The San Ramon Ice Rink, Dublin's Tree Lighting, and the Tri-Valley December Market

On Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m., City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon holds the opening ceremony for the Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink, and the rink stays open through January 3. Dublin follows with its annual Holiday Tree Lighting on Thursday, December 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dublin Civic Center, with school choirs and the decorated-tree contest on display. For anyone weighing a sale in 2026’s final weeks, these evenings matter beyond the fun: they map the calendar that East Bay and Tri-Valley families actually keep, and that calendar is the showing schedule for a December listing.

Where the season starts over the hill

The Tri-Valley runs a full holiday program. City Center Bishop Ranch, on Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon, adds its own tree lighting on Friday, November 20; Danville holds its golden Lighting of the Old Oak Tree the day after Thanksgiving; and Pleasanton runs its Hometown Holiday parade in early December, all of which Tim covers in the Tri-Valley holiday openers post. The point for sellers is that the region’s families are out, on foot, in their own downtowns, from the first week of November through January. An evening crowd is a touring crowd.

Why the Tri-Valley matters to East Bay sellers

Tim’s office sits at 2603 Camino Ramon in San Ramon, so he works the corridor from Castro Valley over the hills every week, and he sees the same buyers on both sides: people comparing the commute, the schools, the downtowns, and the price spread between East Bay and Tri-Valley towns. What the ice rink and the tree lighting show is the amenity side of that comparison, the walkable town-center life that draws buyers to San Ramon, Dublin, and Pleasanton. A home near a town center with a real events calendar competes differently than a home that requires a drive to everything. That is a question buyers weigh in person, and an evening stroll through City Center is a fast way to start.

The December window, east and west of the hills

December inventory is thin in both the Tri-Valley and the East Bay, and homes that launch into that thin calendar with the right price and preparation can close before year end. The 30-year fixed rate held at 7.32% for the week of October 22, 2026, per Freddie Mac, so the financing conversation has not moved much, and buyers still touring in December are typically serious about closing. The long light season post traces the same pattern for the East Bay side: the holiday calendar is longer than many sellers think, and evening showings are real.

If you are thinking about a listing before the end of the year, set the preparation list now, price from the closest comps, and plan to launch when the calendar turns. The Castro Valley neighborhood guide and the monthly market report keep the local side current, and a call to Tim at 510-708-8700 or a note through the contact form will get you a straight answer about your home and your window.

Tim Fiebig, Broker-Associate, DRE #00657474 · eXp Realty of California, Inc., DRE #01878277 · Equal Housing Opportunity.