Thanks to our near-tropical climate, any hopes for natural holiday decor are futile. So, we've learned to make our own.

There are a lot of holiday lightings going on around town, and this one promises to be truly spectacular. Blachere Illumination, the same company responsible for lighting up the Eiffel Tower for its millennium celebration and Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World, has created 41 LED snowflakes to hang around CityCentre.

Hotel Sorella will provide beverage stations for guests, who can bring blankets to spread on the central plaza while they listen to a free performance by the Mambo Jazz Kings and enjoy a Houston-style white Christmas.