Now that the turkey and dressing have been safely stored in the refrigerator and the Turkey coma has passed, Lake Texoma residents will be hauling out the Christmas lights from the attic. Everything from rooftops to golf carts will be decorated with brightly colored lights. Inflated Santas will hop up on rooftops and reindeer adorned with small white lights will prance through the woods among trees filled with bright white lights that seem to sparkle as they dance in the breeze.
It’s Christmas in Texoma and you know what that means – parades! The communities that surround Lake Texoma will celebrate the season with tree lightings, music and parades with floats all aglow. Crowds will gather along historic main streets and town squares to watch as fire trucks, high school drill teams, horses, golf carts and floats laden with Christmas lights pass by in the frigid night air. Local businesses, churches, youth and civic organizations will compete for prizes with floats that have taken months to plan and execute – more for the braggin’ rights than the money.
Here are a few of the Parade Dates:
Dec 2 – "Dashing to Durant" Durant Christmas Parade
Dec 4 – 6th Annual Main Street Christmas - Whitesboro Christmas Parade
"It’s the Most Wonderful TIME of the Year" Gainesville Christmas Parade
"Merry & Bright" Denison Christmas Parade
Dec 5 - "Under the Tree" Sherman Christmas Parade
On the lake, several of the marinas will host lighted boat parades. Everything from yachts to small boats will be draped with every imaginable type of Christmas lights and decorations. On the docks, wassail and hot cocoa will be served and the air will be filled with Christmas caroling.
Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus will certainly be busy this year in Texoma as they travel around to many of the events. It’s Christmas Lake Texoma style, and in addition to parades, local communities will hold festivals, open house events and concerts.
The North Texas Concert Chorale will be holding Christmas Concerts in many of the communities around the lake. This all volunteer choir is comprised of gifted amateur and professional musicians. Several church choirs will also be presenting Christmas cantatas. The Gainesville Swing Orchestra will have a “Swinging Christmas” concert at the First State Bank Center for the Performing Arts on the North Central Texas College campus.
Durant will hold a “Rock & Roll Christmas” festival and the Snowflake Festival will be held in Sherman. Stroll among the shops of Historic downtown Gainesville with festive holiday beverages during their Wassail & Wine Holiday Open House.
During the Gainesville Historic Home Tour you can tour several lovely historic homes, along with a newly constructed home, a retro gem, a renovated sanctuary, a Spanish inspired estate and outdoor porch vignettes. In Denison, The Historical Building, Loft Tour and Open House will feature St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, The Rialto Theatre, The Hotel Denison, Peggy Sue’s Diner and the Lofts on W. Main St.
There are a lot more events going on in the area such as the Run Run Rudolf 5K & Fun Run, Candy Cane Hunt, the Nutcracker Ballet, Sherman Community Players presentation “A Tuna Christmas” and the Sherman Symphony’s 2014 Christmas Pops! You can find all the events, dates and times for these and other Christmas season events on TexomaConnect.com.
As for me, gotta run now - time to get up to the attic.