Rambling RV Rat: Everything Is Bigger in Texas—Christmas Celebrations Are No Exception

It is said that all things are big in Texas, and I can attest that Christmas celebrations/events are no exception. So, we just love being at home in East Texas during December. And if you come to stay a spell (there are several new RV parks in the area), I am certain you would have a grand time.

The holiday fun always begins for us at Livingston City Hall, when illumination of all the display lights within Pedigo Park, within Penguin Park, and outside all public buildings commences. These lights are available to view from the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through the first week of January. The festivities at City Hall include hot cocoa, snacks, performances by local school children, and a “snow” making machine to get us all into the holiday spirit.

The decorated tree within City Hall.

I had to fight off some kiddies to get this photo!

Some of...

...the light displays...

...at Pedigo Park.

As usual, we attended the annual “Walk Through Bethlehem” (held the first full weekend of December, Friday through Sunday). Sponsored by the First Baptist Church, it depicts the life of Christ, from his humble birth (the true reason for this joyful season) to his horrific crucifixion, and glorious resurrection. The set designs are a bit different each year, as are the actors.

Scene depicting the Angel Gabriel with the Virgin Mary.

Away in a Manger, Jesus is Born.

Jesus is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate.

Finding the empty tomb, Jesus is Risen.

As part of the Southeast Texas Patriot Guard Riders, we volunteered at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston for “Snowball Express”, one of many services provided by the Gary Sinese Foundation to support the surviving families of fallen heroes. With the assistance of American Airlines, the Foundation sponsors a fun-filled, week-long Disney World vacation to Gold Star families. Held the first Saturday of December, volunteers provide the perfect send-off, filled with games, treats, gifts, entertainment, and memorable photos. And what a heart-warming experience for us to see the miles of smiles as these families boarded the plane. Even the rain during take-off couldn’t put a damper on this special day.

The canine employees of the Department of Homeland Security really enjoyed this gig.

The Gold Star Families.

The first Sunday in December is always the Annual San Jacinto High Rollers Motorcycle Toy Run. The High Rollers have sponsored this event for 45 years (this was our 4^th year of participation) to benefit Boys and Girls Country of Houston, which offers children a safe, loving, Christian group home environment. My parents, now fair-weather motorcycle riders, decided to “cage” it and take the Jeep rather than Dad’s Maximus the Trike and Mom’s Yellow Jacket bike. Good thing, too—it poured for the bulk of the day.

Wreaths Across America is an event held across the U.S.A. the second Saturday of December. The goal is to remember and honor those who served our Nation in the Armed Forces. As members of the East Texas Patriot Guard Riders (yes, we belong to 2 PGR groups due to Livingston's geographical area), we placed wreaths on the graves of veterans at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Lufkin, Texas. We also honored the memory of our local hero, Stuart Moore, by visiting with his parents to place a wreath on his grave within their family cemetery in Livingston.

The second Saturday in December is also when Hometown Christmas occurs in Livingston. It is a fun-filled day of food, vendors, and games for the kiddies. We arrived late in the afternoon to check out all the booths. Thereafter, we set up our chairs along Washington Street to view the Lighted Christmas Parade. I would have loved to be in the parade like we did in prior years. But we just couldn’t swing it timewise. We were lucky just to cram in being spectators!

Me and my gal pal, Mademoiselle Rochelle, had a blast in this bounce house!

Some great entries...

...for the 2024 Livingston Lighted Christmas Parade.

We squeezed in a visit to Good Golly Miss Molly Gift Shop to see the train exhibit sponsored by the Polk County Heritage Society. The trains are available to view every Friday and Saturday from 5-7 p.m. starting Thanksgiving weekend. For the very first time, I completed the “treasure hunt”, locating all the hidden figures within the set-up! Be sure to peruse the shop as well—it always has some unique items.

We attended two concerts during December: The Livingston Area Community Band at First Baptist Church and Vivaldi’s Gloria Concerto at First Methodist Church. Both were top notch performances that were well received by the audience.

We continued our once-weekly volunteer efforts at Mannafest (our local food pantry) and kept our tradition of ringing bells for the Salvation Army 2 hours every week since Black Friday. (It is such a worthy organization, and all the funds raised locally are dedicated to helping our neighbors within Polk County.) Practice makes perfect, so we attended dance lessons twice weekly to facilitate performing with our line dancing group at 4 area senior living facilities in December. We enjoyed camaraderie at weekly ice cream socials and joined in the caroling at Escapees Rainbow’s End, spreading good cheer.

One of 4 performances at senior living facilities at which we danced.

Heading over to meet up with the other carolers.

The Escapees CARE Center was our final caroling location.

We visited Livingston State Park for some hiking, taking in the wonderful Christmas display and the fall leaf colors (which are not very vibrant in this area). Somehow, we managed to play pickleball at least once weekly, too. As you can see, my Mom, who is our household scheduler, is excellent at time management.