The Dallas Arboretum Presents Holiday at the Arboretum Featuring The Artistry of the Nativity and The 12 Days of Christmas With Half a Million Lights Added This Year
Celebrate Dallas’ newest holiday tradition during the most wonderful time of the year with Holiday at the Arboretum, featuring the return of the magnificent 12 Days of Christmas outdoor exhibit from November 8 to January 3 and The Artistry of the Nativity at the DeGolyer House, November 26 to January 3 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.
For The 12 Days of Christmas, 12 elaborate 25-foot-tall Victorian gazebos displayed in the 66-acre-garden are filled with the charming costumed characters, whimsical animals and winter scenes made famous by the beloved Christmas carol. Each gazebo is encased in glass and extravagantly decorated on all sides to provide a dramatic, three-dimensional experience that adds to its “music box” quality, depicting the old English carol from the Victorian era.
“Everything is bigger in Texas, including our holiday displays,” said Julia Van Fleet, Dallas Arboretum’s director of public events. “We debuted The 12 Days of Christmas last year to great fanfare and excitement, and this year, we’ve made it even more magnificent, especially in the evening.”
On certain evenings, the garden remains open for extended hours for The 12 Days at Night displaying the illuminated gazebos for magical viewings. New this year is the addition of 500,000 lights throughout the garden, trimming the architecture of the historic homes and lighting the canopies overhead—including a 30-foot-tall tree at the center of property. Van Fleet added, “Live music, special holiday performances, appearances by our favorite North Pole residents, and holiday sweets and treats make this evening display a one-of-a-kind, not-to-be missed family outing.”
In the historic DeGolyer House lavishly decorated for the holidays, The Artistry of the Nativity exhibition returns with 300 crèches from around the world. In addition to the Ray Harrington Collection, which the Arboretum owns, the George Dvorsky collection will return. Mr. Dvorsky’s long career on Broadway and a lifetime spent traveling has allowed him to amass a collection of unique and collectible crèches from around the globe. The DeGolyer House is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with guided tours, and on Wednesday evenings during the holiday season, it is open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. In special celebration, Restaurant DeGolyer will be open for reservation-only dinners from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on these Wednesday evenings.
Holiday tea, Santa sightings and special activities round out a visit to the Dallas Arboretum.
The 12 Days of Christmas (daytime exhibit):
Ornately decorated gazebos on display
Daily, November 8 - January 3, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The daytime general admission prices, including online discounts, are the same as throughout the year, stated on the Arboretum website.
The 12 Days at Night (special evening showings):
Sundays – Thursdays, November 8 – January 3, 6 - 9 p.m.
Special Weekend Nights: Nov. 27 & 28, Dec. 4, Dec. 5, Dec. 12, Dec. 18, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2
The Arboretum is open for special lighted nighttime showings. A variety of holiday music is provided throughout the garden. Seasonal sweet and savory treats and hot beverages for children and adults are available for purchase. This year’s addition of 500,000 lights illuminating the trees and trimming the architecture of the historic homes is not to be missed.
Nighttime tickets go on sale September 2 for Members and September 4 for non-members for the many that want to secure their family’s spots early to any evening viewings of The 12 Days of Christmas exhibit.
Adults: $20 non-members; $12 members
Seniors: $15 non-members; $10 members
Children ages 3-12: $10 non-members; $9 members
Children under 3 are free.
Parking is included with admission.
Group Sales:
For inquiries regarding discounted tickets for groups 15 or larger, contact groupsales@dallasarboretum.org or 214-515-6520.
Special Pricing and Promotions:
Special Nighttime Pricing:
For the first two weeks of the nighttime exhibit, special ticket pricing, which includes parking, is as follows:
November 8-12: $5 per ticket for children, adults and seniors.
November 15-19: $10 per ticket for children, adults and seniors.
Tickets are based on limited availability. Visit www.dallasarboretum.org or call 214-515-6615 to purchase tickets.
Military and First Responder Mondays:
November 16 – December 28
Active and retired military members and first responders with identification receive free admission during the day and night on Mondays. Offer available only on site at the ticket booth.
Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) Wednesdays:
November 11 – December 30, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Buy one, get one free admission. Valid for general garden admission only. Limit one per customer. Tickets can only be purchased onsite and are valid for daytime only.
C.C. Young Senior Thursdays:
November 12 – December 31
Tickets on these Thursdays are $11 for day or evening admission for those 65 and older along with a 20% discount that day at the Hoffman Family Gift Store. Daytime tickets cannot be used again at night. Tickets can only be purchased onsite.
Special Daytime Holiday Festivities:
Saturdays and Sundays, November 28 – December 20, Noon-4 p.m.
Enjoy visits with Santa, a live reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Tour of DeGolyer House Exhibit – The Artistry of the Nativity:
Daily, November 27 – January 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wednesday Evenings: 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Daytime tours of the DeGolyer House’s exhibit, The Artistry of the Nativity, showcase the Ray Harrington and George Dvorsky collections of crèches from around the globe. On Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Restaurant DeGolyer stays open to welcome visitors.
