Big City, Bright Lights

Few things can both simultaneously light up a night and lift someone’s mood quite like a beautiful display of holiday lights. When these kaleidoscopes of seasonal cheer come alive, remembrances of childhood spring to mind. With the number of and types of displays, Dallas-Fort Worth certainly knows how to capture the spirit of the season.

- Eric Moreno

Christmas light displays in the Metroplex are both big and bright and among the state’s most spectacular.

Leading the way is the magnificent display at the Dallas Arboretum. The Arboretum’s lush gardens transform during the holiday season with more than one million lights that sparkle at night in the 12 Days of Christmas display. Tour the grounds as the Arboretum opens after dark and see the 12, 25-foot-tall Victorian gazebos, each themed according to the traditional holiday carol. This three-quarter-mile walk is annually one of the area’s best displays. It begins Wednesday through Sunday in mid-November through the end of December.