Fun For All

Day or night, City Lights delivers holiday magic for Houston families

Weave your way through Winter Wonderlawn.

Photo courtesy of Houston First Corporation

Houston, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially thanks to City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic. Downtown Houston has transformed into a winter wonderland with 12 magical villages that deliver loads of dazzling experiences — by day and by night.

From enchanting Christmas trees to the joy of ice skating, the delight of life-size displays, and some pretty sweet encounters, there is so much to see and do for the whole family. Even sweeter? Many of the experiences are free or mostly free.

Presented by Shell Energy, City Lights is on now through December 31, 2024 (with some activations continuing into the New Year).

Here's your play-by-play for City Lights, whether you venture out during the day or night.

City Lights by day

Get a free pet pic with Santa Paws at Twinkle Town: The new Trebly Park (located near the Toyota Center) is wasting no time getting in the Christmas spirit. It’s home to Texas’ largest mistletoe ball and is serving up free hot chocolate, face painting, gift wrapping stations, and live holiday music.

There are plenty of opportunities for family photos too, including pet pics with Santa Paws every Saturday from 12-3 pm from December 7-21.

Twinkle Town City Lights mistletoe ball Pucker up in Twinkle Town.Photo courtesy of Houston First Corporation

Strike a pose at Jingle Town: Let the festive selfies commence! You don’t have to wait until after dark to snap a pic at Lynn Wyatt Square. The greenspace in the heart of the Theater District is the destination for holiday fun (and photo opps) with life-size frames, interactive musical Christmas trees, and a Santa’s reindeer installation, all produced by LeMonde Studios.

Go ice skating at ICE: As downtown's iconic skating rink, ICE brings plenty of holiday cheer at Discovery Green. During the week, the rink doesn’t open until 5 pm, but on the weekends you can start skating as early as 11 am.

Don’t miss Sundays with an ice-skating Santa on December 1, 15, and 22 from 4-5 pm. The fun continues into the New Year, too, with Bumper Cars on Ice from January 6-19, 2025.

Ice Skating at Discovery Green Discovery Green has the city's only open-air skating rink. J Vince Photography

Get the ultimate sugar rush at Land of Sweets: The legendary life-size, hand-sculpted chocolate display has transformed the lobby of the Hilton Americas into this year's “Night Before Christmas” scene that you just have to see to believe.

With 1,800 pounds of chocolate, it’s pretty sweet — especially when combined with 80,000 sparkling lights and 14-foot Champagne trees surrounded by more than 10,000 mini lights. Don't miss Breakfast with Santa at the hotel's 1600 Bar + Grill, which is on Saturdays and Sundays in December from 9 am-1 pm.

See the Christmas trees at Peppermint Plaza:
Sixteen gorgeously festooned Christmas trees, part of the Alley Theatre's annual Deck the Trees exhibit, are displayed in the Grand Holiday Window at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Avenida Plaza. Take in the magical trees at any time and day of the week!

City Lights by night

Jumpstart the holiday magic at City Hall-iday Lights: Get the holiday party started at 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.

Dance under the lights (and stars) at Tinsel Town: Every Friday and Saturday from 6-9 pm, Market Square Park is putting on the ritz with loads of festive fun, including live music. You can bring the pup, too, for hot chocolate and puppychinos plus pics with Santa.

However, you’ll really want to turn up the volume on Saturday nights for the Silent Night Disco through December 20. Slip on a pair of glowing headphones and rock around the Christmas tree while you groove to DJ-curated playlists featuring holiday classics, upbeat hits, and wintry vibes.

Go with the Snow Glow on the Bayou: Take an immersive, holiday-themed boat tour along Buffalo Bayou and see the city skyline and the wonder of nature. Then, starting December 20, also experience the transformation of Allen's Landing into a spectacular fusion of tech and nature during Snow Glow. The scene-stealing projections of art and light illuminate a 100-foot screen, and it and the holiday boat tour both run through December 29.

Walk through a Winter Wonderlawn: With hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, POST Houston has created the ultimate winter wonderland at Skylawn, the property’s five-acre rooftop garden.

At the center of it all is a 25-foot Christmas tree surrounded by multiple holiday-themed activations. A nominal fee will be charged for access to the POST’s rooftop during the holiday season, but it’s the perfect date night — or parents’ night out.

Deck the Trees at Alley Theatre Take your pick from 19 fully decorated trees.Photo courtesy of Houston First Corporation

See A Christmas Carol and Deck the Trees: It's a holiday tradition that never gets old, with Alley Theatre's performances of the Dickens classic running through December 29. While you're there, don't miss the 19 unique and dazzlingly decorated Christmas trees on display.

Enjoy a festive float at Texas Winter Lights: The Texas-shaped lazy river at Marriott Marquis’ rooftop deck is ready for its winter close-up. Float the river while gazing at the magical 100,000 lights and experiencing a nightly snowfall.

Come for the float — and a festive cocktail or two — but stay for the nightly snowfall and virtual rides on Santa’s sleigh. There are also theme nights in the mix 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, and a nominal admission fee for others.

Marriott Marquis Houston Texas Winter Lights Head to the rooftop at Marriott Marquis Houston.Photo courtesy of Houston First Corporation

Join the Ugly Sweater Holiday Jam at Twinkle Town: By night, Twinkle Town is just as fun with live entertainment and more. But save the date for December 12 and grab your most insane holiday garb for the Ugly Sweater Holiday Jam from 7-9 pm.

There’s plenty more to see and do during City Lights. Make your own magic and chart your holiday course here.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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