Christmas at the Dallas Arboretum

Today, we took Troy to the Dallas Arboretum to see Santa Claus. They had decorated everything with lights and garland, and they had giant animatronic displays depicting the 12 Days of Christmas. They had also set up an entire village of houses, where the kids could go on a scavenger hunt to find animals in each house, while learning about Christmas in cultures all over the world. At the end of the village was Santa’s house, so we stood in a relatively short line, so Troy could tell him what he wanted for Christmas.

I had coached him at breakfast to put in some goodwill with the big man by asking him how he was doing, and to be sure to say please and thank you. I told Troy that it couldn’t hurt, since there had been a few occasions lately where he was borderline naughty. But Santa was pretty cool. He gave Troy a high-five, and he even was gracious enough to take a picture with my wife and I as well.

After visiting Santa and touring his village, we had a quick lunch before wandering around the Arboretum to look at the decorations. The two highlights were the Singing Christmas Tree and the koi pond. We had a hard time dragging Troy away from both. Amazingly, he actually enjoyed the 12 Days of Christmas displays with his favorites probably being the Maids a Milking, the Lords a Leaping, and the Pipers Piping.

As the day wound down, we went to the Children’s Adventure Park, which we didn’t realize was at the complete opposite end of the Arboretum. All in all, I wouldn’t say it was worth the extra money we had to pay to get in it. I’m not really even sure why it cost extra. Being able to walk under the waterfall was cool. And the staircase inside the tree was a neat touch. But beyond that, the hydro park was about it.

At the hydro park, kids could learn about ways that water has been used to create generators, pumps, and screws by giving them a hands-on way to experience it. They had water cannons, and levers, and things to turn and twist. I’m really not sure who enjoyed it more, my son or my wife. Especially the water cannons. I saw a completely new side of her come out when she challenged Troy to a water cannon fight!

It was a good day, but truly exhausting. Being on our feet and walking for the better part of five hours took a lot out of all of us. Troy couldn’t even make the long walk back, insisting on riding on my shoulders instead. He ended up falling asleep in the car almost instantly, and he didn’t wake again until we pulled into the garage.