By Ashley Paredes ‘25
With 1.5 million Christmas lights turning on mid-November, Highland Park makes each Christmas season one to remember. Highland Park Village and the neighborhood around it transform into a Texas winter wonderland, making this area an ideal holiday hotspot.
Residents from the Dallas area travel to the Highland Park neighborhood to see the Christmas lights displays. Some companies offer horse-drawn carriage tours to see the many houses in the neighborhood which put on extravagant light shows in their yard, making for an exciting visit.
Highland Park has been infamous for its Christmas lights shows since 1951. Since the inaugural show costing about $3000, it has expanded to a massive event, beginning in mid-November and ending in mid-February. The first show, which opened a few days after Thanksgiving on Nov. 29, was just the beginning of what would become one of the most renowned Dallas traditions.
“I grew up going to the tree-lighting ceremony ever year and that is one of my fondest Christmas memories. Seeing the tree lit and drinking hot chocolate really brings me into the Christmas spirit,” Kate Good, Ursuline senior, said.
This light show is unlike any other, with the entire area wrapped in Christmas lights from the trees to the rooftops. Each tree is individually wrapped from the base to the end of each branch, shimmering for three months long.
About every two years the lights need to be replaced, which can take one to two months to replace all the bulbs in the shopping center. This effort contributes to the tremendous joy brought by the light displays, making for a magical winter season.
“My favorite part of the Christmas season is looking at Christmas lights around the Dallas area. My parents used to drive us around the Highland Park neighborhood to see the lights and it has always got us into the Christmas spirit,” Isabel Pyle, Ursuline senior, said.
In the neighborhood, residents have gotten used to the sound of horses trotting each night, guiding light display tours.
“One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the sound of carriages going by each night! It makes Christmas more special and gets everyone in the Christmas spirit,” Coco Quinn, Ursuline junior and Highland Park resident, said.
In recent years, there have been controversies with the overwhelming amounts of horse tours in the neighborhood. Some residents have complained about the tours and Highland Park has made attempts to tighten the reins on the tours, but they have continued.
The tours often begin in Highland Park Village, where the outstanding light display began 70 years ago and continues a few blocks into the neighborhood and back.
“These tours are also a great chance to see the lights around my neighborhood. It is exciting to see how some of my neighbors will go all out for the tourists,” Quinn said.
Highland Park is not the only neighborhood known to put on extravagant light shows. There are many neighborhoods around the DFW metroplex that turn into a Texas winter wonderland during the Christmas season.
“My family always loved looking at neighborhood Christmas lights around Dallas! We never visited the ones in Highland Park but one of our favorites was always in Deerfield,” Melina Lessing, Ursuline senior, said.
The Deerfield neighborhood, located between Preston and Coit in West Plano, puts on a similar display to that of Highland Park. Their display includes extravagant lights, carriage rides, carolers and hot cocoa stands.
To encourage residents to take part in the displays when Deerfield was being built, a $5000 prize was offered to the house that could put on the best holiday show. Since then, the entire neighborhood has gone all out, making visiting worth the drive.
In Lake Highlands, one cul-de-sac in the neighborhood goes all out. The homes on Timberhollow Circle unite for a unique “12 Days of Christmas Display”, making them the most spectacular street in the neighborhood. The surrounding area also shows up and shows out, making for an impressive neighborhood display.
One more neighborhood, the Interlochen neighborhood in North Arlington, draws over 40,000 visitors during the holiday season. This massive event encourages almost every house in the neighborhood to put on a fabulous display of Christmas lights.
All these neighborhoods, in addition to Highland Park, put on their best effort to make the holiday season special for the Dallas area.
In addition to looking at Christmas lights, there are other holiday events happening in the Dallas area. The Dallas Arboretum hosts multiple events during the holiday season, including a 12 Days of Christmas event, visits with Santa and musical events.
Dallas residents can visit the Arboretum and other Christmas-themed locations around Dallas. Over the next few weeks, as temperatures drop and Thanksgiving nears, Dallas residents are preparing to get into the holiday spirit.
THE BEAR FACTS 