Bryn Mawr's December Mostly Happens Before Dark
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
At noon on Tuesday, December 1, the Sanctuary at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church opens for a harpsichord recital. The instrument was built in 1966 and copied from one made in 1770, and the hour is set for a lunch break. The next day, also at noon, the Bryn Mawr Hospital Women's Board lights its tree in the Buck Atrium. Three Saturdays into the season, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute's family double feature starts at 11 in the morning.
Sort Bryn Mawr's December events by hour and a lot of the season falls in daylight. Apart from Christmas Eve, the evening events land on the same two dates.
The church calls it the Tuesday at Noon Harpsichord Series, and its own description is plain: "Take a midweek musical break this Advent season." There is one recital for each Tuesday of Advent, all in the Sanctuary and all at noon:
All four play the same instrument, the church's Robert Hauptfuhrer Memorial Harpsichord. The builder, William Dowd, made it in 1966 as a French double-manual harpsichord. It is modeled on a 1770 Taskin harpsichord in the Yale University Musical Instrument Collection. The church says the series is a chance to hear "early and Baroque repertoire as it was originally intended." Each page describes the performers as local harpsichordists, and the church office has more information.
The series starts the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. On the church's calendar it comes right after the Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast, Thursday, November 26, at 8:30 a.m. in Congregational Hall. It also follows the Advent Story Path Labyrinth in the Children's Chapel, listed as open daily during Advent.
The second noon event of the week is at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Main Line Health's Women's Boards and Auxiliaries hold their third annual Light Up the Main Line ceremony at hospitals across the system on the same day. Main Line Health's announcement, posted October 22, puts the Bryn Mawr Hospital lighting at 12:00 p.m.
On this tree, each ornament stands for a gift made in someone's honor or memory. The Bryn Mawr Hospital event page lists the levels:
| Level | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wreath | $1,000 |
| Tree Topper | $500 |
| Dove | $250 |
| Cardinal | $100 |
| Angel | $50 |
| Star | $25 |
| Snowflake | $10 |
The gifts benefit the hospital's Mother Baby Unit. The page sets two deadlines. Donations made after November 23 may not show up online before the December 2 ceremony, and the page takes donations through December 31. Anyone who plans to attend can RSVP on the same page with the "Plan to Attend" option.
Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital holds its own lighting on the same Wednesday. Donations there go to its Patient Experience Fund, at levels from a $10 Snowflake to a $500 Wreath. The rehab hospital's event page has the ceremony details.
The film institute runs its holiday programming on the same daytime schedule. BMFI Family Saturday Matinees start at 11:00 a.m., and tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for kids. The December pick is a double bill, Mickey's Christmas Carol and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It runs 1 hour 18 minutes, is recommended for ages 4 and up, and shows on two Saturdays, December 5 and December 19.
The Saturday between those two dates still has a family title. Muppet Treasure Island is on BMFI's schedule from November 28 through December 12. After Christmas, the Looney Tunes Showcase runs December 26, 2026, through January 2, 2027.
Back at the church, Rainbow Reindeer Games run Sunday, December 13, at 11:00 a.m. in the gym and on the front lawn. Wee Christmas is Wednesday, December 16, at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. The Live Nativity & Advent Workshop starts at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 6, on the front lawn and in the Sanctuary, before evening worship.
Here is the season again, sorted by time of day:
| Time of day | Event | Date | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. | Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast | Thu., Nov. 26 | BMPC Congregational Hall |
| 11:00 a.m. | Mickey's Christmas Carol & Rudolph | Sat., Dec. 5 and Sat., Dec. 19 | Bryn Mawr Film Institute |
| 11:00 a.m. | Rainbow Reindeer Games | Sun., Dec. 13 | BMPC gym and front lawn |
| Noon | Advent Harpsichord Series | Tuesdays, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22 | BMPC Sanctuary |
| Noon | Light Up the Main Line | Wed., Dec. 2 | Bryn Mawr Hospital, Buck Atrium |
| 3:30 p.m. | Live Nativity & Advent Workshop | Sun., Dec. 6 | BMPC front lawn and Sanctuary |
| 4:00 p.m. | Darkness to Light Christmas Concert | Sun., Dec. 13 | BMPC Sanctuary |
| 4:00 p.m. | It's a Wonderful Life, 35mm | Sun., Dec. 13 | Bryn Mawr Film Institute |
| 4:00 p.m. | Wee Christmas | Wed., Dec. 16 | BMPC Sanctuary |
| 5:30 p.m. | Wednesday Night Dinner, Carols at 6:15 | Wed., Dec. 9 | BMPC Congregational Hall |
| 7:15 p.m. | It's a Wonderful Life, 35mm | Wed., Dec. 9 | Bryn Mawr Film Institute |
| 11:00 p.m. | Lessons and Carols | Thu., Dec. 24 | BMPC Sanctuary |
Most of the rows sit between breakfast and late afternoon. Except for Christmas Eve, the evening rows fall on two dates, and both are in the second week of December.
On Wednesday, December 9, the church's Wednesday Night Dinner with Carols and Cocoa serves dinner at 5:30 p.m. in Congregational Hall, and the carols start at 6:15. The church charges its regular dinner fee. The same night, It's a Wonderful Life plays at BMFI at 7:15, on 35mm, with a running time of 2 hours 11 minutes. Seating for screening-only tickets begins at 7:00, and this showing comes with a Cinema Classics Seminar. On paper, carols at 6:15 and a 7:00 seating fit one after the other on the same evening.
Sunday, December 13, works differently because the two big events start at the same time. The church's Darkness to Light Christmas Concert begins at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. It runs 75 minutes of Advent and Christmas music, scripture and congregational song, followed by a reception in the Court. BMFI's second It's a Wonderful Life showing is that afternoon at 4:00 too. For anyone who wants the 35mm print and the concert, the Wednesday showing is the one that doesn't conflict.
Both screenings belong to BMFI's series "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." The rest of the film calendar around them includes L.A. Confidential on Tuesday, December 1, A Winter's Song on Wednesday, December 2, and Everybody Sing! The Sound of Music on December 15 and 16. Times for those titles are on BMFI's schedule.
Before December, there's one more evening event at BMFI this month. On Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m., I Shot Andy Warhol screens, followed by a conversation with director Mary Harron, moderated by Alice Bullitt.
The latest start time of the season belongs to Christmas Eve. Bryn Mawr Presbyterian's Lessons and Carols Service is Thursday, December 24, at 11:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, and a prelude begins at 10:30. The church says all are welcome, and this service will not be livestreamed, so seeing it means being in the Sanctuary.
Two days earlier, at noon on Tuesday, December 22, Bálint Karosi plays the last Advent recital on the Dowd harpsichord.
Our team has an engineering and construction background, so we notice details like a 1966 harpsichord copied from a 1770 original. If you're trying to fit a noon recital into a workday or choose between the two 4 o'clock events on December 13, Brent Lyle Erickson is happy to compare December calendars with you. Let's Connect.
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