It's December in Houston, a time likely to bring up fond memories of holidays with your family, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, or just some time with the kids when they're out of school. If you're new to Houston, though, our weather may be dampening your holiday spirit. Houston's beautiful, warm winter weather is one of the greatest things about living here, but for anyone dreaming of a white Christmas, it can be disappointing. Still, our fair city offers plenty of ways to enjoy traditional winter fun. For example:
Go to a Hockey Game
Yes, Houston has professional ice hockey. In fact, the Houston Aeros are the 2011 Western Conference Champions in the American Hockey League. The 2011-2012 season continues through April, so you've got plenty of time to catch a home game at the Toyota Center downtown. If you'd rather play hockey, yourself, or watch your kids learn to play, winter in Houston is a great time for that, too. The Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex offers hockey classes and leagues for recreational players under seven years old through adults, novice to expert level.
Ice Skate
If your winter dream involves skating at a slower pace, like people in those romantic movie scenes at Rockefeller Center, winter in Houston has got you covered, too. The Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex has learn-to-skate classes and public skating times. For more traditional scenery, you can skate inside the Galleria mall, or outdoors at beautiful Discovery Green.
Visit Santa, Sugarplum, or Scrooge
However warm our weather gets, Houston's community and arts scene always know how to keep the holiday spirit alive. About.com offers a multifaceted list of great holiday events in Houston. Of course there are productions of A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker to be seen, and that irreverent Christmas story for grown-ups, The Santaland Diaries. There are also light displays, holiday gift markets, a candlelit evening tour of old-fashioned Christmas decorations in Sam Houston Park, a Houston Symphony concert all about Frosty the Snowman, and, of course, opportunities to visit Santa. Whatever your taste—religious or secular, family or edgy—winter in Houston can be fun for all.
Posted by Melanie Belasco Levy on 12/15/11
