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Houston Holiday Events
  
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The Downtown Houston Holiday Experience will bring life to the streets of downtown with two new holiday components located at main street square, downtown’s new retail core featuring Macy’s, The Shops at Houston Center and the new Houston Pavilions; and the new urban park, Discovery Green.
Colorful candy canes, snowflakes and festive trees with jeweled red, green and white lights will illuminate Main Street Square, as the area bustles with holiday shopping activity while Discovery Green will be transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring a 7,200-sq. ft. outdoor ice skating rink on a portion of Kinder Lake with a variety of family-friendly programming.
The following is a list of Houston-area activities to help make your holiday season merry and bright:
A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas – Nov. 21-Dec. 28
The Alley Theatre’s amusing and musical rendition of A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas is performed Nov. 21-Dec. 28. This adaptation revisits the meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge and classic characters like Tiny Tim as Scrooge embarks on a wild nighttime journey through re-imagined scenic designs, spectacular costumes and original music. www.alleytheatre.org
The Twelve Ways of Christmas – Nov. 22-Dec. 28
With an eclectic blend of colorful Jazz, R&B and Gospel, The Ensemble Theatre’s The Twelve Ways of Christmas guides us to the heart of our most memorable holiday experiences. Love prevails throughout this fusion of fun, joy, loneliness, jealousy and grief with twelve “ways”; including Romantic Christmas, Military Christmas, Family Christmas and True Christmas. www.ensemblehouston.com
H-E-B Holiday Parade – Nov. 27
Get started early with the traditional H-E-B Holiday Day Parade on Thanksgiving day near Minute Maid Park at 9 a.m. This annual parade features a procession of massive balloons, over-the-top floats, more than 3,000 costumed participants, lively marching bands and, of course, culminates with the arrival of Santa. www.hebparade.com
The Ice at Discovery Green – Nov. 27-Jan. 19
Ice skating makes a welcome return to downtown Houston this holiday season with the opening of Discovery Green’s skating rink at Kinder Lake. Following the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, patrons will be able to line up for a turn on the ice, old-fashioned style. www.discoverygreen.com
The Nutcracker – Nov. 28-Dec. 28
Houston Ballet’s timeless and dreamy production of the classic holiday tale The Nutcracker runs Nov. 28-Dec. 28 at the Wortham Theater. Families can join Clara as she marvels at the Christmas tree, flying cooks, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince dancing, and her unforgettable journey in the Kingdom of Sweets — a place children will dream about for years to come. www.houstonballet.org
Fiesta Navidad: Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano – Dec. 4
Well known for their collaborations on Linda Ronstadt’s albums Canciones de Mi Padre and Mas Canciones, the Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano will bring the most festive of Christmas traditions to Jones Hall. Los Camperos is led by Natividad “Nati” Cano, a native of Jalisco, Mexico, who has both mirrored and shaped the history of mariachi music. Don’t miss this vibrant holiday fiesta for the senses, complete with singing, vivid sets and dynamic choreography performed by exuberant dancers. www.spahouston.org
White Christmas – Dec. 4-21
Borrowing liberally from the movie everyone loves and sprinkled with Irving Berlin’s best songs (Blue Skies, I Love a Piano, Count Your Blessings), this heart warming musical about two war veterans turned vaudeville hoofers, the songbird sisters they can’t help but fall for and the retired general whose upstate farm they all invade at Yuletide refreshes the TUTS tradition of a musical for all ages over the holidays. www.tuts.com
The Mayor’s Holiday Celebration – Dec. 5
One of the most festive events of the holiday season, featuring fireworks, entertainment and choirs, is found at The Mayor’s Holiday Celebration and City Hall Tree Lighting on Dec. 5 in Hermann Square Park near the City Hall Reflection Pool. www.houstonspecialevents.org
Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour –Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 19-24, 26-28
