12 Days of Texas Holiday Heritage: Where History Lights the Way

Texas takes on a special glow in December, with historic sites, courthouse squares, frontier forts, hotel lobbies, markets, and museums all adding their own traditions to the season. From candlelight tours and Victorian celebrations to Las Posadas, German Christmas pyramids, cowboy parades, and Texas-themed décor, these 12 Days of Texas Holiday Heritage highlight the places where heritage shines brightest and history lights the way during the holidays.

Pictured: The beautiful San Elizario Presidio Mission during the Luminaria Festival and Las Posadas
Credit: Visit El Paso

There's no place like Texas for the holidays. And if you don't believe us, we've created the 12 Days of Texas Holiday Heritage to provide you with a variety of ways to make merry leading up to the holidays.

Day 12: See Lights at the Sites (State Historic Sites, That Is ...)

Our Texas state historic sites are offering dozens of events this holiday season! For a complete list, visit the Texas Historical Commission's calendar of events. Some holiday events are for children and families, others involve demonstrations or craft experiences, and other events feature tours. But the events listed below are those that involve holiday lights, so they're best experienced at night.

  • Trail of Lights Extravaganza | Dec. 6: Visit Mission Dolores State Historic Site for lights, crafts, cookies, cocoa, and Santa!
  • Fields of Honor: A Luminous Tribute | Dec. 6: Since the holidays are also a time of remembrance, visit San Jacinto Monument and Battlefield State Historic Site for this event that pays tribute to the over 21,500 Texans who have given their lives in armed conflict with luminaries that cover the grounds. It's a solemn, but beautiful experience.
  • Trail of Lights | Dec. 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23: At Kreische Brewery and Monument Hill state historic sites, visitors will delight in the 1/2 mile historic trail with themed light displays and photo opps. Also tour the Kreische House, decorated in the traditional 19th-century German style. On the weekends during the Festival Nights, enjoy live entertainment, holiday refreshments, family crafts and activities, visits with Santa, and more.
  • Candlelight Christmas | Dec. 12-13: At Barrington Living History Farm State Historic Site, step into the historic home of the last President of the Republic, Dr. Anson Jones, as the family enjoys their Christmas gathering. Visit the plantation’s quarter to hear how the enslaved at Barrington experienced the season.
  • Candlelight Christmas | Dec. 13: At Varner Hogg Plantation State Historic Site visitors can go on a candlelit walking tour of the site and discover how Christmas was celebrated by both the enslaved and free families over 134 years of history. Celebrate like the Hogg family with a warm cup of wassail and Christmas games.
  • Lights at the Legation | Dec. 19: Visit the French Legation State Historic Site for a holiday event reminiscent of times of yore. Learn about historic holiday traditions like wassail and holiday decorations. And what is a holiday evening without carols? Join us at 6pm for a performance from our neighbors, Kealing Middle School Choir, as they perform classic carols!
A man and woman walk on a lighted trail past huge Victorian Christmas cards.
Pictured: Guests walk by the giant Victorian Christmas cards display along the lighted trail
Credit: THC

Day 11: Enjoy These “Only in Texas” Holiday Events

From cowboys to boat parades, Texas boasts some holiday events you've got to add to your bucket list.

Two boats decorated with holiday lights. The water beneath them is reflecting their light displays. The background is a dark sky with brooding clouds.
Pictured: Festive boats lining up for the Rockport Lighted Boat Parade
Credit: Sandy Jumper

Day 10: Experience a Victorian Christmas at These Events

Step back into a world of polished brass, lace-trimmed gowns, and candlelit parlors as Victorian-themed celebrations return to Texas each December.

Men dressed as a Victorian St. Nicholas and well-to-do gentleman stand on a street with historic buildings in the background.
Pictured: St. Nicholas and a Victorian gentleman are ready for Dickens on the Strand in Galveston
Credit: Visit Galveston

Day 9: See Historic Hotels Dressed for the Holidays

Across Texas, grand hotel lobbies transform into gilded holiday showcases, blending rich architecture with twinkling décor and timeless tradition.

A dimly lit, opulent hallway lined with decorated Christmas trees on each side.
Pictured: The festive foyer of the San Luis Resort in Galveston
Credit: How Big Is Texas?

