It’s the most wonderful time of the year – make it count!
December is coming to a close as is the year. With all the ups and downs in 2020, you owe it to yourselves to end it on a high note. Don’t let the holidays pass you by without indulging in some good old fashioned holiday cheer!
1. Experience Enchanting Candlelight Concerts
You can still experience an absolutely magical (and safe) winter here in Dallas, and part of that is thanks to the amazing open-air spaces the city has to offer. Luckily, Fever Originals is bringing its wildly popular Candlelight concert series to two beautiful open-air venues for the season.
2. Drive N’ Sleigh
Hold on to your Santa Hats! ‘Christmas Drive ‘N Drag,’ the fiercest and merriest of all drive-ins featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni, will be rolling into Irving Mall in Irving. Drag royalty Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Kameron Michaels, Naomi Smalls, Plastic Tiara and Violet Chatchki will be earning their spot on the “nice” list by saving Christmas from old scrooge, Bianca Del Rio.
3. Eat A Plate Of Fajitas In A Xmas Vortex
Campo Verde is the most cheerful place in town. There’s no such thing as having too many holiday lights. Neither is there such a thing as having too many fajitas. Do Christmas, but make it Tex-Mex at Campo Verde in Arlington for the most festive fajita experience you’ll have all year. [Featured image: @rissa_soto]
4. Jetset To Houston
Travelers can streamline their commute from Dallas to Houston in luxurious fashion. Dallas-based startup, JSX is has launched their Simpli-Fly program that allows travelers to hop on a flight from Dallas to Houston for less than $100, with expedited boarding and de-boarding procedures. [Featured image: @flyjsx]
5. Stargaze At The Second-Best Star-Seeing Hotspot In The Country
We city folks might not have the best optics when it comes to catching shooting stars and the occasional meteor shower, but out in Texas country await two stellar national parks that have been rated two of the top 10 stargazing hotspots in the entire United States of America: Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains.
6. Pop In To A Sweet Tooth Motel
Sweet Tooth Hotel, home of the explosive yarn-bomb exhibit, Intangible, is to begin offering a portable and private new experience for visitors with their new Sweet Tooth Motel. Motels sometimes get a bad rep. When compared with hotels and Air B&Bs, motels sit at the bottom of the overnight stay totem pole. Sweet Tooth Hotel, however, is repackaging their image with their miniature new venue: the Sweet Tooth Motel.
7. Skate Under Millions Of Lights
This year we all night need a little extra nudge to get into the spirit of Christmas. Enter Luminova: a dazzling holiday event featuring millions of glittering lights and a 10,000-foot outdoor ice skating rink! Follow the lights to Globe Life Field, where the North Pole is thriving for the holiday season.
8. Behold The Tallest Indoor Christmas Tree In USA
Time and time again, the age-old expression holds us: everything really is bigger in Texas – Christmas included. Inside the Dallas Galleria stands the tallest indoor Christmas tree in the country.
9. Enjoy A Fabulously Festive Christmas-Themed Brunch
Nothing beats that festive feeling, and this year we could all do with something quite special to cheer us up. Fortunately Fever has just the thing, with an amazing experience on offer to brighten your brunch-time—and you can sign up to be the first to hear about tickets here!
10. Create A DIY Masterpiece At This Boozy Workshop Bar
If the pandemic taught us anything it’s that free time isn’t the only requisite for completing all those home fix-up projects we pinned on our Pinterest accounts. If you need a little extra moral support – and some creative juices – swing down to Upstairs Circus for a little bit of both! [Featured image: @upstairscircus]
11. Share A Couple Shots With Santa
The Christmas season is going to look a little different this year without a doubt. But one thing that might make things a little more merry is the fact that the New York-based Christmas pop-up Sippin’ Santa is bringing its festivities to Dallas, Texas.
12. Catch The Concert Truck Touring Dallas
For most musicians, touring and live performances account for most of their income. Since concerts as we knew them were effectively cancelled, forcing musicians to find other means to connect with their audiences. Early on, many musicians quickly took to livestreaming – hosting concerts from home á la Tiny Desk Concert at Home, Travis Scott’s concert on Fortnight, or the Lady Gaga-curated One World: Together at Home online benefit festival. Other musicians, such as the psychedelic indie outfit, The Flaming Lips, have taken things a step further, holding live in-person concerts with everyone in attendance encased in a life-sized inflatable plastic bubble. In the spirit of creativity, two pianists have converted a 16-foot box truck into a touring concert truck in order to bring their music to the masses.
13. Snap A Pic Of You In A Snow Day
Don’t let the festivities pass you by without capturing a moment to remember. SNOWDAY, immersive IG-inspired holiday experience, returns to Dallas this season on Friday at Galleria Dallas to inspire your Christmas card, light up your Instagram, and add a little cheer to the most wonderful time of the year.
14. Nail It! This December
Nothing puts us in the holiday spirit quite like the smell of freshly baked treats and whimsical over-the-top decorations—and Nailed It! certainly nails both. This holiday season, bring a little magic into your kitchen by decorating a toy robot that even Santa’s elves would approve of.