Celebrate the season on a Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour, a two-hour stroll and METRORail ride on Main Street featuring downtown decorations and the fountains at Main Street Square. www.discoverhoustontours.com
The Polar Express – Dec. 6
All aboard! The Polar Express pulls into Jones Hall carrying holiday warmth and cheer. You’ll be swept into the story as the orchestra paints a picture of this magical train ride. www.houstonsymphony.org
Candlelight Tour in the Park – Dec. 12-13
The historic homes clustered in downtown’s Sam Houston Park open their doors for the Heritage Society’s 45th Annual Holiday Candlelight Tour in the Park. Centuries-old seasonal decorations and costumed carolers take revelers back in time to celebrate the season. www.heritagesociety.org
Very Merry Pops – Dec. 12-14
Embrace your holiday memories with the pageantry and cheer of Very Merry Pops. Audiences delight in this joyous annual tradition of 200 musicians–Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Symphony Chorus and a very special guest, Santa Claus. You’ll carol like a child throughout the season to this festive, heartwarming concert. www.houstonsymphony.org
Magnificent – Dec. 13
Mercury Baroque presents a traditional holiday concert brought to life by the distinctive sound of period instruments. Joined by winds and the Mercury choir, the ensemble celebrates the season with an uplifting concert of Bach’s Magnificat and Orchestral Suite No. 3. www.mercurybaroque.org
Handel’s Messiah – Dec. 19-21
Feed your soul through this transcendent experience of text and music. Hear your favorite choruses and solos from this most beloved choral work from the Houston Symphony. www.houstonsymphony.org
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Dec. 28
Toyota Center welcomes the Trans-Siberian Orchestra back to Houston on Dec. 28 for two shows. This amazing musical group has sold more than five million albums and performed before more than two million fans in sold-out venues across the country. The Orchestra includes an orchestral string section, a full rock band, multiple vocalists, a narrator, extensive pyrotechnics, a stunning laser and light show and even a snowfall. www.toyotacentertix.com
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Featuring The Rockettes – Jan. 2-4
For three days only the world’s biggest and most spectacular Christmas show will be appearing at Toyota Center! Don’t miss the world famous Radio City Rockettes’ signature EYE-HIGH KICKS and precision choreography featured in multiple show-stopping numbers including the legendary Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and New York at Christmas, a dynamic holiday celebration. Families will be delighted and touched as Santa flies high above the crowd, snow falls inside and the true meaning of Christmas comes to life in the awe-inspiring “Living Nativity.” The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has DAZZLED and inspired more than 65 million people for over 75 years and continues to create memories that will last a lifetime. www.toyotacentertix.com
GALLERIA/ UPTOWN
23rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting – Nov. 27
While the Galleria area is known for its fabulous shopping, it also boasts one of the best lighting events in the city. The 23rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting takes place Thanksgiving night, Nov. 27. Enjoy the yuletide sounds of local choirs and bands while a flip of a switch simultaneously illuminates the half a million lights adorning more than 80 Christmas trees lining Post Oak Boulevard. www.uptown-houston.com
Tree Lighting at The Houstonian – Nov. 30
For the 10th consecutive year, The Houstonian’s official kickoff to the holidays includes the lighting of the grand Texas Live Oak on Nov. 30 from 5-7 pm. The tremendous tree will be adorned with more than 72,000 lights, nearly three times the number on the tree at Rockefeller Center. www.houstonian.com
Gingerbread Nights at The Houstonian – Dec. 1-20
Experience the joyous sounds of the holiday season while relaxing by the 30-foot stone fireplace in The Houstonian hotel’s Great Room. Local choirs, hand bells, violin ensembles, soloists and more will usher in the holiday spirit from 6 to 7 pm. www.houstonian.com
Polar Ice Galleria
Even if you are not an Olympic skater, a trip to the Polar Ice Galleria is in order. A spin around the rink under a giant Christmas tree does wonders for holiday spirit.
