Where Your Holiday Tickets Go Around Nichols Hills This Season

On the Friday before Halloween, the line outside a stark white storefront at Classen Curve was dozens of people long. That morning La La Land Kind Cafe opened its first Oklahoma location at 5850 N. Classen Blvd., and The Oklahoman's reporting, republished by the Kansas City Star, found a midday crowd waiting for matcha, coffee and toast. The cafe arrives with a social mission, and it lands at the start of a holiday season that has one of its own.

La La Land was founded by Francois Reihani, who opened the first cafe in Dallas in 2019, and the brand describes itself as mission-driven. Its cafes run paid internships for young people aging out of foster care. Interns learn financial literacy, adult life skills and job readiness, and when they finish, the company either hires them or helps place them in other jobs.

Look at the November and December calendar for Classen Curve and Nichols Hills Plaza and you'll see the same pattern. Almost every big holiday event on the schedule raises money for a named local organization. The passports, wreath kits and Santa lunches cost about what you'd expect for a holiday outing, and the events benefit Girls on the Run, the Homeless Alliance, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Children's Health Foundation.

The season at a glance

Sunday, Nov. 8 is the busiest morning of the fall

If you only plan one outing this month, make it Sunday, Nov. 8. Two events overlap that morning at Classen Curve, the shopping center that the Kansas City Star article calls "Oklahoma City's Classen Curve," just across the line from Nichols Hills.

La La Land's grand opening runs from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Drinks and toasts are 50% off, and the first 500 people in line get gifts and prizes while supplies last. The soft opening still has a few days left. It runs daily from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 7, and customers who sign up for rewards get half-price drinks. If you'd like to try the menu before the grand opening crowd, the soft opening days are your chance. The Oklahoman also warned people to expect a line.

The Holiday Sip & Stroll runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Classen Curve and benefits Girls on the Run of Central OK. Here's what the $10 passport gets you:

• One entry into the raffle for prizes from Classen Curve retailers
• One more raffle entry for every additional $5 donated to Girls on the Run
• Exclusive deals, discounts, free gifts and activities from participating shops
• Sips from Coop Ale Works, Clubby Seltzers, Backyard Vineyards and others
• Strolling carolers, photos with Santa and goodie bags from retailers

That extra $5 entry is how the fundraiser works. Each additional raffle entry comes from a $5 donation to Girls on the Run. Since the Sip & Stroll ends at 1 p.m. and La La Land stays open until 7, you can do both in one trip. Stroll first, then get coffee once the morning crowd thins out.

Friday, Nov. 13: the hands-on evening

Five days later the season gets more personal. Curbside Flowers is hosting a Holiday Wreathmaking Workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, in the space next to Rye51 at 5800 N. Classen Blvd., Suite 2. Tickets are $100 per person, and proceeds support Homeless Alliance, Inc.

At $100, this is the most expensive ticket on the calendar. You'll also leave with something for your front door, which you won't get from a raffle passport. Wreaths go up on doors right after Thanksgiving, so the timing works out well. Tickets are sold through the event page.

Sunday, Nov. 22: the Plaza takes its turn

Two weeks after the Sip & Stroll, Nichols Hills Plaza runs a very similar event. The Holiday Shopping Spree is on Sunday, Nov. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m., and it benefits the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The passport costs $10 here too. It includes a raffle entry, plus exclusive deals, discounts, free gifts and activities from Plaza retailers. The event also has strolling carolers, photos with Santa and goodie bags. The list of breweries and wineries is marked "coming soon" on the event page.

Passports are sold through the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma's own event page. The Sip & Stroll sells its passports through its own registration link. Because both events use the same passport-and-raffle setup, you can really pick based on the cause. Nov. 8 supports a girls' running program, and Nov. 22 helps stock food bank shelves the weekend before Thanksgiving. The two events are also at different times of day. The Classen Curve event is a morning, while the Plaza event fills a Sunday afternoon, which works better if your mornings are taken.

Sunday, Dec. 13: Santa, custard and every ticket dollar

The December headliner is Lunch with Santa at Spark, on the Spark patio at Nichols Hills Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13. According to the event listing, 100% of ticket sales benefit Oklahoma Children's Health Foundation. Each ticket admits one person and includes photos with Santa, holiday activities and a cup of custard.

The price hasn't been posted yet, and the ticket link is still marked "coming soon." Check that page in late November. Since each ticket covers just one person, a family should plan to buy one for every adult and child coming along.

The rest of December, and what to watch for

Last year's calendar had a few more events that people tend to look for. The Mistletones Caroling Quartet strolled Nichols Hills Plaza on Dec. 13, 2025, and Classen Curve on Dec. 20, 2025. Art Lab held a $50 kids' holiday workshop at the Plaza on Dec. 17, 2025. A Holiday Food + Donation Drive also ran at participating retailers in both centers from Dec. 1 to Dec. 28, 2025, with donations going to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. None of these have 2026 dates on the calendar yet. If they come back, the food drive would give the Regional Food Bank a second boost on top of the Nov. 22 passports.

Two dates that affect your trash cans

City hall's holiday schedule matters too. The City of Nichols Hills calendar shows city offices closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, with no trash pickup that day. The December calendar shows offices closed again from Dec. 24 through Dec. 25. Put Nov. 11 on the fridge calendar next to the Sip & Stroll so the bins don't sit out at the curb all day.

Building your season around the causes

All of this fits easily on one calendar. Here's one way to plan it:

1. This week: Try La La Land during the soft opening, which runs through Saturday, Nov. 7.
2. Sun., Nov. 8: Buy a Sip & Stroll passport and add a $5 entry or two for Girls on the Run.
3. Fri., Nov. 13: Make a wreath for Homeless Alliance if a $100 evening fits your budget.
4. Sun., Nov. 22: Spend the afternoon at the Plaza with a passport bought through the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
5. Late November: Check the Lunch with Santa page for the ticket price, then book for Dec. 13.

If you go to all four fundraisers, the base costs come to $10, $100, $10 and a Santa ticket, and each event benefits a different Oklahoma organization.

Whitney and I love seeing our neighbors at these events, and we'll be making our own wreath and passport plans this month. If you're mapping out your holiday weekends around Nichols Hills or want to know what's coming up around the Plaza, reach out to Leah & Whitney Real Estate. We're always glad to share what we're hearing about around town.