Take a breath… load up the kids…
and enjoy the holiday lights as 2014 wraps up!
Our family tradition has always been to cruise the roads of Lubbock and enjoy Christmas lights… usually AFTER Christmas. Now that we’re parents ourselves, we understand the real reason our parents started this tradition… it’s time! They convinced us that after Christmas is the perfect time to look at the lights… it’s after baby Jesus was born and the Wise Men were on their way to meet Him by following the Christmas Star. This story is still very convincing for our kids… but it’s also for selfish reasons: it’s the time to sit back, relax and fully enjoy the cruise and the time along with our kids!
However, this year we made an exception and decided to do a mini-cruise the week before Christmas so we can take-in the lights at one of the newest treats on the Christmas Cruise list… Safety City! This year they are kicking off their Christmas in the City: Holiday Lights at Safety City display from Sun. Dec. 14 – Sat. Dec. 20!
So we’re off! In one hand we have the handy-dandy Christmas Light Map from Lubbockintheloop.com (including the additions from their readers at the bottom of the map!) and in the other hand we have the nice list on the Visit Lubbock blog.
Thermos of Hot Chocolate – check. Thermos of Hot Cider – check. Non-spill travel cups – check. Holiday munchies – check. Holiday music – check. Time to Cruise!
We begin our journey by allowing the kids to select the first “Quadrant” to attack (too much xbox perhaps?!).
The winning starting point is Vintage Township (our favorite spot to run around the lights and warm up by the outdoor fireplace!), The Falls, Orchard Park, 3417 91st (off Indiana – pictured above), and 59th & Indiana (synchronized houses). We swing over to 66th & Ave S (our daughter loved the Christmas Ferris Wheel there!), run over by Safety City on 47th & Ave. U. We then take I-27 to Mackenzie Park and Santa Land (we decide to take a tour of Santa Land in our next outing!) and then continue on to Tech and the Carol of Lights via Marsha Sharp Freeway.
We head west on 19th to the Rush neighborhood off Quaker and then continue north on Quaker to catch the synchronized light show at Wayland Baptist University at 801 North Quaker Ave. – just outside the Loop. We then drive by 38th St. & Salem Ave. and head to Llano Estates (Marsha Sharp Fwy at Wolfforth) focusing on 8308 CR 6940 where the lights are synchronized. We turn back towards Lubbock by heading east on 82nd and see the synchronized houses directly behind Tractor Supply Co. (turn south on Xenia Ave. to 84th). Amazing!
The next wave….
After our loop around town, we try to determine if we have time to hit the next grouping of lights…. the backseat vote passes: yes, we’re heading east to Ransom Canyon! It was beautiful and well-worth the very short drive. The kids only argued briefly (over the music choices of course!), and snoozed on the way home!
Our Christmas Light Cruise 2014 is complete…. or maybe, now that we know our favorites, we’ll take just one more excursion before the lights disappear for another year! Or maybe we’ll take a little road trip and see other area displays like Santa’s Land Drive-through park in Tahoka or the Zoo Lights Safari at the Amarillo Zoo! So many lights, so little time! It’s hard to resist the call of the Christmas Lights! Need more idea? See our Holiday Lights section for more!
Do you have a favorite tradition for enjoying the lights of the holidays? Share them with us!
This article was originally published in 2013 and updated for 2014.
