St. Robert's Holiday Season Runs Past Christmas, and Its Last Night Is for the Soldiers Who Can't Go Home
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
On Dec. 26 last year, 120 Soldiers in Training from Fort Leonard Wood had dinner at the St. Robert Community Center. Route 66 Taco and Wing Company catered the meal, Vidies Catering made the desserts, and Tabernacle Baptist Church drove the soldiers there and back. Iberia DJ Service played music, and 45 volunteers set up, served and greeted guests, according to Mayor James Breckinridge's recap in Pulaski County Weekly. Donations covered gift cards for nearly every soldier there.
That dinner was Salute to the Season. This year's fourth edition is set for Wednesday, Dec. 30, which makes it the last event on St. Robert's holiday calendar. It also depends on residents more than any other event this season. Most of the calendar asks you to show up. This one asks for a $25 gift card from a local business, and that card gets spent back in town.
The easiest way to see how the season fits together is to start at the end and work backward.
Fort Leonard Wood gives soldiers about two weeks of Holiday Block Leave. On average, about 140 to 200 Soldiers in Training don't go home for it, Breckinridge said on the FNLW Podcast's Marv in the Morning in October. The USO and the installation plan bowling and other activities on post during those weeks. Local communities host the soldiers on some of the days. In St. Robert and Waynesville, that day is Salute to the Season. The City of St. Robert's November 2026 Community Chronicle credits the event to the LPC Alumni Foundation, the Committee of Fifty, the Waynesville-St. Robert Area Chamber of Commerce and community partners, and puts this year's count at about 200 service members.
The event is free for the soldiers. On the podcast, Breckinridge described a meal, sodas and water, games, and gift cards handed out as raffle and game prizes. He explained why the cards are local:
"So when those service members get a pass on Family Day or whatever, they can go to that local establishment, that local restaurant and purchase dinner, you know, for themselves and then, of course, feed the rest of their family and stuff like that."
He added that the cards also "stimulate our own economy with our local businesses."
That makes a gift card count twice. A resident buys it from a local business in December. A soldier spends it at that business later, often with family who came for a pass day. The Chronicle asks residents, businesses and organizations to donate $25 gift cards from local establishments, or money to buy them, and says volunteers are welcome too. To give, contact the LPC Alumni Foundation at 573-336-5121 or [email protected].
Last year's giving set a high bar. Cecilia Murray, executive director of the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce, told Pulaski County Weekly that "the businesses and individuals that donated services, product, and gift cards broke records this year." This year's goal of about 200 soldiers is well above last year's 120. The 2025 dinner was on Dec. 26 at the Community Center. This year's date moves to Dec. 30.
Before that last night, the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber runs the longest event of the season. The 7th Annual Light Up Pulaski County runs Dec. 3 to 26, and registration closes Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. Residents and nonprofits pay $25 to enter, and businesses pay $50. Homes compete in four categories:
Nonprofits compete for Santa's Helper, and businesses compete in Keep it Local.
The judging dates matter if you're decorating:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Dec. 3 to 13 | People's Choice voting is open |
| Dec. 10, 6 to 10 p.m. | Judges visit homes |
| Dec. 11, 6 to 8 p.m. | Judges visit businesses and nonprofits |
| Dec. 14 | Winners announced |
That means a home's lights need to be up and working by the evening of Dec. 10. The county tourism listing says entries appear on a map under the "Participants" tab at lightuppulaskicounty.com, and votes are cast there too. You can end a drive past the entries at the Route 66 Neon Park at George M. Reed Roadside Park, 180 Old Route 66. It's free, and the neon stays lit from dusk to midnight all year.
The Chamber also runs a scavenger game called "Find Santa." Starting Nov. 28, a special Santa decoration moves among participating businesses. Post a photo of it with #WSRCSantaSpotted for a chance at a $25 gift card. It runs on the same idea as Salute to the Season: it gets people into local businesses, and the prize is local money.
In the middle of the light contest, the Pulaski County Christmas Parade comes through Waynesville on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Entries stage at noon in the Waynesville Middle School parking lot. This year's theme, "The Roaring 1920s," marks Route 66's centennial. On the podcast, Breckinridge said St. Robert's Holiday in the Park is tentatively planned for the Community Center after the parade. The city's past Holiday in the Park events had Santa and Mrs. Claus, holiday characters, vendors, soup, drinks and music.
The City of St. Robert's own big night comes first in December. The 2nd Annual Christmas Kick-Off Spectacular is Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the St. Robert Municipal Center, 194 Eastlawn Avenue. The tree lighting is at 6 p.m. The event is free and indoors. Santa and Mrs. Claus, Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch will be there, along with holiday vendors, games, Christmas music, and free hot dogs and s'mores.
People mix up the two venues. The Municipal Center is where City Hall is, and it's a different building from the Community Center on J.H. Williamson Drive. Breckinridge said on the podcast that the kickoff is held at the Municipal Center because the city's Christmas tree stands there. He also said it will always be on Dec. 1.
The event started small. Breckinridge said it began as a plan for a plain tree-lighting ceremony. Then St. Robert residents joined the planning committee and grew it into the Spectacular. At last year's first edition, the local VFW gave out free hot dogs, a local business ran a free s'mores station with a fire pit, and it snowed during the lighting. Breckinridge said that at one point he couldn't find an empty parking space in the lot. This year, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on a fire truck. Businesses that want to sponsor can find details on the City of St. Robert's Facebook page.
The Christmas Kick-Off was built the same way as Salute to the Season. Residents planned it, and local businesses and the VFW gave the food.
The season opens on Thanksgiving. The city-sponsored 16th Annual Galloping Gobbler starts on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, at the St. Robert Community Center. Here's the schedule:
The Kids Drumstick Dash is free, and finishers get medals. Proceeds support local youth charities, and runners are asked to bring nonperishable food for Pulaski County Homeless.
In order, these are the dates when residents can give, enter or vote:
Salute to the Season is aiming to host about 200 soldiers this year, up from 120 last year, and every gift card those soldiers receive comes from a donation.
At The Closers, we live and work here too, and Salute to the Season is a way to back both local businesses and the soldiers spending the holidays at Fort Leonard Wood. If your business or family wants to help but isn't sure who to call, reach out to our team. We're glad to put you in touch with the LPC Alumni Foundation or the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber.
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