Sparkle and Shine

Channel holiday enchantment during the return of Houston’s City Lights

Magic abounds throughout City Lights.

Photo courtesy of City Lights

The season of holiday enchantment is here, especially in Downtown Houston. Once again, the city is morphing into the most magical destination with 12 uniquely themed villages that bring endless whimsy, dazzling Christmas trees, the joy of ice skating, the delight of countless lights illuminating the scene, and so much more.

It’s all part of City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic, presented by Shell Energy, with mostly free(!) experiences for visitors and residents alike to savor through December 31, 2024 (with some activations continuing into the New Year).

To kick it all off, don’t miss the party on The Plaza at Avenida Houston on Friday, November 22, from 5:30-8:30 pm, featuring a live band, strolling entertainment, holiday crafts, a hot chocolate bar, and more.

Discovery Green ice rink Lace up and skate under the stars at Discovery Green.Photo courtesy of City Lights

What's new in 2024 at City Lights

Peppermint Plaza (Avenida Plaza): Avenida Plaza transforms into Peppermint Plaza with 16 gorgeously festooned Christmas trees displayed in the Grand Holiday Window at the George R. Brown Convention Center. See the trees any day of the week, but swing by on Saturday nights for free musical performances on the Main Stage.

Tinsel Town (Market Square Park): Pup parents, this one’s for you. Fido can get in the festive spirit too with free holiday events in the square, including hot chocolate and "puppychinos" every Friday and Saturday along with pet photos with Santa. Even if you don’t have a furry friend, come on out for the Silent Night discos, Movies Under the Stars, and so much more.

Snow Glow on the Bayou (Allen’s Landing): This spectacular fusion of tech and nature features eye-catching projections of art and light that illuminate a 100-foot water screen over Buffalo Bayou. But the scene-stealing magic doesn’t stop there. Go with the glow during an up-close, holiday-themed boat tour along the Bayou. Boat tours begin on November 22 and continue through December 29.

City Lights Holiday Bus: This year, you can climb aboard a festive, holiday-decorated, double-decker trolley and explore all that downtown has to offer. For a nominal fee, hop on and off at stops including Trebly Park, Lynn Wyatt Square, Avenida Houston/Discovery Green, Market Square Park, and POST HTX. The bus runs Fridays and Saturdays from November 22-December 13, 7-10 pm. A special holiday route commences on December 20-21 and December 27-28, featuring an extra stop at Allen’s Landing for Snow Glow on the Bayou.

Check out these 2024 Holiday Villages

Winter Wonderlawn (POST HTX): It may be Texas, but POST Houston has created the ultimate winter wonderland — even without the snow. Skylawn, the property’s five-acre rooftop garden, is decked out in beautifully illuminated lights and décor. With hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, it’s truly a sight to behold, especially with Houston’s impressive skyline in the background. At the center of it all is a 25-foot Christmas tree surrounded by multiple holiday-themed activations. A nominal fee applies for access to the POST’s rooftop during the holiday season.

Texas Winer Lights Marriot Marquis Reminder to find some relaxation during the holidays.Photo courtesy of Marriott Marquis

Texas Winter Lights (Marriott Marquis): The Marriott Marquis has decked its rooftop with more than 100,000 lights this year — complete with a nightly snowfall. Float along the 80-degree, Texas-shaped lazy river while getting in on illuminated yard games (life-size Checkers, anyone?), festive cocktails, delicious bites, and virtual rides on Santa’s sleigh. Or come by for one of the themed nights like Monday Night Football, Silent Disco, Game Night, and more. Family movie nights are on Tuesdays and date-night movies are Thursdays. Admission is complimentary for hotel guests, with a nominal admission fee for others.

ICE @ Discovery Green (Discovery Green): Skate your way into plenty of holiday cheer with this annual tradition that continues at Discovery Green. The open-air ice-skating rink gets even more festive with quirky and cool, themed skate nights, and even Sundays with Santa. While there, don’t miss the new ATLAS art installation by the internationally recognized artist Jen Lewin. Also new: Bumper Cars on Ice, which launches right after the holidays from January 6-19, 2025.

Deck the Trees (Alley Theatre): With 19 unique and dazzlingly decorated Christmas trees on display, it’s easy to get in the holiday spirit at Alley Theatre. The only bah-humbugs allowed are in the theater’s performances of Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.

Land of Sweets (Hilton Americas): Get set for the ultimate sugar rush in the lobby of the Hilton Americas. Along with the legendary life-size chocolate display, this year themed “The Night Before Christmas,” experience 80,000 sparkling lights and 14-foot Champagne trees surrounded by more than 10,000 mini lights. You can also schedule Breakfast with Santa on Saturdays and Sundays in December.

