The holiday spirit arrives on its own wings. It cannot be forced or bought no matter how much we try.
We’ve all seen our share of cranky kids accompanied by cranky adults trying too hard to cram in one more hectic event between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. It is so easy for “Peace and Goodwill” to get put on hold as the shopping lists grow longer and tempers grow shorter.
If you have family birthdays just before and after Christmas, and your car insurance comes due in December, then we have a lot in common. Therefore, my motto is two-fold: Be selective, and seize the moment.
The Holiday Happenings Calendar in this issue is a great place to choose a meaningful community event or charity for your family. Here are a few different ideas for low-cost, low-stress outings.
Remember Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening?” Our Lake Highlands version might be a short hike around Flag Pole Hill park, with a stop by the fence at White Rock Stables to pet a horse.
Or take the kids to the Dallas Arboretum on a Friday afternoon, when the grounds are open for free from 3 p.m. to dusk, which is around 5 p.m.
Surprise them (and yourself) with a fun walk along the Nature Trail, a hidden bamboo forest with 15 interesting signs along the way.
Spend an hour or two feeding ducks, bird-watching and collecting mistletoe at White Rock Lake.
During the holidays, Valley View Center will be home to one of my favorite stores, the Internationale Shoppe. This whimsical, multi-cultural shop benefits Save The Children. It gladdens your heart to know that 100 percent of the profits from the crafts sold will benefit local early childhood immunizations, preschool programs, family day care centers and training programs for single mothers.
The store has doubled its inventory of unique craft items, folk toys, dolls, stuffed animals handmade in the Appalachian mountains, ornaments from throughout the world and more. It’s on the lower level, next to Limited Express.
Explore other cultures at the new Museum of African-American Life & Culture in Fair Park with its five special opening exhibits ranging from master paintings and folk art to Texas artists. The museum, located at Fair Park, is free.
Kwanzaa celebrations begin Dec. 26 at the South Dallas Cultural Center.
Stop by the Gaston Bazaar – located next to Cowboys near the intersection of Garland, Gaston and East Grand. It’s a family-oriented flea market where you can try authentic Mexican food and browse through booths full of jewelry, clothes, Western wear and lots of odds and ends. Open weekends and every day the week before Christmas.
Share some Texas heritage with your children and visitors. Plan a trip to the Farmers Branch Historical Park, the Heritage Farmstead museum in Plano, or the Collin County Farm Museum.
A wonderful place any time of year is Samuell Farm on Highway 80 in Mesquite. The Dallas Park & Recreation Department is presenting Holidays On The Farm Dec. 10-11 and again Dec. 17-18. The event features festive music, lights, holiday custom displays, as well as wagon rides and a petting area. At $2 per car, it’s a bargain.
And if you’re short on baking time, you have until Dec. 21 to order a Buche de Noel (Yule log cake) from La Francaise French Bakery & Cafe in Lake Highlands Plaza.
Sweet Temptations advises placing orders early for German Stollen cakes, spicy almond Dutch cakes known as Gevulde Speculaas, and traditional gingerbread houses.
Wishing our community Peace and Goodwill in 1994.