When done ice skating, you can begin your holiday shopping at more than 350 retail stores where a diverse blend of upscale boutiques and more affordable shopping alternatives are found. The Galleria, the fourth largest shopping center in the nation, is just one of many world-renowned shopping centers where you’ll find something for everyone in your family, from furniture to house wares and from sporting goods to jewelry. www.galleriahouston.com
MUSEUM DISTRICT/ RELIANT PARK
Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service – Nov. 20
For an intimate meditative environment for people of every belief, the Rothko Chapel is the place to visit. Established 20 years ago, the Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service returns to the Chapel with representatives from 10 participating religions for this interfaith Thanksgiving tradition, Nov. 20. Representatives, including Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Zoroastrians, will pray and reflect on this year’s journey. www.rothkochapel.org
Snow Flurry V – Dec. 6
Snow in Houston? Only Santa and his reindeer can make that miracle happen – and they will – wih 80,000 pounds of snow! Don’t miss your chance to throw snowballs, pet live reindeer, and meet Santa at this kids-rule, no-adults-allowed, greatest winter wonderland in town. Only at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and only for kids ten and under. www.hmns.org
The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story – Dec. 12 — April 12, 2009
Through the display of ancient scrolls, objects and artifacts, The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story tells the fascinating story of two of the world’s most important religions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. www.hmns.org
RIVER OAKS/ UPPER KIRBY
Cold, Frankin Sense, and Brrr – Nov. 19-Dec. 20
Celebrate the joy of the season with the A. D. Players’ children’s holiday play, Cold, Frankin Sense, and Brrr. In this family-friendly play you will meet Franklin, a young boy with a bad cold who has lost Christmas. Follow him along his travels as he meets an assortment of characters ranging from a lost Wiseman to a set of singing bakers who all try to help him find it. www.adplayers.org
Yuletide Family Day – Dec. 21
On Dec. 21 the entire family can ring in the season with their favorite songs and stories for Christmas and Hanukkah and try their hand at some favorite holiday crafts at Bayou Bend’s Yuletide Family Day. Admission is free. www.mfah.org/bayoubend
Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition –Nov. 22-Jan. 4
View early American holiday traditions against the backdrop of 17th-19th century American furniture, paintings, ceramics and silver to celebrate the holidays at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition, Nov. 22- Jan. 4. This year’s theme is Celebrations! and will include festive lighting in the gardens, eight rooms of the mansion decorated with historic recreations of celebratory holiday moments and holiday entertainment and refreshments. A variety of Yuletide tour options are offered, including three Candlelight Open House tours on select Friday evenings – Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 –where docents will discuss the holiday settings and the customs of the times amid singling carolers. www.mfah.org/bayoubend
THE HEIGHTS
2007 Holiday Home Tour & Market – Dec. 5-6
Thousands in the Houston area look forward to The Historic Houston Heights Holiday Home Tour & Market all year long. Appropriately themed “Enchantment,” the tour will feature six spectacular homes, including three historic residences – a 1908 Texas farmhouse, 1920 brick Craftsman bungalow, and 1912 American Foursquare – and three newer homes reflecting traditional Heights architecture. The homes will be delightfully decorated for the holidays. Docents will be stationed at each home to point out the rich history, architectural features, furnishings and decorations.
http://www.houstonheights.org/holidayhometour.htm
Lights in the Heights – Dec. 13
This annual tradition in the Heights takes place the second Saturday in December from 6-9 pm. Hundreds of luminaries line the streets, marking an elegantly beautiful path for revelers to trek. Carolers and live musicians will also line the streets and hold forth on Victorian porches and send their music out from street corners and private gardens. The entire neighborhood turns out to welcome visitors with cookies, punch and wassail. A good time is guaranteed to be had by all! http://www.woodlandheights.org/Events/LIH/background.shtml
GREATER HOUSTON AREA
Home for the Holidays – Every weekend until Christmas
Load up the whole family and take a short drive to one of the most festive areas in Houston-Old Town Spring’s Home for the Holidays. This Christmas celebration begins Nov. 8 and provides yuletide entertainment every weekend until Christmas. Holiday spirit is found rampant as carolers and street performers abound in the brightly decorated streets and shops nestled in a collection of wonderful old houses. Spend the day shopping, listening to carolers and barbershop quartets, taking pictures with Santa, enjoying train rides and last but not least skating around the town’s new ice skating rink. www.oldtownspringtx.com