Jingle Town (Lynn Wyatt Square): This green space in the heart of Houston’s downtown Theater District becomes a destination for holiday fun with all the photo opps. Choose from life-size photo frames to interactive musical Christmas trees to a Santa’s reindeer installation, all produced by LeMonde Studios. Plus, don’t miss live music every Saturday.

Sugar Plum Plaza (Fish Plaza, Wortham Theater): Also setting a magical scene is this beautiful plaza. This year’s whimsical setting includes life-size gift boxes scattered across the plaza along with a Santa’s Sleigh display — also produced by LeMonde Studios.

Twinkle Town (Trebly Park): Starting November 22, the park becomes home to Texas’ largest mistletoe ball. Just like in Tinsel Town at Market Square Park, you can bring the pup for free hot cocoa and puppychinos, plus pics with Santa Paws. Definitely put December 12 on your calendar for the Ugly Sweater Holiday Jam. Wear your ugliest holiday sweater, grab food and drinks from Tout Suite, and enjoy an evening of dueling pianos.

City Hall-iday Lights Houston The city is officially illuminated on December 7 at City Hall.Photo courtesy of City Lights

City Hall-iday Lights (City Hall): Another must-attend to jumpstart the holiday magic is the Reliant Lights Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular – 105 years at City Hall. On December 7 from 6-8 pm, Mayor John Whitmire and Reliant will officially illuminate the city landmark to the tune of live music, fireworks, photos with Santa, and the annual lighting of the holiday tree.

Make your own magic and chart your holiday course at City Lights here.

breakfast with santa christmas carol downtown houston holidays light displays mistletoe ball peppermint plaza promoted sugar plum plaza texas winter lights

Movie Review

Spielberg-inspired movie The End of Oak Street is a dino-snore

Photo by Daniel McFadden

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway in The End of Oak Street.

Steven Spielberg is the iconic director of the last 50 years, so it’s no surprise that many other filmmakers have borrowed from his classic films. But most of the time those come in the form of references or homages, not straight up theft, which is what it feels like watching The End of Oak Street play out in front of your eyes.

Set in the early 1980s in an idyllic suburban neighborhood of an unnamed city, Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor) are parents to two teenagers, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery). They’re also possibly heading toward divorce, as Audrey is secretly writing a novel with a thinly-veiled plot about their life, and Brian is cagey about having to earn extra money with a pizza delivery job.

That all gets put on the backburner when a mysterious event takes their entire neighborhood back to the time of dinosaurs. Armed with little more than a shotgun and sledgehammer, Audrey and Brian do their best to keep the family safe in their house. But the longer the ordeal goes on, circumstances force them out onto the streets and into the increasing danger that’s all around them.

Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the film tries immensely hard to be like the Spielberg movies its filmmaker clearly adores, but fails at almost every turn. It never earns the broken family in ‘80s suburbia vibes that were prevalent in E.T., going all in right away in the opening scene with a neighborhood block party that feels forced. Other elements like a bully who has it out for Brian, the family dog that disappears, and an angry neighbor come across as the tropes they are and not as organic parts of the plot.

When it finally gets to its dinosaur sequences, they pale in comparison to those found in Jurassic Park. The strange manner in which the dinosaurs appear is a big part of that, but the action involving them forgoes ominous moments that could build tension for those that play up gore in an unexpected way for a PG-13 movie. Many of the attacks have so little emotional meaning that they come off as comical, which is entertaining but in a hollow way.

As if those weren’t enough, Mitchell — perhaps at the behest of producer J.J. Abrams (who made his own Spielbergian film, Super 8) — tries to honor Spielberg in other ways. Just like in Jaws, he employs the use of a split diopter lens, which keeps characters in both the foreground and background in focus. But instead of using it judiciously, it’s brought out in three separate scenes, including a laughable one with the four family members where it turns into overkill.

Hathaway, coming off of a role in The Odyssey that could earn her an Oscar nomination, is the best part of this film. But even her evident skills are dragged down by the ridiculousness of the story, which requires hysterics that even she can’t sell. McGregor can normally be counted on for a good performance, but he gives several line readings with strange cadences that make his already-underwritten character come off worse. Stella and Convery are okay, but their roles are unmemorable overall.

Mitchell and his team can never settle on exactly what type of film they were trying to make, and so even though The End of Oak Street has a few moments that work, they’re surrounded by many others that don’t. In trying to emulate Spielberg — there’s even a blatant Back to the Future (produced by Spielberg) rip-off towards the end — all Mitchell has done is show how difficult it is to be the master.

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The End of Oak Street opens in theaters on August 14.