Gather Family
& Friends
& Get Out
of the House!
From Christmas at the Creek in College Station to Harvest Saturdays at Royalty Pecans, there is something every weekend this holiday season around the Brazos Valley. This year, make a new tradition to try something new!
Anderson
Twilight Firelight at Fanthorp Inn
(936) 878-2212
Journey back to the 1850s on November 24 at this holiday event featuring a candlelit inn, period music, poetry, stagecoach rides and living-history characters. Activities begin at the Grimes County Courthouse, where visitors board a replica stagecoach or hay wagon for a ride to Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, 579 Main St. Tickets are sold in front of the courthouse from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30pm.
Brenham
Downtown Brenham’s Christmas Stroll & Light Parade
1-888-BRENHAM
This free event is fun for the whole family and will take place on November 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy hot holiday drinks, festive entertainment and holiday shopping. Be sure to get there in time for the parade around the square featuring the man of the hour, Santa Claus, starting at 6 p.m.
Brenham Winter Antiques & Decorative Arts Show
www.ruraltexasantiquesshows.com
On January 12-13, Brenham will host a unique antique show featuring folk art, farmer’s markets and cowboy candy. The January 12 show will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on January 13.
Unity Theatre presents “A Tuna Christmas”
(979) 830-8358
Unity Theatre will offer 12 shows of this holiday comedy of hilarious proportions in a three-week period from November 29 through December 16. Show times will be 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Children’s Chorus Annual Christmas Concert
Brenhamchildrenschorus@gmail.com
(979) 277-3897
On December 14, the Brenham Children’s Chorus will be performing at the Blinn College O’Donnell Center for Performing Arts, 600 Blinn Blvd. on the Brenham campus. Adult tickets purchased in advance are $8; $10 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted for $5.
Caldwell
Royalty Pecan Harvest Saturdays
(979) 272-3904
Every Saturday through December 22
Tour Schedule: 12:00 noon; 1:30pm; 3:00pm; 4:30pm
Make the short drive down Hwy. 21 West, just 15 minutes from Bryan, for Royalty Pecan’s Harvest Saturdays during November and December to enjoy orchard tours, family fun, tempting samples of signature Pecan Delicacies, and more including hot drinks, fresh baked goods and Texas wines.
Take a guided tour of the orchard for a close-up look at harvest activities on a working pecan farm. Ride a tractor-pulled wagon through the orchard and learn how the pecans go from trees to your home. Be sure to bring a blanket on cold afternoons.
Tours are $3 per person; kids ages 4 and under ride free. After the tour, enjoy a cup of hot coffee, cocoa, or other freshly brewed hot drink. Feel free to bring a lunch and have a picnic while you enjoy the view and the season! Free Wi-Fi is always available at the Welcome Center.
Chappel Hill
Holiday Home Tour and Teddy Bear Parade
888-273-6426
Tour country homes, churches and historic sites decorated for the holidays December 8 in Chappel Hill from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Teddy Bear Parade begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door or $12 in advance.
Bryan/College Station
Children’s Museum Gobbler Gala
(979) 779-KIDS (5437)
On three days during the week of Thanksgiving, November 20, 21 and 24, the Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley will be holding a Gobbler Gala featuring special activities that are free with museum entry admission. This “Thanksgiving Galore” event with crafts and activities allows children to learn about the history of the traditional holiday. All ages are welcome and no registration is necessary.
Christmas at the Creek
The City of College Station continues its tradition of holiday celebration with Christmas at the Creek, a fun-filled family event in the Wolf Pen Creek District on November 30, December 1 and December 7-8 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each night.
Christmas at the Creek activities will include a live nativity, hayrides, dance performances and photos with Santa. On November 30 and December 7, guests will be able to experience the joyous sounds of Christmas with performances by local churches and choirs. On December 1, Christmas at the Creek will feature a Christmas play by local playwright Mark Taylor that will repeat every hour starting at 6 p.m.