Christmas Holiday Market – Nov. 29- Dec. 21
Every weekend in December Traders Village hosts its annual Christmas Holiday Market. The vast market turns into a holiday wonderland of shopping, family fun, free music, festive foods and pictures made with the jolly old elf himself... Santa Claus! www.tradersvillage.com
Campfire Christmas – Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20
Join the George Ranch Historical Park for a holiday celebration like no other as they present Campfire Christmas every Friday and Saturday evening in December. Experience the beauty of the holiday season with guided tours of the 1830s Jones Stock Farm and the1890s Davis Mansion decorated in the spirit of the season. Wrap up the evening’s festivities with singing and story-telling around the campfire with the George Ranch cowboys. www.georgeranch.com
THE WOODLANDS/ LAKE CONROE
The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center – Nov. 22- Jan. 19
Take a lap around the largest outdoor ice rink in the southwest at The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center, opens Nov. 22. www.thewoodlandsicerink.com
Winter Wonderland – Nov. 22-Jan. 5
Before or after ice skating, take a stroll through Donoho’s Jewellers Winter Wonderland and take a walk along the carpeted pathways as you delight in the fantasyland of magical, lighted toy soldiers, elves, doves, musical angels and snowmen. www.thewoodlandswinterwonderland.com
GALVESTON ISLAND
Festival of Lights – Nov. 15-Jan. 3
Festive sights and sounds will fill Moody Gardens Nov. 15-Jan. 3 during Festival of Lights, one of the largest presentations of Christmas lights in southeast Texas. Guests will journey through Moody Gardens to Santa’s Workshop, a gingerbread house, an outdoor ice rink, a giant poinsettia tree and many more places reminiscent of the holiday season. www.moodygardens.com
Dickens on the Strand – Dec. 6-7
Ring in the season Victorian style at the 35th Annual Dickens on the Strand Dec. 6-7 in downtown Galveston. From Bobbies to beefeaters to Her Royal Majesty Queen Victoria herself, this holiday festival is a family affair with costumed characters, unique vendors, glittering parades shopping, children’s activities and much more. www.dickensonthestrand.com
The Gift of Christmas LIVE – Dec. 18-28
Join Moody Gardens for The Gift of Christmas LIVE, an exhilarating musical presentation blending traditional and original Christmas songs, December 18-28. The one-of-a-kind show features performances by the brightest artists in Texas coupled with sensational sound and lighting to create a dazzling experience. www.moodygardens.com
List courtesy the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Colorful candy canes, snowflakes and festive trees with jeweled red, green and white lights will illuminate Main Street Square, as the area bustles with holiday shopping activity while Discovery Green will be transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring a 7,200-sq. ft. outdoor ice skating rink on a portion of Kinder Lake with a variety of family-friendly programming.
The following is a list of Houston-area activities to help make your holiday season merry and bright:
A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas – Nov. 21-Dec. 28
The Alley Theatre’s amusing and musical rendition of A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas is performed Nov. 21-Dec. 28. This adaptation revisits the meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge and classic characters like Tiny Tim as Scrooge embarks on a wild nighttime journey through re-imagined scenic designs, spectacular costumes and original music. www.alleytheatre.org
The Twelve Ways of Christmas – Nov. 22-Dec. 28
With an eclectic blend of colorful Jazz, R&B and Gospel, The Ensemble Theatre’s The Twelve Ways of Christmas guides us to the heart of our most memorable holiday experiences. Love prevails throughout this fusion of fun, joy, loneliness, jealousy and grief with twelve “ways”; including Romantic Christmas, Military Christmas, Family Christmas and True Christmas. www.ensemblehouston.com
H-E-B Holiday Parade – Nov. 27
Get started early with the traditional H-E-B Holiday Day Parade on Thanksgiving day near Minute Maid Park at 9 a.m. This annual parade features a procession of massive balloons, over-the-top floats, more than 3,000 costumed participants, lively marching bands and, of course, culminates with the arrival of Santa. www.hebparade.com
The Ice at Discovery Green – Nov. 27-Jan. 19
Ice skating makes a welcome return to downtown Houston this holiday season with the opening of Discovery Green’s skating rink at Kinder Lake. Following the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, patrons will be able to line up for a turn on the ice, old-fashioned style. www.discoverygreen.com
The Nutcracker – Nov. 28-Dec. 28
