Want to know more about this year’s College Station holiday parade and events leading up to the holidays? It’s a good idea to start planning early for the holiday season since ticketed events can sell out fast. Even free events can present challenges in the form of parking, lines and crowds. Planning ahead will help you and your loved ones can enjoy a festive holiday experience.
The College Station holiday parade, also known as the Bryan–College Station Christmas parade, is an annual favorite event and longtime holiday tradition. This event is normally held in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, last year’s parade was canceled due to local health concerns. But, organizers are hopeful for a return of this longtime holiday tradition in December 2021.
Fortunately, there is another beloved holiday parade already in the works for the Bryan–College Station area. On Thursday, December 9th, Bryan hosts its annual Downtown Lighted Holiday Stroll. Visitors can expect holiday-themed window displays and floats at this fun and festive holiday event. And of course, this stroll will have thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights. Santa himself is even rumored to be planning an appearance!
Holiday parades aren’t the only way to get into the Christmas spirit. If you want to get a jumpstart on your Christmas shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving, be sure to visit the Main Street Holiday Market at the Brazos County Expo in Bryan. Kids 12 and under get in free to this “winter wonderland of fantastic shopping” on Saturday and Sunday, November 20th and 21st. Tickets for 13 and up are $6, and you can get $1 off admission by bringing non-perishable food items to donate to The Bridge Ministries. Santa will even make a visit on Saturday morning!
On December 4th and 5th, the Holiday Arts & Crafts Show at Brazos Center in Bryan offers another Christmas shopping experience. Kids under 10 get in free, and tickets for 10 and older are $5 to browse offerings from over 100 fine artists and craftspeople. Attendees can enjoy delicious food and drinks while finding the perfect gifts for their loved ones. And parking is free!
If festive Christmas lights displays are your thing, you won’t want to miss Lights On! This annual holiday lights ceremony is in downtown Bryan will be on Friday, November 19. Join in the revelry as a constellation of lights are illuminated, including two spectacular Christmas trees. The event starts at 6 PM, and visitors can gather in front of the Queen Theater on Main Street at 6:30 to join in the countdown.
South of College Station is the Brazos Valley Tree Farm, which is hosting its Christmas at the Tree Farm event again this year from mid-November through December 31. Tickets are now on sale to this unique Christmas experience for people of all ages. Visitors can enjoy a drive-through Christmas lights display, a hayride through the lights trail, and Christmas Town, where Santa and his elves await along with S’mores, Christmas arts and crafts, yard games and much more.
If you’re up for a short drive, the town of Caldwell is a half-hour’s drive west of College Station. This town has a fun evening event planned for Friday, December 10th—its annual Christmas on the Square in the historic downtown square. Free to the public, this event features a lighted parade, live music and dance performances, and of course plenty of Christmas cheer.
Anyone who loves holiday lights displays has probably envisioned their own home and yard illuminated by Christmas lights that spread cheer to all who see them. But putting up your own Christmas lights can be a time-consuming pain—sometimes literally. (If you’ve ever strained a muscle while on a ladder and trying to hang strands of holiday lights, you know all about it!)
So why not let a holiday lighting professional take the time, trouble and stress out of it by hanging your lights for you? With a pro in charge of installing the lights, you won’t have to worry about how to hang Christmas lights on your metal roof. Let the pros handle the hard work so you can enjoy time with friends and family who bring meaning to the holiday season.
Christmas Activities in College Station, Texas
Scrooges beware—there will be no shortage of Christmas activities in College Station, Texas, this year! And that means plenty of holiday cheer to go around. The Bryan–College Station area has something for everyone. There are a variety of things to do for Christmas in College Station.
Want hayrides, ice skating, carriage rides, a walkable trail of lights, festive holiday music, hot cocoa, a live nativity scene—and even some real snow? It’s always a white Christmas at Santa’s Wonderland in College Station. It will be open evenings and weekends from November 12 through December 30 this year. Tickets are on sale now! And, there’s even a Texas-sized gingerbread village made completely from edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy! Kids and adults who are young at heart are sure to enjoy this magical experience.
If you love laughter and live holiday performances, be sure to check out Elf: The Musical at The Theatre Company in Bryan. This musical will be on stage Fridays and weekends from December 2 through the 19th. Based on the beloved holiday movie, this hilarious and heartwarming musical follows Buddy the Elf as he seeks to find his true identity. Audience members are encouraged to sing along for all to hear, to spread their Christmas cheer!
It’s wonderful to spend time with loved ones during the holiday season, and being together at home can be even more fun than attending community events out on the town. And there’s nothing better than treating your friends and family as well as your neighbors to a holiday lights display in your own front yard—especially if it’s dazzling enough to rival anything they might see out and about in Bryan or College Station!
Hiring a professional to hang your Christmas lights display is the best way to make sure your lights are hung both safely and beautifully. It’s also the best way to make sure you have time to enjoy every bit of the holidays without having yet another job on your to-do list. Best of all, a holiday lighting display professional can advise you on design as well as the best type of lights to use for your needs, so all that’s left for you to do is relax and enjoy some yummy holiday recipes.
Adopting Christmas Angels College Station
There are so many reasons Christmas is many people’s favorite holiday—gathering with loved ones, enjoying festive lights displays and decorating the tree, to name a few. But the true spirit of Christmas—generosity and charity toward others—is what really makes Christmas special. Unfortunately, thousands of children in the Brazos Valley area go without Christmas gifts each year, unless kind-hearted people adopt Christmas Angels in College Station to give them a Christmas to remember.
The Salvation Army of Bryan–College Station offers the Angel Tree Program. This program is organized to make a brighter holiday season for less fortunate children living in the area. To adopt a local angel, people choose an “angel” off the Angel Trees set up throughout Bryan and College Station, and buy the items listed on the tag. You don’t even need to wrap the gifts you purchase! To take part this holiday season, look for Angel Trees at Walmart, Post Oak Mall, Chick-fil-A and other spots around town.
Children aren’t the only vulnerable population who might need a little extra cheer during the holidays. Some of College Station’s senior citizens can also use some extra love around Christmas. This is why the Brazos Valley Council of Governments puts out an annual call for Volunteers for Senior Christmas. Filling gift bags and delivering them to local nursing homes throughout the Brazos Valley area is a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day and bring a boost to their holiday spirits.
Giving back during the holiday season is a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit and bring the light of Christmas to life, while helping struggling families and individuals who may be living in circumstances less fortunate than your own. Yet as festive as the holidays are, they can also be exhausting, as volunteering, gift shopping and everything else associated with Christmas takes up lots of time and energy.
That’s why hiring a pro to handle your Christmas lights display is such a smart idea. When you take hanging Christmas lights off your holiday to-do list, you’re giving yourself the priceless gift of time. That means more time to spend with people you love and giving back to the community you call home.
ABC Can Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays
With everything going on this holiday season, you would probably rather be attending a fun event than be hanging your holiday lights. Fortunately, ABC Home & Commercial Services is here for you. We can come to hang your lights and then take them down once the holiday season is over.