Holiday Tea:
Daily, November 27 – January 3, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Restaurant DeGolyer
Enjoy an elegant, three-course holiday tea for a special Christmas memory for those 12 and older. Tea service begins with a demitasse of select soup, followed by a second course of assorted tea sandwiches and a third course of sweet treats. Price includes general garden admission and parking. Cost is $47 per person and $57 per person for champagne tea. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 214.515.6511 or purchased online at teas@dallasarboretum.org.
Holiday Themed After-Hours Classes:
Enjoy a plethora of evening activities and classes to get you in the holiday spirit this season. Some activities include holiday photography lessons with the beautiful 12 Days of Christmas Exhibit as the background, wine tastings, snowflake ornament making, fused art glass classes and various holiday gift crafts. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit http://www.dallasarboretum.org/education/adult-programs.
Speakers Bureau:
For those wanting to have a representative come to their club or organization to share information and photos of The 12 Days of Christmas or another topic, contact the Dallas Arboretum speakers bureau at speakers@dallasarboretum.org.
12 Days of Christmas Sponsors:
November 8, 2015-January 3, 2016
IberiaBank
Legoland Discovery Center/Sea Life DFW
Holiday Warehouse
HKS
Amegy Bank
Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District
Drees Custom Homes LP
Day 1: Partridge in a Pear Tree
Sponsored by Jeanne R. Johnson
The Pear Tree will have gold branches sprinkled with rhinestones, green mirrored leaves, and gold, rhinestone encrusted pears. The partridge will sit “center stage,” intricately painted and adorned with rhinestones. The tree will revolve with the partridge in it.
Day 2: Two Turtle Doves
Sponsored by a Friend of the Dallas Arboretum
The Two Turtle Doves will cuddle on an arrow that pierces a heart-shaped cage suspended from the roof of the gazebo. The feather-tailed turtle doves will be intricately painted and covered with rhinestones. The outer cage of crystal beading will be decorated with fleur de lis banding on top and bottom.
Day 3: Three French Hens
Sponsored by Faye C. Briggs
Day three will reflect the native countryside of the Three French Hens. White and gold oval French mirrors will bolster Victorian perches for the hens, and this base will turn. The hens, black-and-white with red accents, will sit in gold straw nests.
Day 4: Four Calling Birds
Sponsored by a Friend of the Dallas Arboretum
The Four Calling Birds will sit on filigreed, jeweled, Victorian hanging bird perches within an inner oval cage made of iridescent bead strands. The calling birds will be multi-colored, with feather plumes and long tails.
Day 5: Five Golden Rings
In honor of Great Grandparents Dolph and Evelyn Bosley and their 5 Gold Rings
The Five Golden Rings will feature a Victorian circus with a ceiling swagged in red and white fabric to mimic a circus tent. The center circus ring will have a pedestal with oval mirrors on which a white bear wearing a vest and collar will balance a spinning gold ring on his nose. The bear will be surrounded by four seals wearing ruffled collars that are seated and balancing spinning bedazzled gold rings on their noses.
Day 6: Six Geese A-Laying
Sponsored by Marilyn R. Corrigan
The Six Geese A-Laying will be found in a snow-covered forest. Snow-flocked trees of varying sizes will sit on a mirrored floor that turns. Snow and rhinestone “rocks” will be piled high around the edges of the gazebo. Two geese will be sitting on nests, two will be standing in their nests to reveal golden eggs, and two will be nested in the trees. The geese will have feathered and rhinestones heads and necks, and feathered bodies.
Day 7: Seven Swans A-Swimming
Sponsored by Tom and Phyllis McCasland
The sevens swans will float in a snowy, ice crystal palace. The gazebo will feature a pond with a tiered fountain and frozen water and icicles in the center of a mirror, or “frozen” pond. The swans, six white and one with black feathers with small crowns on their heads, will be around the fountain.
Day 8: Eight Maids-A-Milking
Sponsored by Kathy and Gene Bishop
This gazebo will feature a truly spectacular English barn divided into four wedge-shaped stalls. There will be four intricately painted cows and four beautifully costumed maids sitting on stools while milking. Four other maids will carry pails.
Day 9: Nine Ladies Dancing
In Honor of Chloe Simone Shea. Given by Holly & Tom Mayer, Maile and Charles Shea
Nine Ladies Dancing will feature a Victorian ballroom. The ladies will be costumed in beautiful Victorian beaded gowns and will have elegant period hair styles. All of them move around the gazebo, and four make complete turns.
Day 10: Ten Lords A-Leaping
Sponsored by The Margot A. and Carl J. Johnson Foundation
This gazebo will feature ten ice-skating lords. The mirrored floor will be a frozen pond. The lords will be dressed in Victorian outerwear and ice skates, and all will be skating.
Day 11: Eleven Pipers Piping
Sponsored by a Friend of the Dallas Arboretum
The pipers will be dressed as Scottish bagpipe players in red and green tartan plaid. Each piper will play bagpipes. The ceiling will be draped in green and red tartan to match the piper’s kilts, and a circle of horns adorned with roping and tassels will suspend from the ceiling over the pipe major. The pipers will also move in this gazebo.
Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming
Sponsored by Myron K. Martin
This gazebo will be a spectacular close to the exhibit. The drummers will be dressed in white pants with red and gold piping, red jackets and red hats with gold trim. They will move in concentric circles, with one set moving clockwise and another set moving counterclockwise.