I live just across the river in Edwardsville, so St. Louis is my home turf for the holidays, and this season the city is doing what it does best: feeding people well and giving families somewhere to go. I went through this season’s announcements and pulled the six stops worth your time, from a $65 holiday cake at the Ritz-Carlton to a free festival in a French colonial town an hour south.
This is a planning guide, not a review. I have not eaten at every table on this list yet. What I did do is check every price, date, and booking link against the venue’s own site, and I ran the math on what a family actually pays. If you live in St. Louis or you are visiting for the holidays, start here.
Casa Don Alfonso: Cakes, Santa Brunch, and Christmas Day
Casa Don Alfonso at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton is running the most complete holiday program in town. The pastry team is taking pre-orders through December 19 for two centerpieces: the Noël Noir Holiday Whole Cake at $65, a winter cottage of dark chocolate mousse, cherry crémeux, yogurt mousse, and almond crunch, and a traditional Italian panettone at $89. Pickup runs December 10 through 27; order online or by calling 314-719-1496.
The annual Brunch with Santa is back, with a carving station, a raw bar, a made-to-order omelet station, a buffet built for kids, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and face painting. It runs $125 per adult and $65 per child ages 2 to 12, booked through OpenTable. A family of four with two kids lands at $380 before tax and tip, which is worth knowing before you book. Christmas Day brings the same $125 and $65 pricing for brunch, plus a separate Christmas dinner built around handmade pasta with black truffle, Neapolitan pizza, and fresh seafood.
Casa Don Alfonso has been a steady presence in my St. Louis coverage: I covered its summer cocktail classes in 2025, and it anchored my Father’s Day dining guide. The holiday program follows the same pattern: polished, expensive, and booked early.
Eckert’s Belleville Farm: Cut Your Own Tree and Breakfast with Santa
Eckert’s Belleville Farm opens Christmas Tree Lane on November 21, Thursday through Sunday, and it is the most hands-on stop on this list. You cut your own tree among eight photo scenes, including a mistletoe booth and oversized ornaments. The tree-field bar pours hot drinks and hard cider Friday through Sunday, and advance online tickets save $10.
Breakfast with Santa runs weekend mornings from November 29 through December 20, 8 a.m. to noon, with breakfast, a Santa visit, a keepsake photo, a gift for each child, face painting, and cookie decorating. Reservations are required. The Holiday Cookie Walk follows December 21 and 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: decorate six cookies at stations around the farm and take them home in a gift box. Karaoke with the Clauses runs free on Fridays from November 27 through December 18, 7 to 10 p.m. in the Cider Shed.
I covered Eckert’s Jack’s Lighted Trail this fall, and the farm builds out its seasons the same way: a specific idea, done properly, with prices stated up front.
The Chalet at Le Méridien and Christmas Eve at Café la Vie
The 268-room Le Méridien St. Louis Clayton turned its third-floor terrace into The Chalet: Reimagined, a fondue dinner in private glass conservatories or at a shared community table. It runs November 13 through January 10. The three-course dinner starts with cheese fondue, a mountain charcuterie board, and dippable accompaniments, then chocolate fondue with marshmallows, brownies, biscotti, and fruit.
Conservatories seat six or eight. The community table seats six total, with European seating for two, which makes it the better pick for a date night. The Chalet is open Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations cover a two-hour seating and require a $100 deposit, applied to your final bill rather than added to it. Food and beverage minimums apply. Book through Eventbrite.
Downstairs, Café la Vie serves Christmas Eve dinner on December 24 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The menu lists a salt-roasted baby beet salad at $17, beef Wellington with black truffle at $47, and molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato at $17. Reservations are recommended through OpenTable. That $47 Wellington is the single most expensive plate on this list, and the right call for a couple who wants Christmas Eve handled without cooking or cleaning.
Take the Holidays Home: Neon Greens Cookies and Pastaria Catering
Not every holiday plan needs a reservation. Neon Greens on Manchester Avenue is selling The Very Good Cookie Collection: blackberry cornbread, ginger molasses, lemon lavender, masala chai chocolate chip, a vegan chocolate rosemary crinkle, and a peanut butter cookie that is both vegan and gluten-free. Some are retired flavors you cannot get in the store. A box runs $28, or three for $75, saving $9 against buying them one at a time. Only 300 boxes are being made. Pickup is December 6, 13, and 20 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and orders close the Friday before each pickup. Groups ordering ten or more boxes can email [email protected], and orders go through ToastTab.
Pastaria in Clayton is running holiday catering: pre-orders open Monday, November 30, pickup Wednesday, December 23. Sardella Rolls run $15.50 for six. Take-and-bake lasagnas come in a half pan at $100 for 8 to 10, and a full pan at $190 for 15 to 18. Per person, the two sizes land in the same place, roughly $10 to $12.50 a head either way, so there is no bulk discount hiding in the full pan. Pick the size that matches your headcount. Salads come in half and full portions too, prices varying by selection. Orders go through the restaurant’s online holiday catering store.
A Day Trip Worth the Drive: Sainte Genevieve
Sainte Genevieve sits about 63 miles south of St. Louis on I-55, roughly an hour and five minutes by car, and its Holiday Christmas Festival on December 5 and 6 is the cheapest day on this list. The parade runs Saturday at 11 a.m., the Weihnacht Market runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the tree lighting is at 6 p.m. at the Welcome Center. Santa photos, free hot chocolate, and free hot dogs run at Lions Park, and live music fills the historic churches, from string quartets to jazz. Most activities are free, and AAA Magazine ranked the festival the number two Christmas celebration in the Midwest.
The Holiday House Tour follows December 12 at 3 p.m., hosted by the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve. It starts at the Guibourd-Vallé House, dating to about 1806, and ticket holders get a map for a self-guided walk through several privately owned homes dressed for the holidays. Tickets are required. The season closes December 31 with La Guiannée, a French colonial singing tradition carried on for more than 250 years. Costumed and masked singers perform at Valle Gym at 7 p.m. before continuing through town.
Book the dates that matter first. The Chalet needs a deposit, the cookie boxes are capped at 300, and Casa cake orders close December 19. Everything else can wait a week, but the three things with a hard limit are the three that sell out. Check the booking links before you go, since holiday hours and availability can shift fast in December.
Questions People Ask About St. Louis Holidays
What is the cheapest way to celebrate the holidays from this list?
Sainte Genevieve’s Holiday Christmas Festival on December 5 and 6, where most activities are free, including Santa photos, hot chocolate, and hot dogs at Lions Park. Eckert’s is next: advance online tickets save $10 on Christmas Tree Lane, and Friday night Karaoke with the Clauses is free. The priciest day is a family brunch at Casa Don Alfonso: $380 for two adults and two kids before tax and tip.
Where do I order Pastaria holiday catering?
Pre-orders open Monday, November 30 through the restaurant’s online holiday catering store at pastariastl.com, with pickup on Wednesday, December 23. One caution: some holiday announcements print a different web address for Pastaria orders, and that address does not lead to the restaurant’s site. Use pastariastl.com, or call the restaurant at 314-862-6603.
Is The Chalet at Le Méridien open on Christmas Day?
It should be. The Chalet runs Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m., and Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, so the schedule covers it. Holiday hours can still change, so confirm the evening on Eventbrite before you go, and remember the $100 deposit is applied to your bill rather than added to it.