Day 8: Dazzle Your Eyes with Holiday Lights at Historic Courthouses

Nothing says Texas holidays quite like a courthouse square glowing against a winter sky. From Georgetown to Marshall and Johnson City, these historic centers transform with lights, music, and hometown cheer turning beloved civic landmarks into festive beacons all season long

A historic courthouse building covered in green Christmas lights. The lawn has a lit Christmas tree and white lights in other trees against a night sky.
Pictured: The Georgetown Courthouse square illuminated for Christmas
Credit: Trey Ratcliff

Day 7: Participate in Cherished Texas Christmas Traditions

Texas’s holiday season is shaped by traditions carried here through generations. These celebrations honor the cultures that helped build our state, offering a meaningful way to connect with community, heritage, and the spirit of the season.

Photograph of the wooden German Christmas Pyramid in downtown Fredericksburg. A street with cars can be seen in the background, as well as a stone building.
Pictured: The 26-foot Weihnachtspyramide, or Christmas Pyramid, in Fredericksburg. These wooden pyramids are a traditional German decoration dating back to the 16th century.
Credit: Visit Fredericksburg

Day 6: Shop at Traditional Holiday Markets

Holiday markets across Texas bring Old World charm and cultural flair to the season, filling historic districts and city streets with hand-crafted gifts, traditional foods, music, and festive cheer.

An accordion player dressed in traditional German attire wanders through booths at an outdoor Christmas market.
Pictured: German accordion music accompanies shopping at the Tomball German Christmas Market
Credit: Alexander Hatley

Day 5: Step Into Frontier Christmas at a Texas Fort

Frontier forts across Texas transform for the holidays, offering glimpses of winter celebrations from an earlier era. Campfires, living history interpreters, and vintage décor echo the simple joys, hardships, and shared traditions that once shaped the season in these rugged outposts.

A room in an 1800s frontier fort is decorated for Christmas with a small tree and garland draping over the fireplace mantel. A set table is in the foreground.
Pictured: The Christmas decorations at Fort Concho demonstrate how it might have appeared when the fort was active
Credit: How Big Is Texas?

Day 4: Visit Museums with a Holiday Twist

Texas museums bring the holidays to life in creative ways, using their collections and historic spaces to celebrate the season.

The exterior of a small beige house with white trim. There is a low, white picket fence in the foreground. The house is decorated for Christmas and is the home of the Santa Claus Museum in Columbus Texas.
Pictured: The Santa Claus Museum in Columbus
Credit: Jimmy Emerson, DVM

Day 3: Decorate with Texas-themed Holiday Decorations

Nowhere does holiday decorating quite like Texas. Western-themed ornaments, barbed-wire wreaths, cowboy Santas, and nostalgic pickup-truck displays bring a Lone Star twist to the season, celebrating the state’s heritage with humor, creativity, and plenty of personality.

Christmas ornament that spells the word "JOY". The J is a cowboy boot, the O is a wreath, and the Y is a potted cactus.
Pictured: Texas-themed Christmas ornaments
Credit: PINKE

Day 2: Spend a Cozy Christmas in the Mountains

In the far West Texas mountains, the holidays arrive with a quiet that feels almost otherworldly—no traffic jams, crowded malls, or neon glare, just wide horizons and a hush that settles over the desert peaks. Winter nights invite lingering beneath some of the darkest skies in North America, where star parties at McDonald Observatory make constellations feel close enough to touch and the Milky Way arches like a ribbon overhead. Days are for slow rambles and peaceful views, and evenings lend themselves to fireside comfort at Indian Lodge, tucked into the Davis Mountains and made for winter coziness. And if you’re lucky enough to catch one of those rare snows, when the mountains turn white and the air sparkles in the cold—well, it’s nothing short of magical.

Thousands of stars and the Milky Way against a dark sky. The tops of some trees are seen in the foreground.
Pictured: The winter night sky over the South Rim at Big Bend National Park
Credit: Adam Baker

Day 1: "Stroll" Around at These Small-Town Holiday Celebrations

Small-town Christmas strolls turn historic downtowns into cheerful holiday promenades. With storefronts glowing, carolers singing, and streets lined for leisurely walking, these events invite visitors to slow down, shop local, and savor the season.

A historic downtown scene at Christmas. All trees are covered in white lights. Vendor booths line the street, and people are happily strolling among them.
Pictured: The famous onion dome looks down upon the Christmas Stoll vendor tents and holiday lights at the Georgetown Christmas Stroll
Credit: City of Georgetown

The holidays in Texas brim with rich traditions and unforgettable places waiting to be explored. Whether you’re strolling a courthouse square, savoring a festive downtown, or discovering a story you’ve never heard before, these celebrations offer meaningful ways to connect with history, culture, and community all season long. So bundle up, hit the road, and let Texas’s holiday heritage guide your travels this December. There’s magic waiting in every region of the state.

Author

Sarah Page

Heritage Tourism Program Coordinator