It is the most wonderful time of the year to get out and enjoy the pleasant weather and maybe do a little shopping.
One of the most famous festivals in Texas takes over downtown Galveston with an English accent. Dickens on the Strand offers a lineup of special events, parades, and music. It is often hard to tell who the guests are and who are the entertainers as everyone gets into the fun Dickens characters.
Dec. 1-3, Dickens on the Strand, Galveston, 409/765-7834, www.dickensonthestrand.org
Travel Notes:
The bald eagles are back in their nest on a tower at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center in Seagoville. You can’t see much from the ground, but from your computer you have a bird’s-eye view of the pair as they lay their eggs and care for the chicks. Watch the livestream video at www.wetlandcenter.com/eagles.html.
It is the season for rainbow trout fishing in Texas waterways. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department stocks lakes, ponds, and rivers around the state. For a list of public water bodies receiving rainbow trout this year, along with scheduled stocking dates, and number of fish, go to www.tpwd.texas.gov/troutstocking. Don’t forget that you don’t need a fishing license to fish in state parks.
More Events:
Hill Country Handmade Market
Dec. 1-2, Comfort, www.hillcountryhandmademarket.com
Yoakum County Tamale Festival
Dec. 1-2, Denver City, www.denvercityedc.org/index.php/news-events
A Dickens Christmas
Dec. 1-2, Lockhart, www.clark-library-lockhart.org
Christkindlmarkt
Dec. 1-2, New Braunfels, www.christkindlmarktnbtx.org
Main Street Bethlehem
Dec. 1-3, 8-10, Burnet, www.fbcburnet.org
Dickens on the Strand
Dec. 1-3, Galveston, www.dickensonthestrand.org
Christmas at Old Fort Concho
Dec. 1-3, San Angelo, www.fortconcho.com
Texas Hill Country Wineries’ Christmas Wine Affair
Dec. 1-17, Fredericksburg, www.texaswinetrail.com
Norwegian Country Christmas Tour
Dec. 2, Clifton, www.cliftontexas.org
Christmas Through the Years in LBJ Country
Dec. 2, Johnson City, www.nps.gov/lyjo
Oma’s Christmas Craft Fair
Dec. 2-3, Boerne, www.visitboerne.org
Trains at the Mayborn Museum
Dec. 2-31, Waco, www.baylor.edu/mayborn
A Walk in Bethlehem
Dec. 5-6, Boerne, www.visitboerne.org
Season of Light Planetarium Show
Dec. 5, 12, Clute, www.bcfas.org
Pearl Harbor Day Observance
Dec. 7, Fredericksburg, www.pacificwarmuseum.org
Schmeckenfest on the Square
Dec. 7, La Grange, www.visitlagrangetx.com
Wassailfest
Dec. 7, New Braunfels, www.nbtexas.org
Burton Christmas Village
Dec. 9, Burton, www.burtontexas.org
Christmas at Old Fort Croghan
Dec. 9, Burnet, www.fortcroghan.org
Hondo’s Birthday Celebration
Dec. 9, Luckenbach, www.luckenbachtexas.com
Holiday With the Cranes
Dec. 9-10, Galveston, www.galvestonnaturetourism.org
Campfire Christmas
Dec. 9, 16, Richmond, www.georgeranch.org
Wild West Victorian Fest
Dec. 15-17, Kerrville, www.wildwestvictorianfest.com
Concert in the Cave – Winter Solstice
Dec. 16, Boerne, www.cavewithoutaname.com
Bird Banding
Dec. 16, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org
Luckenbach Christmas Ball
Dec. 17, Luckenbach, www.luckenbachtexas.com
LBJ Tree Lighting
Dec. 17, Stonewall, tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lyndon-b-johnson/tree-lighting
Life-Size Nativity Scene
Through Dec. 25, Comfort, www.comfortchamber.com
Polar Express Train Ride
Through Dec. 30, Palestine, www.texasstaterailroad.net
Eisban Outdoor Ice Skating
Through Jan. 2, Fredericksburg, www.skateinfred.com
Magical Winter Lights
Through Jan. 2, La Marque, www.magicalwinterlights.com
Tom Sachs: Tea Ceremony
Through Jan. 7, Dallas, www.nashersculpturecenter.org
Ice Land at Moody Gardens
Through Jan. 7, Galveston, www.moodygardens.org
This article appears in December 1 • 2017.
