If you’re anything like me, Christmastime is your favorite time of the year. I love driving around Highland Park at night, looking at all of the pretty lights, jamming out to all of the Christmas carols. In my jammies. With a steaming cup of hot chocolate. This has become my nightly ritual ever since I got back from celebrating Thanksgiving in Austin.
While Highland Park is definitely my most-frequented spot, there are plenty of places in Dallas to help you get in the holiday spirit to help you get in the holiday spirit. Because there are 0 Scrooges allowed here, folks.
What I’m Wearing:
Dress: Closet / Shoes: similar, similar / Bag: similar / Earrings: J.Crew
Rings: BaubleBar, BaubleBar / Nail Polish: Essie, c/o
Growing up in Austin, I would always look forward to the holiday displays. Each year, my mom would drive me and my best friend, Perri, around the neighborhood to look at the lights, with both of us curled up in the back seat in our jammies with hot chocolate (nothing has changed in 20 years). When I was really little, and then again when I was in high school and after I graduated college, we would walk the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park. There were streets in Austin with absolutely absurd Christmas lights, which my friends and I would visit year after year. We had traditions, set in place over 20+ years of living in Austin.
But, when I moved to Dallas about 4 1/2 years ago, I had to start from scratch in terms of holiday traditions. Over the past nearly five years, I’ve come up with quite the list of festive spots… so now I can give you the top places in Dallas to help you get in the holiday spirit. And, yes, all of these are actually in Dallas.
The Best Places in Dallas to Help You Get in the Holiday Spirit
The Dallas Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum is doing a very festive holiday display this year, titled The Twelve Days of Christmas. Much like the aforementioned Trail of Lights in Austin, the display at the Dallas Arboretum is ideal for families. The display at the Dallas Arboretum is styled after the eponymous Christmas carol – one light display along the path is ten lords a leaping, while the next is nine ladies dancing, and so on. All in all, it’s pretty freakin’ cute. Please note that there is an entrance fee.
Neiman Marcus Downtown
Every year, Neiman Marcus does the most beautiful window displays in celebration of the holiday season. I like to grab a cup of 1/2 hot chocolate + 1/2 coffee and walk around with friends to look at the festive windows before going upstairs for brunch at The Zodiac.
Highland Park & University Park
From Highland Park Village to the smallest of streets, you’ll find some of the prettiest holiday lights in Dallas throughout the Park Cities. My faves are found up and down Beverly Drive, on Hunters Glen Road, and at 3629 Southwestern Boulevard (the famous “Santa house”).
Southern Methodist University
Last but certainly not least, SMU. Not only are trees strung up with lights all over campus, but places like the George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum also have trees decked out with the season’s finest. There’s even a special exhibit at the museum on Christmas at the White House.
PS with all this talk of holiday lights, I’d be remiss to not remind y’all that the holidays are rapidly approaching. Hanukkah begins next Tuesday night and Christmas is only 21 days away! In the event that you haven’t yet completed all of your holiday shopping (aka are like me), make sure you check out my holiday gift guide – it’s filled with over 100 of the best holiday gifts of 2017 for just about everybody on your list!
Shop the post: