Lone Star Nannies 2024 Christmas Guide
2024 Christmas Guide
Hello, from Lone Star Nannies!
The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner! Whether you’re planning to entertain family or looking forward to an upcoming date night, we’ve created a seasonal guide with some of the best (and most nostalgic) Thanksgiving and Christmas events across DFW. Sip on hot chocolate while you look for the perfect Christmas tree, visit Northpark for a free story hour with Santa, or take an evening to stop by a live nativity with real camels! We had a lot of fun making this list and hope you have even more fun celebrating this season with little ones. Check out the ideas below and don’t forget to tag us on social media if you find something you love. If it’s a date night you’re looking for…you know who to call! We’re here for all your childcare needs.
THE WHOLE FAMILY
CHRISTMAS TREE FARMS
If you’ve never had the experience of picking out your own Christmas tree, this could be the year you retire your outdated store bought tree and start a new family tradition. There are a handful of local farms that make Christmas tree shopping a family affair, including Mainstay Farm in Cleburne, which we previously included in our DFW pumpkin patch guide. Festival tickets go on sale November 18th and include a wide range of activities (in addition to purchasing trees). Check out their website for more information! Another option is Sunset Hill Tree Farm in Alvarado. This farm hosts educational and community events year round. It’s a popular spot for photographers and even has a winery! Starting November 29th, you can purchase “cut your own” and pre-cut Christmas trees. 4D Farm in Weatherford opens the same weekend. Their website has some great information about selecting a real Christmas tree. If you’re looking for an authentic, small town feel, this may be your best option. They even have homemade cookies!
HOLIDAY MARKETS
When most people think of Waco, they think of Magnolia and Baylor University, but if you have any interest in the homestead community, you won’t want to miss Homestead Heritage! Their annual fair the weekend after Thanksgiving features seminars to learn skills such as beekeeping and making homemade soaps. Other highlights include discussions on challenging cultural topics, watching your kids complete homestead projects, live choral performances, and food made from scratch. If you can’t make the fair, check out the holiday market! On a slightly smaller scale, it features unique gifts handmade by local artisans. To learn more about the homestead community, check out their website. For information about the fair or the holiday market, click here. Tickets are incredibly reasonable, and they’re currently offering a 20% discount with the code “FAMILY” when purchasing at least four. Another historic getaway is the 25 day Christmas Market hosted in Granbury. Over 20,000 guests will visit Warren’s Backyard to check out local vendors and enjoy the excitement of the season. You can find more details on the city website.
ICE SKATING
There are a few places to ice skate in the DFW metroplex. The Fort Worth Stockyards Rodeo Rink is a popular option, especially considering its location! You can entertain friends and family for hours at the stockyards, and if you have any out of town guests, they’ll get the full Texas Christmas experience. You can purchase tickets on the Fort Worth Stockyards website. The Galleria mall in Dallas is another fan favorite, but it also draws quite a crowd! If you’re looking for a smaller town feel, check out the outdoor ice skating rinks in Downtown Grapevine or Grand Prairie. In the past, the city of Grand Prairie has also created ice rinks at public parks. Visit the city website for more info.
LIGHTS
It’s only once a year that you get to load everyone up in the car and go look at lights! Christmas at the Dallas Zoo and Prairie Lights are two well known options, but if you’d like to try something new, there are a few other hidden gems in the Dallas area. Lights on the Farm at Heritage Farmstead Museum has seasonal comfort foods and themed costume nights. They also have a Red, White, & Lights Wine Walk for a date night! Learn more on their website. The Tianyu Lights Festival is making its debut in DFW this year, and based on what we’ve read, it’s going to be stunning! Tianyu Arts & Culture brought authentic Chinese lantern experiences to the United States and Europe. The first north Texas festival follows the story of Koda using 19 scenes made from massive lantern structures and LED lights. There are even stage performances with acrobats and folk performers! Read more on their website. For all our Dallas natives, there is one more free option we’d like to highlight this year. Reliant Lights Your Holidays is an annual free concert in Sammons Park that includes fireworks and a drone show! If you have older elementary age kids, it’s a high energy way to spend a Friday night. Learn more at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Website.
LIVE NATIVITIES
Amidst all the lights, sweet treats, and photo ops with Santa, there is the reason for the season and the quiet of a manger. Celebrate the birth of Jesus at the 2nd annual live nativity in Trophy Club. You’ll hear live musical performances, walk through a Bethlehem marketplace, and interact with real manger animals. This is definitely a community event you don’t want to miss! Visit their website for ticket information. Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie also has a live nativity that requires tickets, but is free to the public. Kids will love seeing real camels and journeying through a replica of the town of Bethlehem. Watch the sneak peek video and get more detailed information on their website.
MOVIE NIGHTS
The Palace Theatre in downtown Grapevine shows a number of classic Christmas movies from It’s a Wonderful Life to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Check the schedule for a complete list of movies and show times. The unique venue is right on Main Street, so you can arrive a little early to window shop and look at Christmas lights! If you’d rather curl up in blankets with homemade popcorn at an outdoor venue, Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in Ennis will be showing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a newly released Christmas movie based on the best selling book and safe for the whole family.
PARADES
Throughout history, people have shown up for parades to celebrate everything from holidays to hometown victories. If you’re okay with arriving early, front row seats could be well worth the wait for the Dallas Holiday Parade and the Fort Worth Parade of Lights. According to the website, the Dallas Holiday Parade is the city’s largest outdoor event and draws thousands of families from across the state! Crowds also line the streets for the Fort Worth parade, which features over 100 entries. You’ll need to purchase or reserve tickets online for both events.
PERFORMANCES
For years, Prestonwood Baptist has been putting on a Broadway level Christmas production called The Gift of Christmas. Get your tickets early, because they sell out quick! Another fast sell out is grandparents and family members buying tickets to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Casa Manana in Fort Worth. Known for featuring family friendly performances, you may have an aspiring actress in your family who’d rather spend an afternoon watching the story unfold on the stage. Check the website for ticket information.
STORY TIME
If you’re a nanny looking for a fun afternoon activity, story time with Santa at North Park Mall has been a classic (and free) favorite for over 25 years. Kids gather outside of Macy’s at 10:30am (Monday-Saturday) and at noon on Sunday to hear what Santa has to say in front of his cottage. The timing is perfect to grab lunch in the food court before you head home!
TREE LIGHTINGS
For more free fun, consider checking out tree lighting ceremonies in most major towns across the metroplex. Argyle, Denton, Frisco, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, and Dallas all have tree lighting ceremonies listed on their city websites. Check to see if your town is having a celebration and support local vendors!
DALLAS
To most parents, braving the Big D with little ones either sounds exciting or terrifying. There are definitely some events well worth the traffic and a few hours spent in the car seat! SNOWDAY Dallas at the Galleria has become quite popular over the course of the past few years. Get a group together and walk through elaborately themed rooms set up for photo-ops. As soon as you check out the website, you’ll realize this is not your ordinary photo shoot. Past years include rooms that look like snow globes, a room with an entire camper, and incredibly creative light displays. Perfect for kids of all ages, this is a great back pocket activity to do with family or friends coming from out of town. If photos aren’t your thing, you’ll still have fun! Do it for the gram.
If you’re looking for a more traditional option, the Dallas Arboretum is celebrating their 10th anniversary of The 12 Days of Christmas exhibit. According to Southern Living, Holiday at the Arboretum is “Texas’ best Christmas event.” Stroll through the Christmas Village, listen to live music on lawns overlooking the Dallas skyline, and see who can remember each verse of “The 12 Days of Christmas”. This would also be a great date night activity!
GRAPEVINE
Known as the “Christmas Capitol of Texas,” Grapevine has a long list of events and activities for the whole family. Ride the Polar Express vintage railroad, visit the Gaylord Texan’s Ice! Exhibit, or walk around downtown Grapevine during Carol of Lights and enjoy all the Christmas decorations. There’s a contest every year for the business with the best display. Check out their website for a more detailed description of all the Christmas events on the calendar.
FOR MOM & DAD
DATE NIGHT IDEAS
If none of the ideas above inspired a date night during the holidays, consider these other options…
Highland Park Brazos Carriages
This horse drawn carriage service takes you through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Highland Park! Book a Christmas light tour on their website.
Rooftop Cinema Club (Fort Worth)
Rooftop Cinema Club is exactly what it sounds like…an outdoor movie showing on a roof! Simply choose the Christmas movie, then call Lone Star Nannies to book the sitter. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving from Lone Star Nannies! As we count our blessings, we’re grateful for you. It’s been an amazing year of building relationships across Texas and our hearts are full before we’ve even started filling our plates with stuffing and turkey. Here’s to another season of making memories!
With care,
Lone Star Nannies