15. Play In The Snow
Deep Ellum’s new Tulum-inspired Coctelería has something special in store for the holiday season. Experience the once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon of snow in Texas once a week at Yellow Rosa, where the cocktail lounge is holding a weekly festive pop-up through the holidays.
16. Hit The Beaches Of Christmas Cheer
The Christmas season is going to look a little different this year without a doubt. But one thing that might make things a little more merry is the fact that the New York-based Christmas pop-up Sippin’ Santa is bringing its festivities to Dallas, Texas.
17. Live La Dulce Vita
Given the circumstances, you might have had to cancel your vacation to Italy over the summer. Be that as it may, you can still get a taste of Tuscany with the arrival of the famed Italian market, Eataly set to open in Dallas at noon on December 9.
18. Immerse Yourself In Your Favorite Christmas Movies
What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Do you enjoy the quirky fun-lovingness of Will Farrell in Elf; perhaps you go full rabbit costume on nostalgia with A Christmas Story, or maybe you rep the Griswold’s Christmas Vacation. Wherever you stand, you can fully immerse yourself in Christmas classics at the I Love Christmas Movies exhibition in Dallas.
19. Top Off Your Glass At Tipsy Elf
Jump headlong into the Xmas festivities with an inundation of holiday lights and Christmas-themed cocktails at the Tipsy Elf Cocktail Bar at Good Companions this season!
20. Spin Out In Denton
Carrying the torch of its musical legacy, the Vinyl Lounge in Denton schools patrons on taste, all the while supplying them with a variety of stellar cocktails and a lounge straight out of 60s London. The retro-fitted interior of this dreamy cocktail lounge makes it a standout among other bars and breweries spinning records. Whether you were there for the 60s or not, you’ll find yourself feeling nostalgic for that swinging era all the same.
21. Jingle All The Way On These Fabulous Trolleys
Does anyone else think that trolleys are a massively underrated form of transportation? Sure the trolley is not as efficient as a bus, nor as convenient as an Uber, but it’s got charm; during Christmastime, it’s also got a ton of cheer. If you couldn’t manage to book a ticket on the boozy Polar Express this year, you can find alternate transportation on one of the Holiday Lights Trolley Rides through Highland Park for one of the most magical rides in the city.
22. Take A Tiki Trip To The Swizzle Luau Lounge
Summer is gone for another year, but if you’re having a hard time reconciling with it, you can imbibe the warm wavy vibes of the beach at the upcoming opening of Dallas’ new tiki paradise, Swizzle Luau Lounge,
23. Pick Your Favorite Pickle
Like all topics, ideas, and industries, controversy looms in the world of food. Does pineapple belong on pizza? Are muffins really just cupcakes? Is adding ketchup to steak utter barbarism? Amid the controversies swarming the industry is the pickle. Are they tasty? Are they cucumbers? Do they merit their widespread prominence in chicken sandwiches, bloody marys, and pickle shots? If you answered yes to any of those last three questions, you’ll elate to know that the pickle mecca has just opened up in Fort Worth.
24. Dive Into America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark
Kalahair Resorts & Conventions are making waves as the “World’s Coolest Indoor Waterparks”. With locations in the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, Sandusky, Ohio, and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, the resorts have opened their tidal wave of fun in Round Rock.
25. Stroll Through An Enchanting Garden
Do you feel like 2020 owes you a little more cheer before the end of the year? Come and collect your merriment at the Dallas Arboretum starting tonight, where the arboretum is lighting up their garden and gazebos with dazzling displays of Christmas lights.
26. Down The Hatchet
People unwind in different ways. Some opt for the gentle path through yoga, painting, or fishing; while others blow off steam by going hard in the paint: be it boxing, hitting the bars, and/or pounding on a drum set. If you fall into the later category, or if you just like the idea of having a couple cocktails and hurling some axes, stop by Deep Ellum’s newest addition: Whiskey Hatchet.
27. Experience A Lightshow On Wheels
Do you feel like 2020 owes you a little more cheer before the end of the year? Come and collect your merriment at the Dallas Arboretum starting tonight, where the arboretum is lighting up their garden and gazebos with dazzling displays of Christmas lights.
28. Re-Watch Your Favorite Childhood Classics
Last month it was announced that the Charlie Brown holiday specials would not be airing on network TV this year. Apple TV+ had just signed a deal with the Peanuts brand and production companies, giving it exclusive streaming rights for Peanuts classics, including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
29-30. Rep Your Favorite Fast-Food Burger Chain
It’s hard to imagine that any other state could rep a local fast food chain harder than Texas does Whataburger. In celebration of the holidays, the flying W is giving the people the chance to don their classic orange colors with a new line of ugly Christmas apparel and seasonal trinkets.
- How loud and proud do you rep Whataburger? This holiday season, you can let the whole neighborhood know who’s your favorite Texas-based burger chain with Whataburger’s new series of inflatable holiday lawn ornaments.
