Cleburn, just half an hour south of Fort Worth, is where you'll find Whistle Stop Christmas, a countywide tradition that began in 1996. Hosted by the city and Cleburne Chamber of Commerce, the event is celebrated from the last week of November through New Year's Eve with more than three and a half million lights decorating 12-acre Hulen Park. Holiday activities include an annual Christmas parade in downtown, picture taking with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live entertainment, food booths and gift vendors. Historic Cleburne homes built in the 1800s and early 1900s are decorated for the holidays and open for public tours.
Shop at Pearl Farmers Market and grab a bite at the Tamales at Pearl Holiday Family Festival in San Antonio. This holiday celebration takes place in early December across the Pearl grounds from noon to 7 p.m. The event is hosted by local food vendors and offers visitors a sampling of tamale flavors ranging from pork, chicken and beef, to pumpkin, chocolate and more. Other food items include empanadas, chicken-stuffed poblano rellenos, beef anticuchos, bacon-wrapped chicken, ribeye fajita tacos, jalapeno bites, stewed chicken and pulled meat tacos. Activities include tamale-making, cooking demonstrations, food competitions, family games, musical entertainment, dancing and evening fireworks displays.
Dickens on the Strand is an annual Victorian-inspired festival celebrated on the first weekend of December in Galveston, about an hour south of Houston, in The Strand National Historic Landmark District. Presented by the Galveston Historical Foundation, the holiday event includes parades, street musicians and bagpipers, and it recreates the Victorian London of Charles Dickens, complete with costumed characters from his novels. Guests enjoy food, contests, musical entertainment and live performances with a 19th century theme, with costumed vendors and performers showcasing the pageantry of the British Empire. Festival highlights include Pickwick's Lanternlight Parade, Dickens Costume Contest and Children's Piccadilly Circus.
Kick off the holiday season at the annual Adolphus and Children's Medical Center Parade in Dallas on the first weekend of December. The event brings families together to downtown for the parade, activities, games and a charity fundraiser benefiting the Children's Medical Center. The televised parade, which draws crowds of more than 350,000, begins at the corner of Austin and Commerce streets, continues east on Commerce to Harwood Street and finishes on Akard Street. It features Santa and his entourage of cartoon characters, marching bands, princesses, superheroes, and dancers.
