"It is not funded by the City of Campbell or from any other public sources." The Downtown Campbell Business Association says this plainly about the Carol of Lights, the free festival that fills East Campbell Avenue every December. The same donation page adds that the volunteers who run much of what happens downtown "have to also come up with the money to pay for it."
Campbell's whole holiday calendar works this way. The city owns the most recognizable holiday setting in town, the 1925 Ainsley House at 300 Grant Street. Much of the season around it is paid for through admission, a museum foundation's fundraiser, a credit union sponsorship, a toy drive and requests for $5 and $10 donations. Hollywood Holiday, the 32nd year of holiday celebrations at the house, opens Thursday, November 12.
A cannery family's house, moved to the center of town
J.C. Ainsley started out canning fruit at home and went on to build the J.C. Ainsley Packing Company, one of Campbell's early employers. He and his wife, Alcinda, built the English Tudor Cotswold-style house in 1925 as their third Campbell home. It first stood at Hamilton and Johnson avenues; Johnson is now Bascom. According to the Mercury News account of the house's 90th anniversary, the Ainsleys moved in that December, and the family later donated the house to the city. It was moved to its current Grant Street site in 1990.
The city's Downtown Development Plan describes the relocation as a way to make the house a community focal point at the Civic Center. The holiday program shows that plan working. For six weeks each year, a cannery family's living room becomes a public stage a short walk from Campbell Avenue.
Two organizations behind one house
The Campbell Museums, which include the Ainsley House and the Campbell Historical Museum, are owned and operated by the city. The Campbell Museum Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) supported by volunteers. It was founded in 1993 to raise money and advocate for the museums, and it does not run their daily operations. Its money comes from special events and store sales, and it supports exhibits, education and preservation.
That split shapes how the holiday season is paid for. General admission gets visitors through the decorated rooms. The Holiday Tea & Tour is the foundation's fundraiser, sponsored by Star One Credit Union, and its proceeds support exhibits, education programs and preservation at the museum and the house. The museum also presents Holiday Boutique purchases as a way to support the Campbell Museums.
What Hollywood Holiday looks like this year
Each year's decorations follow a new theme. In 2024, the 30th year, the theme was "Holiday Heritage," and the Mercury News reported that each room reflected the ancestral and cultural traditions of the people who decorated it. In 2026 the theme is film. The rooms are built around Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Elf, The Polar Express and It's a Wonderful Life, and the tour is self-guided.
Here is everything on the Ainsley House holiday schedule:
| Event | Dates and hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Holiday tours | Nov. 12 to Dec. 20, Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Thanksgiving Day | $12 adults 18 to 64, $10 seniors 65 and up, $8 ages 7 to 17, free for ages 6 and under and for museum members |
| Photos with Santa | Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to noon, in one-hour slots | $20 per family, reservation required |
| Holiday Tea & Tour | Dec. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13, seating at noon | $70 general, $65 museum members, reservation required |
| Evening Open Houses | Thursday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 20, 5:30 to 8 p.m. | $15 general, $10 members, free for ages 17 and under |
| Holiday Boutique | During regular visiting hours | 10% off for museum members and volunteers |
Each event needs its own ticket. While families wait for Santa, there is hot chocolate and a crafts table. The tea is served in the Carriage House with finger sandwiches, champagne and a special Ainsley blend tea, and a self-guided tour of the house follows. At the evening open houses, visitors see the decorations after dark, with live music in the living room and light refreshments in the Carriage House. The boutique fills the Carriage House and the first-floor kitchen with ornaments, jewelry, scarves, home décor and specialty treats.
The tea's price shows the fundraising at work
General admission has stayed the same. In 2024 the tours cost $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for youth, the same prices as this year. The Holiday Tea went up. Two years ago a seat cost $65 for the public and $60 for members. This year it costs $70 and $65.
The tea is the one event the foundation runs as a fundraiser, and it is the only price that rose. Visitors who just want to see the decorated rooms pay what they paid two years ago. The extra $5 falls on the event that pays for exhibits and preservation. The tea runs on six dates, all at noon, and requires reservations.
Downtown's festival is paid for by donations
The Carol of Lights is Saturday, December 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., at East Campbell Avenue and North First Street. It has Santa visits, a petting zoo, donkey rides, bounce houses, craft tables, face painting, carolers, free festival snacks and community performances, all at no charge. The Downtown Campbell Business Association and a group of volunteers produce it, and the event page says it continues only because the community supports it. The page asks for "$5, $10, or whatever you're comfortable with" and lists an email address for businesses interested in sponsoring the 2026 event. The page also says the date and time may change.
The Ainsley House pays for its holidays with ticket sales and a fundraiser. Downtown's free festival depends entirely on donations and sponsors. The Campbell Community Toy Program adds a third way to give. It asks people to bring a new, unwrapped toy, game or book to its community events. Its calendar lists a Pruneyard Tree Lighting on Thursday, December 3, at 6 p.m. It also lists the "Making Spirits Bright" Community Open House, a fundraiser at Darling Fischer Campbell on Thursday, December 10, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
The rest of the season, in order
The rest of the calendar mixes shopping and stage shows, and much of it is a short walk from Grant Street:
- Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28. This free downtown event runs from 10 a.m. at East Campbell Avenue and North First Street, with deals, specials and pop-ups at local shops.
- Pruneyard Tree Lighting, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. The Campbell Community Toy Program lists it on its calendar.
- Carol of Lights and Holiday Rockfest, Dec. 5. After the downtown festival ends at 7 p.m., the Campbell Heritage Theatre at 1 W. Campbell Ave. hosts "San Jose Rocks Holiday Rockfest featuring December People" at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $40 to $60 plus a $4 facility fee.
- A Winter Wonderland, Dec. 12 and 13. The Academy of Classical Ballet performs at the Heritage Theatre, with tickets listed at $45.
- The Nutcracker, Dec. 16. World Ballet Company comes to the Heritage Theatre, with seats at $65, $89 and $115 plus a $6.50 facility fee.
- Ainsley House Evening Open Houses, Dec. 17 and 20. These are the last chances to see Hollywood Holiday. The season closes on December 20.
Some of these dates overlap. On Saturday, December 5, the Holiday Tea seats at noon on Grant Street, the Carol of Lights runs downtown from 4 to 7 p.m. and the Rockfest starts at 7:30 p.m. That is three events with three different funding models, all within a few blocks of each other. Tickets for the Ainsley House events are sold through the Campbell Museums events page. Evening open house tickets can also be bought at the Carriage House the night of each event.
Our family has spent decades helping Campbell owners care for older homes and the history that comes with them, and a house like the Ainsley House shows how that kind of care is kept up year after year. If you own a historic or long-held home in Campbell and want to talk about its value, its upkeep or its future, The Balakrishnan Group is glad to help. Request a Confidential Consultation.
