in your corner of North Ranch this season.