The last night will feature films “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (animated version) and “Polar Express” shown on the amphitheater stage. Everyone is welcome to bring a pet to snuggle to keep warm on the hill. Don’t worry about getting behind on your holiday shopping because local vendors will be available all four nights with a variety of arts, crafts, jewelry, candles and more. Your stomach will appreciate the food and warm drinks available for purchase from local mobile gourmet food trucks by Chef Tai, Southern Comfort Road Trip and Cake Junkie.
Santa also will be ready to show you his new home at The Arts Center where photos with Santa will be sponsored by The Arts Council of Brazos Valley and Insite Magazine. Guests will be serenaded with live music and shopping as they wait to snap a picture with Santa. While you’re waiting, check out the new art exhibits presented by the Arts Council of Brazos Valley.
Parking is conveniently located at Post Oak Mall. There will be a hayride dropoff and pick-up at Post Oak Mall, The Arts Center and the Colgate Street entrance of Wolf Pen Creek Park.
Breakfast with Santa
Meet the man in red December 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Lincoln Recreation Center. Activities will include a free hot breakfast, Face Painting, Arts/Crafts coloring activities, entertainment and more. All participants ages 15 and under will receive a gift from Santa. This event is free and open to the public. Health screening and immunization shots also will be available.
Jingle Bell Fun Run & Annual B/CS Christmas Parade
(979) 764-3486
The College Station Parks & Recreation Department’s 23rd annual Jingle Bell Fun Run is set for Sunday, December 2. The race starts at 1:45 p.m. and is followed by the Bryan/College Station Christmas Parade. The two-mile run starts at the corner of University Drive and South College Avenue and ends at the corner of Texas Avenue and Villa Maria. The entry fee is $15 and includes a shirt. All proceeds will benefit the United Way of the Brazos Valley.
Pre-registration closes November 29; participants can register online at rectrac.cstx.gov, in-person at the Parks & Recreation Office at 1000 Krenek Tap Road, or on race day from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. near the starting line.
A&M Consolidated High School Band Concert
Email Stephanie Adams adamsntxs@yahoo.com
Join AMCHS Bands December 11 for their free annual Holiday Concert and Silent Auction at A&M Consolidated High School Audito-rium, 1801 Harvey Mitchell Parkway South, College Station. Each year the band students perform for their parents, student body, teachers and community. Enjoy the Jazz Band as you shop the Silent Auction featuring and iPad 2, a round of golf with Terrence Murphy at Traditions, unique gift baskets and many other fabulous finds. Proceeds from the silent auction will go toward the purchase of two new tubas, which need to be replaced after 29 years of faithful service. AMCHS Band hopes to raise $10,000 at the event.
Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration
www.mscopas.org/celticwoman.html
(979) 845-1234
Celtic Woman is back performing their beloved Christmas songs in a unique and festive traditional symphonic setting December18 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M University campus.
Children’s Museum Winter Wonderland Camp
(979) 779-KIDS (5437)
Need to get kids out of the house for festive fun during the holiday season? The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley is hosting a special day camp December 31 through January 4 from 9 a.m. to 2p.m. each day. This year’s theme is Cowboy Christmas. Children will participate in crafts, games and activities geared toward Texas, cowboys and winter. The museum asks that kids are registered by phone or on the website by the night before the day they plan to attend the camp. There are 30 spots available each day; cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Children must be potty-trained or generally ages 4 and up to attend.
Southwood Community Center Holiday Open House
Discover activities and classes offered to Senior Adults on December 12. Enjoy freshly bakes cookies, entertainment, door prizes and pictures with Santa. This free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Round Top
Christmas at Winedale 2012
This free, family friendly event includes stagecoach and wagon rides, tours of homes decorated as they would have been in the mid 1800s, blacksmith demonstrations, quilt making, story tellers, children’s crafts and musical entertainment. It will take place from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on December 8.
For complete listing of What’s Happening around the Brazos Valley, visit InsiteBrazosValley.com/whats-happening/