31. Eat All The Chocolate
Need something sweet to cap off the year? A Kate Weiser Chocolate pop-up has opened at NorthPark Center with a selection of adorable chocolate creations that are as pretty as they are tasty. The holidays are around the corner. If you’re one of the non-gifted chefs in the family but want to bring something to the table, you can dazzle and delight your guests with some of these delectable seasonal chocolates from Kate Weiser.
32. Celebrate The Holidays In A Galaxy Far Far Away
This holiday season, it’ll be the Santa-lorian coming down the chimney – at least at the Ill Minster Pub. The pub has decked their halls in the likeness of the Galactic Empire for Jedis and Sith-lords alike to celebrate The Force of the holiday spirit. The pop-up first launched in Uptown Urban Market back in February. Since then, it’s paid homage to the George Lucas-created empire with themed cocktails, intergalactic decor, and studio-quality mannequins.
33. Anté Up At A Pop-Up
The Christmas season is going to look a little different this year without a doubt. But one thing that might make things a little more merry is the fact that the beloved Christmas pop-ups Miracle is bringing their festivities back for the yuletide season.
34. Reign Over Relaxation At The Spa Castle
Spa Castle in Carrollton is like the amusement park version of a spa, only instead of rides they have Himalayan salt rooms and hydrotherapy pools. The innovative spa blends together traditional Asian and European styles to create a fun and luxury experience all on its own.
35. Experience A Fiber Fantasia Inside This Fairytale Yarn Art Installation
No way, crochet. The whimsical new exhibit at the Sweet Tooth Hotel gives us all the warm and fuzzy feelings inside. Step into Intangible from now until December 31 to experience the most beautiful explosion of yarn bombing you’ve ever seen
36. Venture Into The Christmas Void That Is Electric Lizzyland
There’s always that one person in your neighborhood that goes a little extra during the holidays. In October, it was Dallas resident, Steven Novak, whose hyperreal horror-show yard display summoned multiple visits from Dallas PD. In December that person is Liz Simmons’ whose high-voltage Electric Lizzyland dazzles Dallasites every year with her other-wordly display.
37. Glamp In The Stars
New resident Texan, Elon Musk, promises that humans will land on Mars by 2026. If you can’t wait that long, you can spend a few nights at Basecamp Terlingua, an other-worldly glamping experience that integrates the future with the past, giving its visitors the impression of luxury camping in the cosmos.
38. Go Curling On A Rooftop
Hitting the Xmas scene in the DFW area is the Miracle on Commerce pop-up cocktail bar. Open from now until January 3, guests can embrace the holiday festivities on the rooftop of the Adolphus Hotel.
39. Eat Tacos And Drink Tequila In The Snow
Deep Ellum’s new Tulum-inspired Coctelería has something special in store for the holiday season. Experience the once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon of snow in Texas once a week at Yellow Rosa, where the cocktail lounge is holding a weekly festive pop-up through the holidays.
40. Top Off Some Champagne In An Igloo
Catch Santa as he goes down the chimney of The Statler this year. Winterproof at Waterproof is coming back to the hotel’s 19th-floor rooftop. On the doorstep of Christmas week, a wintry oasis will take over the rooftop with decorations, frosty dining igloos, cheerful seasonal cocktails and more.
41. Visit The Tickle Bar
It’s not that we’re jaded, but having endured the whirlwind of events this year – not excluding the random appearance of a possibly intergalactic monolith – there’s not much left in store that can surprise us in 2020. That said, the opening of a Tickle Bar in Dallas did take us aback. Tickling is one of those black-and-white sensations where either you hate it or you are really really into it. Speaking on behalf of those who are not a fan, it comes as a slight surprise the widespread desire to be willfully tickled. Note for example, this list on Yelp on the best tickling in Dallas. Those who tinker in tinkling will elate at the opening of The Tickle Bar in Dallas.
42. Warm Your Soul With Some Cheerful Holiday Drinks
It’s time for java lovers to rejoice. After a brief hiatus, Non-Fiction Coffee is back with its “Deck The Hall Street” Holiday pop-up. For the next few weeks, visitors can get their mittens on some of the cafe’s delectable holiday coffee concoctions and snap a pic in front of their very merry new mural.
43. Visit Vitruvian Park
With 2020 going down the way it has, we’ll take all the incandescent holiday cheer we possibly can. And this year, thankfully, DFW is in no short supply. Joining in on turning up for the season is Vitruvian Park in Addison, where the park lights up nightly with an enchanting must-see display
44. Channel Your Inner Kevin McCallister
When it comes to holiday movies, there’s three types of viewers: those who opt to watch old home recordings of holidays passed; those who never veer from the Hallmark channel during December (and before), and the people who stick to the classics like A Christmas Story, Elf, and Home Alone. If your family is composed of all three types, bring it all together in a complete package at The Kevin, where you can record your family watching a Hallmark movie in this Home Alone-inspired Air BnB in Dallas.
45. Pay Your Respects To Tiny Target
It’s with a heavy heart that we announce that the world’s smallest target – beloved staple outside of Marathon, Texas – has been demolished by its owner.