Holidays in Dallas | Fun Activities

For Excel’s Christmas party, we sang The Twelve Days of Christmas with each class piping in for one verse. Do you know where else you will hear The Twelve Days of Christmas? At NorthPark Mall in Dallas.

NorthPark Mall is not only a great place to shop, but it is also a great place to stop for some coffee and stroll. There are some beautiful wintery window displays to admire, a public library to sit and check out some books for free if your feet get tired (good for students on a budget), and holiday events for entertainment.

One of the traditions dating back since way before I was born is the story time with Santa Claus and Scrooge puppet theater. I remember going there when I was a child with my mom. We would always laugh at Scrooge’s miserly sense of humor.

Being a large metropolitan city, Dallas has a strong tradition of charity. As you walk around you will also find many examples of this spirit of giving, which is at the heart of Christmas.

There is an elaborate train display, which benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas. Not only youngsters will enjoy seeing these trains, but adults too. I think it would be interesting for international students since the miniature train passes through multiple scenic states such as New York, New England, San Francisco, Washington DC, and the Southwest’s Grand Canyon and Garden of the Gods.

You may have already seen the Angel Tree. This is a tree with pieces of paper ornamenting the tree. On the paper is a wishlist for “an angel”. Every year the Salvation Army puts this tree up so that children who may not receive a present otherwise, has something to open on Christmas Day.

Are you a dog person? Do you prefer cats? The SPCA has pet adoptions. I always love visiting the dogs and know that they are going to good families for Christmas.

There are also other free things you can do at NorthPark Mall. Check out their events page to find out the dates and times.

For our Jewish friends, head over to the Galleria Mall on Sunday, December 22 at 5:30 for the lighting of the Menorah. The children’s choir of Congregation Shaare Tefilla will perform and the Rabbi will share the story as the menorah is lit. While you are at the Galleria, you might as well go ice skating, which is always fun this time of year.

For free lights and a tour of Dallas mansions, you can always drive around Highland Park or take a carriage tour.

There is also Daystar Christmas Town, a free annual holiday lights display at Daystar Television Network. With over one million lights, a life-sized Nativity, kid-friendly Christmas town, a newly added drive-through tunnel and more, there are countless opportunities to make holiday memories at this must-see attraction that’s fun for the whole family.

If you are new to Dallas, or you just haven’t had a chance to get out and explore because you have been too busy studying, you can take advantage of the holidays to get a CityPASS and visit 5 top attractions of Dallas. These are 5th Floor Museum (all about President Kennedy’s assassination), the Dallas Zoo (there is a special lighting display for Christmas), the Perot Museum, Reunion Tower (try going in the evening to see all the lights of downtown) and the George Bush Library (you can see a replica of The White House’s Blue Room’s Christmas tree).

Finally, if you prefer to see The Twelve Days of Christmas (as opposed to hearing it), then you can go wander around the Dallas Arboretum in the evening. They have twelve beautiful larger than life displays representing each day of the song. So, if you are wondering what is “a partridge in a pear tree” then go check it out.