Every city has their long-standing Christmas traditions, and in Austin, one of the favorites is the Trail of Lights.

This annual event, celebrating 50 years this year, lights up Zilker Park with millions of twinkle lights. We ventured out last year for the first time and were blown away by how festive and fun the experience was. On either side of the walking trail, there are scenes from movies, books, and some silly and bizzare characters all decorated and bright for Christmas. Our favorites were the Spaceship Santa, and the Ambulance covered entirely in rainbow bulbs. It was a wonderful experience, kicking off our family Christmas activities, and I’ve partnered with Austin Trail of Lights to give away two ZIP passes at the bottom of this post, so you can enjoy the crowd-free trail, too! (giveaway closed)
This year was a sweet experience. We bundled up and headed down for a Preview Party of the lights, before the public access, which means no lines, and no crowds. We have heard that during the public hours the trail can be quite busy, so it was totally worthwhile to make an effort and investment to head down early. The kids ran free along the trail, looking at each scene, bright-eyed with excitement.

Milo and Eliot sang “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells…” in the bat-tunnel, laughing as they went. Classic.
In addition to the beautiful and magical lights, there was a mini vintage car show, and I found the one I believe Santa drives when he’s not on-duty. How pretty is this? Made me wish I knew anything about cars, so I could appreciate it fully! We also got our photo taken with Santa and Mrs. Clause, enjoyed incredible hot cocoa from Amy’s, received free books for the kids from the HEB love of reading trailer, danced for candy with the elves in Candyland, introduced the kids to Frito Pies from Top Hat (Milo was impressed!) and got all filled up by the Christmas spirit.

It can be stressful and tiring to brave the cold and the city to get kids out for these holiday activities, but it’s so worth it! Here are a couple tips I have for staying sane and positive:

1. Pack extra warm clothes. No matter how warmly the kids are dressed, they’ll likely tell you they’re cold. So packing a few extra scarves, hats and jackets means you’ll have a solution on hand.
2. Pack snacks. It’s amazing what a little blood sugar can do to perk up a cranky kid! Even if you’re planning to get treats on the trail, pack some  Zbars to keep them happy.
3. Don’t rush. Sometimes kids need more time to absorb and take in the experience. Let them set the pace, and repeat to yourself that you have plenty of time. Even if your don’t see or do everything, but have a really positive experience for the pieces you see, it will have been more worthwhile.

I look forward to seeing the Trail of Lights every year. It is a fun way to get out and enjoy some local holiday love. It is also more fun to be there with a little bit of elbow room, so the Zip passes, and if you have a bigger budget even the new Platinum passes might be a great idea to have an extra hour to see evertyihg before the floodgates open!

To enter to win 2 ZIP passes to any night of the Trail of Lights this season to get you in the gate an hour early and access to the cookie and cocoa lounge, simply leave a comment here on the blog and I’ll choose a winner on Monday. Good luck! (Giveaway closed)