As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, and that also applies to Christmas celebrations, especially at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, the official Christmas Capital of Texas, located northwest of Dallas. If you want your kids to enjoy a magical Christmas experience (or you just want to feel like a kid again yourself), it’s a holiday destination well worth considering.
The resort overlooks Grapevine Lake and contains acres of lush gardens set in an atrium so large that it includes replicas of the Alamo, San Antonio’s River Walk and Palo Duro Canyon. At Christmastime, the resort transforms these gardens into a winter wonderland for its annual Lone Star Christmas event that truly has to be seen to be believed.
Naturally, everything is done on a Texas-sized scale, like the décor that features two million holiday lights, thousands of festive ornaments and wreaths, Nutcrackers that tower 25 feet tall and a 54-foot Christmas tree. And what would a holiday celebration be without snow? The resort has that covered, too. Each morning, the “elves” at the Gaylord Texan make enough real Texas snow to cover the resort’s giant, 12-lane Santa’s Wild Workshop snow tubing hill. The resort also brings in 40 master ice artisans from China to carve two million pounds of ice into magical holiday scenes and five ice slides inspired by the holiday classic, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. The 14,000-square-foot attraction is kept at a chilly nine degrees, so the resort thoughtfully provides parkas for kids and adults. There’s also a 6,000 square-foot outdoor ice rink and even an “On the Rocks” ice bar that serves up adult beverages.
You’ll never have to worry about the kids getting bored. Santa, toy soldiers and elves will be on hand, and the resort also hosts an Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt, milk and cookies with Mrs. Claus, gingerbread decorating and breakfast with Rudolph himself (complete with reindeer games). Kids can also create their own furry friend to take home at the Build-A-Bear Workshop.
To learn more about Gaylord Texan’s Lone Star Christmas, which runs from November 10, 2016 to January 1, 2017, visit ChristmasatGaylordTexan.com.