Houston Ballet’s timeless and dreamy production of the classic holiday tale The Nutcracker runs Nov. 28-Dec. 28 at the Wortham Theater. Families can join Clara as she marvels at the Christmas tree, flying cooks, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince dancing, and her unforgettable journey in the Kingdom of Sweets — a place children will dream about for years to come. www.houstonballet.org
Fiesta Navidad: Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano – Dec. 4
Well known for their collaborations on Linda Ronstadt’s albums Canciones de Mi Padre and Mas Canciones, the Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano will bring the most festive of Christmas traditions to Jones Hall. Los Camperos is led by Natividad “Nati” Cano, a native of Jalisco, Mexico, who has both mirrored and shaped the history of mariachi music. Don’t miss this vibrant holiday fiesta for the senses, complete with singing, vivid sets and dynamic choreography performed by exuberant dancers. www.spahouston.org
White Christmas – Dec. 4-21
Borrowing liberally from the movie everyone loves and sprinkled with Irving Berlin’s best songs (Blue Skies, I Love a Piano, Count Your Blessings), this heart warming musical about two war veterans turned vaudeville hoofers, the songbird sisters they can’t help but fall for and the retired general whose upstate farm they all invade at Yuletide refreshes the TUTS tradition of a musical for all ages over the holidays. www.tuts.com
The Mayor’s Holiday Celebration – Dec. 5
One of the most festive events of the holiday season, featuring fireworks, entertainment and choirs, is found at The Mayor’s Holiday Celebration and City Hall Tree Lighting on Dec. 5 in Hermann Square Park near the City Hall Reflection Pool. www.houstonspecialevents.org
Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour –Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 19-24, 26-28
Celebrate the season on a Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour, a two-hour stroll and METRORail ride on Main Street featuring downtown decorations and the fountains at Main Street Square. www.discoverhoustontours.com
The Polar Express – Dec. 6
All aboard! The Polar Express pulls into Jones Hall carrying holiday warmth and cheer. You’ll be swept into the story as the orchestra paints a picture of this magical train ride. www.houstonsymphony.org
Candlelight Tour in the Park – Dec. 12-13
The historic homes clustered in downtown’s Sam Houston Park open their doors for the Heritage Society’s 45th Annual Holiday Candlelight Tour in the Park. Centuries-old seasonal decorations and costumed carolers take revelers back in time to celebrate the season. www.heritagesociety.org
Very Merry Pops – Dec. 12-14
Embrace your holiday memories with the pageantry and cheer of Very Merry Pops. Audiences delight in this joyous annual tradition of 200 musicians–Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Symphony Chorus and a very special guest, Santa Claus. You’ll carol like a child throughout the season to this festive, heartwarming concert. www.houstonsymphony.org
Magnificent – Dec. 13
Mercury Baroque presents a traditional holiday concert brought to life by the distinctive sound of period instruments. Joined by winds and the Mercury choir, the ensemble celebrates the season with an uplifting concert of Bach’s Magnificat and Orchestral Suite No. 3. www.mercurybaroque.org
Handel’s Messiah – Dec. 19-21
Feed your soul through this transcendent experience of text and music. Hear your favorite choruses and solos from this most beloved choral work from the Houston Symphony. www.houstonsymphony.org
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Dec. 28
Toyota Center welcomes the Trans-Siberian Orchestra back to Houston on Dec. 28 for two shows. This amazing musical group has sold more than five million albums and performed before more than two million fans in sold-out venues across the country. The Orchestra includes an orchestral string section, a full rock band, multiple vocalists, a narrator, extensive pyrotechnics, a stunning laser and light show and even a snowfall. www.toyotacentertix.com
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Featuring The Rockettes – Jan. 2-4
For three days only the world’s biggest and most spectacular Christmas show will be appearing at Toyota Center! Don’t miss the world famous Radio City Rockettes’ signature EYE-HIGH KICKS and precision choreography featured in multiple show-stopping numbers including the legendary Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and New York at Christmas, a dynamic holiday celebration. Families will be delighted and touched as Santa flies high above the crowd, snow falls inside and the true meaning of Christmas comes to life in the awe-inspiring “Living Nativity.” The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has DAZZLED and inspired more than 65 million people for over 75 years and continues to create memories that will last a lifetime. www.toyotacentertix.com
GALLERIA/ UPTOWN
23rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting – Nov. 27
While the Galleria area is known for its fabulous shopping, it also boasts one of the best lighting events in the city. The 23rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting takes place Thanksgiving night, Nov. 27. Enjoy the yuletide sounds of local choirs and bands while a flip of a switch simultaneously illuminates the half a million lights adorning more than 80 Christmas trees lining Post Oak Boulevard. www.uptown-houston.com
Tree Lighting at The Houstonian – Nov. 30
For the 10th consecutive year, The Houstonian’s official kickoff to the holidays includes the lighting of the grand Texas Live Oak on Nov. 30 from 5-7 pm. The tremendous tree will be adorned with more than 72,000 lights, nearly three times the number on the tree at Rockefeller Center. www.houstonian.com
Gingerbread Nights at The Houstonian – Dec. 1-20
Experience the joyous sounds of the holiday season while relaxing by the 30-foot stone fireplace in The Houstonian hotel’s Great Room. Local choirs, hand bells, violin ensembles, soloists and more will usher in the holiday spirit from 6 to 7 pm. www.houstonian.com
Polar Ice Galleria
Even if you are not an Olympic skater, a trip to the Polar Ice Galleria is in order. A spin around the rink under a giant Christmas tree does wonders for holiday spirit.
When done ice skating, you can begin your holiday shopping at more than 350 retail stores where a diverse blend of upscale boutiques and more affordable shopping alternatives are found. The Galleria, the fourth largest shopping center in the nation, is just one of many world-renowned shopping centers where you’ll find something for everyone in your family, from furniture to house wares and from sporting goods to jewelry. www.galleriahouston.com
MUSEUM DISTRICT/ RELIANT PARK
Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service – Nov. 20
For an intimate meditative environment for people of every belief, the Rothko Chapel is the place to visit. Established 20 years ago, the Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service returns to the Chapel with representatives from 10 participating religions for this interfaith Thanksgiving tradition, Nov. 20. Representatives, including Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Zoroastrians, will pray and reflect on this year’s journey. www.rothkochapel.org
Snow Flurry V – Dec. 6
Snow in Houston? Only Santa and his reindeer can make that miracle happen – and they will – wih 80,000 pounds of snow! Don’t miss your chance to throw snowballs, pet live reindeer, and meet Santa at this kids-rule, no-adults-allowed, greatest winter wonderland in town. Only at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and only for kids ten and under. www.hmns.org
The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story – Dec. 12 — April 12, 2009
Through the display of ancient scrolls, objects and artifacts, The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story tells the fascinating story of two of the world’s most important religions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. www.hmns.org
RIVER OAKS/ UPPER KIRBY
Cold, Frankin Sense, and Brrr – Nov. 19-Dec. 20
Celebrate the joy of the season with the A. D. Players’ children’s holiday play, Cold, Frankin Sense, and Brrr. In this family-friendly play you will meet Franklin, a young boy with a bad cold who has lost Christmas. Follow him along his travels as he meets an assortment of characters ranging from a lost Wiseman to a set of singing bakers who all try to help him find it. www.adplayers.org
Yuletide Family Day – Dec. 21
On Dec. 21 the entire family can ring in the season with their favorite songs and stories for Christmas and Hanukkah and try their hand at some favorite holiday crafts at Bayou Bend’s Yuletide Family Day. Admission is free. www.mfah.org/bayoubend
Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition –Nov. 22-Jan. 4
View early American holiday traditions against the backdrop of 17th-19th century American furniture, paintings, ceramics and silver to celebrate the holidays at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition, Nov. 22- Jan. 4. This year’s theme is Celebrations! and will include festive lighting in the gardens, eight rooms of the mansion decorated with historic recreations of celebratory holiday moments and holiday entertainment and refreshments. A variety of Yuletide tour options are offered, including three Candlelight Open House tours on select Friday evenings – Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 –where docents will discuss the holiday settings and the customs of the times amid singling carolers. www.mfah.org/bayoubend
THE HEIGHTS
2007 Holiday Home Tour & Market – Dec. 5-6
Thousands in the Houston area look forward to The Historic Houston Heights Holiday Home Tour & Market all year long. Appropriately themed “Enchantment,” the tour will feature six spectacular homes, including three historic residences – a 1908 Texas farmhouse, 1920 brick Craftsman bungalow, and 1912 American Foursquare – and three newer homes reflecting traditional Heights architecture. The homes will be delightfully decorated for the holidays. Docents will be stationed at each home to point out the rich history, architectural features, furnishings and decorations.
http://www.houstonheights.org/holidayhometour.htm
Lights in the Heights – Dec. 13
This annual tradition in the Heights takes place the second Saturday in December from 6-9 pm. Hundreds of luminaries line the streets, marking an elegantly beautiful path for revelers to trek. Carolers and live musicians will also line the streets and hold forth on Victorian porches and send their music out from street corners and private gardens. The entire neighborhood turns out to welcome visitors with cookies, punch and wassail. A good time is guaranteed to be had by all! http://www.woodlandheights.org/Events/LIH/background.shtml
GREATER HOUSTON AREA
Home for the Holidays – Every weekend until Christmas
Load up the whole family and take a short drive to one of the most festive areas in Houston-Old Town Spring’s Home for the Holidays. This Christmas celebration begins Nov. 8 and provides yuletide entertainment every weekend until Christmas. Holiday spirit is found rampant as carolers and street performers abound in the brightly decorated streets and shops nestled in a collection of wonderful old houses. Spend the day shopping, listening to carolers and barbershop quartets, taking pictures with Santa, enjoying train rides and last but not least skating around the town’s new ice skating rink. www.oldtownspringtx.com
Christmas Holiday Market – Nov. 29- Dec. 21
Every weekend in December Traders Village hosts its annual Christmas Holiday Market. The vast market turns into a holiday wonderland of shopping, family fun, free music, festive foods and pictures made with the jolly old elf himself... Santa Claus! www.tradersvillage.com
Campfire Christmas – Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20
Join the George Ranch Historical Park for a holiday celebration like no other as they present Campfire Christmas every Friday and Saturday evening in December. Experience the beauty of the holiday season with guided tours of the 1830s Jones Stock Farm and the1890s Davis Mansion decorated in the spirit of the season. Wrap up the evening’s festivities with singing and story-telling around the campfire with the George Ranch cowboys. www.georgeranch.com
THE WOODLANDS/ LAKE CONROE
The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center – Nov. 22- Jan. 19
Take a lap around the largest outdoor ice rink in the southwest at The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center, opens Nov. 22. www.thewoodlandsicerink.com
Winter Wonderland – Nov. 22-Jan. 5
Before or after ice skating, take a stroll through Donoho’s Jewellers Winter Wonderland and take a walk along the carpeted pathways as you delight in the fantasyland of magical, lighted toy soldiers, elves, doves, musical angels and snowmen. www.thewoodlandswinterwonderland.com
GALVESTON ISLAND
Festival of Lights – Nov. 15-Jan. 3
Festive sights and sounds will fill Moody Gardens Nov. 15-Jan. 3 during Festival of Lights, one of the largest presentations of Christmas lights in southeast Texas. Guests will journey through Moody Gardens to Santa’s Workshop, a gingerbread house, an outdoor ice rink, a giant poinsettia tree and many more places reminiscent of the holiday season. www.moodygardens.com
Dickens on the Strand – Dec. 6-7
Ring in the season Victorian style at the 35th Annual Dickens on the Strand Dec. 6-7 in downtown Galveston. From Bobbies to beefeaters to Her Royal Majesty Queen Victoria herself, this holiday festival is a family affair with costumed characters, unique vendors, glittering parades shopping, children’s activities and much more. www.dickensonthestrand.com
The Gift of Christmas LIVE – Dec. 18-28
Join Moody Gardens for The Gift of Christmas LIVE, an exhilarating musical presentation blending traditional and original Christmas songs, December 18-28. The one-of-a-kind show features performances by the brightest artists in Texas coupled with sensational sound and lighting to create a dazzling experience. www.moodygardens.com
List courtesy the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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