When Windsor Public Works first lit its cone tree for the public in December 2025, the ceremony fell on a Tuesday evening, three days after Windsor Wonderland had wrapped up in Boardwalk Park.
That has changed for 2026. The Town of Windsor's December calendar now puts the Cone Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, Dec. 4, at 4:30 p.m. That's the evening before Wonderland, which the Town's volunteer schedule places at Boardwalk Park on Saturday, Dec. 5. Last year the two lightings were separate events in separate weeks. This year they make one weekend: a Friday-night tree in the Public Works yard on North 15th Street, then a Saturday-night tree downtown.
Three Days Apart Last Year, Back to Back This Year
| Event | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor Wonderland, Boardwalk Park, 100 N. 5th St. | Saturday, Dec. 6, 4 to 7 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
| Cone Tree Lighting, 922 N. 15th St. | Tuesday, Dec. 9, 4:30 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 4, 4:30 p.m. |
Last year's order meant Wonderland opened the season and the cone tree came after it, on a school night. This year the order flips. The cone tree opens the holiday weekend, and it does so on a Friday with the next day free.
Friday: The Snow Team's Tree
The cone tree is a Public Works project, and the ceremony doubles as an open house for the crew that clears Windsor's streets. When the Greeley Tribune covered the first public lighting in 2025, it described five layers of bright orange traffic cones stacked like a Christmas tree, topped with a "Slow" sign where a star would usually go.
The same report gave a sense of the job behind the joke. Windsor has 273 center-lane miles of streets, and once additional lanes are counted, the area the snow team covers can triple or even quadruple. Ahead of that first ceremony, Public Works Director Brian Rowe explained what the event was for in comments reported by the Greeley Tribune:
"This event is a fun way to kick off the holiday season while giving residents a behind-the-scenes look at the dedicated snow team and the equipment that keeps Windsor moving during winter weather."
The 2026 listing keeps the same format. The Town calendar calls the cone tree "Windsor's own piece of Radiator Springs." It invites families to sit behind the big wheel of the snowplows and have hot chocolate at the Windsor Public Services Facility, 922 N. 15th Street, starting at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 4. For a kid who has watched those plows go by all winter, climbing into the cab may be the highlight of the weekend. The Town's snow operations page at windsorgov.com/Snow covers the rest of the season.
Saturday: Boardwalk Park, Using Last Year's Program as a Guide
Wonderland is the Town's established holiday event. The Dec. 5 calendar entry right now is a volunteer listing. It asks for helpers age 16 and up at 100 N. 5th St. from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m., so setup starts well before the public arrives. This year's times will be on the Town's recreation calendar at recreationliveshere.com/Calendar.
The best preview is the 2025 schedule the Town published in its Wonderland announcement on Nov. 18, 2025. Last year's evening ran in this order:
- 4 p.m. Santa arrives on the Great Western Train.
- 4 to 7 p.m. Food vendors and the bounce house open.
- 4:30 to 7 p.m. Visits with Santa and face painting at the Art & Heritage Center, with guests in line by 6:30 p.m.
- 6:30 p.m. Parade.
In the same announcement, Recreation Coordinator Stephanie Laub said Santa was "set to arrive just in time for the annual holiday tree-lighting proclamation, presented by Windsor Mayor Julie Cline." She also listed live ice-sculpture carving among the evening's activities.
That puts two tree lightings on back-to-back evenings. The Saturday tree comes with a train, a mayor's proclamation and a parade. The Friday tree comes with a "Slow" sign and a snowplow cab. Both start in late afternoon, so it's realistic for a family to go to one each night without having to choose.
The North 15th Street Side of the Weekend
The cone tree's corner of town has also changed since last December. The Public Services Facility at 922 N. 15th St. sits on the same street as Ridgeline Middle School at 1100 N. 15th St. That's where the Town scheduled an Oct. 26 ribbon-cutting for its new 15th St. trail connection at North 15th Street and Harmony Road.
According to the Town's Project Connect page, the project improves pedestrian access along the 15th St. Trail, adds walkways, and upgrades the Harmony Road and 15th Street intersection for pedestrian safety. The budget is $1.4 million, funded through the Town's 2026 Capital Improvement Program. The Town ties the work to its Open Space and Trails Master Plan and its Comprehensive Plan. For anyone who usually drives North 15th Street, the corridor around Friday's ceremony now has more walking infrastructure than it did a year ago.
A New Stop at RainDance
The same early-December window brings a new option on the other side of town. Loveland-based Sweet Heart Wine & Cider is opening Sweet Heart Wine & Cider at RainDance, at 2191 Covered Bridge Parkway, in phases.
On publish day the venue is in its soft launch, which runs Nov. 6 through Nov. 30. Sessions run 4 to 8 p.m. for Wine Club members only, by reservation through [email protected], and guests must be 21 or older with a valid ID. Members get 50% off glass pours of wine and cider, and a limited food menu is available while the kitchen prepares for full restaurant service. The company's opening page sets the public launch for early December, with dates to be announced, and full restaurant service to follow.
The pour list includes wine plus the full cider lineup, with names like Climb Hard, Patriot Press, Sweetheart and Black Bear. If the public launch lands near the Dec. 4 and 5 weekend, adults in the group will have a sit-down stop to add to the two lightings.
Two Weeks Later, a Quieter Morning
The Town calendar's next community event of the month is a very different kind of gathering. It lists Wreaths Across America on Saturday, Dec. 19, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Lakeview Cemetery, 32815 Highway 257. It's a one-hour morning event, two weeks after the lights go on.
Here is the first December weekend in order. The cone tree lights at 922 N. 15th St. on Friday, Dec. 4, at 4:30 p.m. Wonderland fills Boardwalk Park at 100 N. 5th St. on Saturday, Dec. 5. Wreaths Across America follows at Lakeview Cemetery on Dec. 19.
If you live near North 15th Street or Boardwalk Park, this is the time of year when your neighbors are out on the street at dusk. If you're also thinking about what your Windsor home is worth before the new year, Venna Hillman can give you a clear, local answer. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and see where you stand before the season gets busy.
