FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — Settled more than 150 years ago by German immigrants who knew the value of good food but also of a dollar, Fredericksburg was always a prosperous town, but not a flashy one. This extended to the community's Christmas celebrations, rich with traditions — like Zweite Weihnachten, a communitywide "Second Christmas" party always held Dec. 26 — but noticeably short on flash. In keeping with Old World custom, nobody even put up Christmas trees, which were decorated with candles, homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn, not glitter, until Christmas Eve.
Many Christmas customs have changed in this Hill Country burg. The chic boutiques on Main Street now sell expensive crystal angels, hand-carved candles and imported linens, among other Christmas trappings. And the lavish trees and lights go up right after Thanksgiving.
But enough old-fashioned events remain — including Kinderfest, an annual party where kiddies get oranges and candy from Santa, and a German-style, outdoor festival featuring a Christmas market, mulled cider and dozens of trees decorated by local groups — that Fredericksburg makes a great base for enjoying Christmas in the Hill Country.
And this rolling region of Central Texas is home to some of the most charming holiday celebrations in the state, including not just Fredericksburg's German-tinged traditions but also the merry Cowboy Christmas Ball at Luckenbach's famous dance hall, the historic traditions at the LBJ parks in Johnson City, and the holiday lighting trail that links more than a dozen scenic small towns.
"Christmas is just a wonderful time to be here," says Rosemary Estenson, who escaped Houston with her family 11 years ago, arranging candles inside a boutique on Fredericksburg's Main Street. "Everything's decorated, and you can wander up and down Main Street going into this shop and that one, and people will be offering you doughnuts or Christmas cookies and coffee. It's like you imagine Christmas ought to be — I just love it."
As the center of the tourism trade in the region, Fredericksburg also has the most elaborate Christmas celebrations, in part because its 300-plus B&Bs and lively shopping district provide additional diversions. But it also may be rooted in the town's strong history.
Such celebrations as Zweite Weihnachten and Kinderfest, now sponsored by the Gillespie County Historical Society, are rooted in Fredericksburg traditions more than a century old and were brought over from the old country, says Paul Camfield, executive director of the historical society. Today, society members keep decorations at the Pioneer Museum complex simple — native cedar, candles, ribbons, sprigs of berry — in order to stay true to the town's past and to celebrate it.
"The thing we do know about Fredericksburg is that it was rural and people didn't do things in a lavish, showy way; they were very modest," Camfield says. "At Christmas, there was a lot of focus on family and getting together and the day itself. An apple or an orange or a little candy — that was a great Christmas."
Tradition also plays a part in other Hill Country celebrations. In Johnson City, for instance, the Timeless Christmas celebration at the boyhood home of Lyndon B. Johnson shows visitors the modest trees, gifts and decorations common in LBJ's childhood in the early 20th century. Tours are conducted by lamplight.
And at the LBJ National Historical Park in nearby Stonewall, the park service continues a tradition started by the Johnson family, with an outdoor Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony attended by many Johnson family members, usually including Lady Bird Johnson, says Sherry Justus, the public affairs officer for the park. The tour of the LBJ ranch that same night includes a stop at the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farmstead at the LBJ State Park, where the old farmhouse is decorated with cedar and candles, the way a German family would have done it in the early 1900s.
Of course, other Hill Country traditions are more modern. The most famous is the Hill Country Trail of Lights, a regional lighting display started in 1990 by Johnson City newcomer Norma Honeycutt and a small group of die-hard volunteers. Her garden club was planning a small Christmas-light display when Honeycutt got the bright idea to try to expand it throughout the area.
"It came to me that Johnson City would be pretty by itself, but it wouldn't be enough. I didn't think people were going to come all the way out here to see some lights in one town and then turn around and go home," Honeycutt says. A lot of her neighbors agreed. Several communities signed on the first year, and this year, 12 communities join Johnson City in lighting up their courthouses, squares, parks, monuments and other sites starting Nov. 23. Many also add small Christmas bazaars, hot chocolate stands, living Nativity scenes, Christmas carolers or other events to entice tourists to step out of their cars for a while.
So tune the car radio to Fredericksburg radio station KFAN/107.9 FM, where they'll play Christmas songs by your favorite Texas artists, and think about hitting some of these holiday highlights:
Fredericksburg: The most extensive list of events in the area is in this town about an hour and a half west of Austin, on U.S. 290. Zweite Weihnachten, the German-flavored "Second Christmas" on Dec. 26. Details: 830-997-6523; www.fredericksburg-texas.comwww.fredericksburg-texas.com.
Johnson City: More than three-quarters of a million lights are plugged in here on Nov. 23, including more than 100,000 draped over the Blanco County Courthouse, 275,000 at the Pedernales Electric Co-op, and many more on area parks, homes and businesses. Details: 830-868-7684; www.lbjcountry.com
Marble Falls: One of the most picturesque Christmas events is the lighting display here, famous for the more than 1 million lights that twinkle along Lake Marble Falls. The fantastic lighted sculptures at the waterside Walkway of Lights are lit nightly beginning Nov. 16, at Lakewide Park just west of the bridge on U.S. 281. Details: 830-693-4449; www.marblefalls.org.
Blanco: Celebrations begin Nov. 23 with the lighting of the historic courthouse and square, with strolling carolers, Santa and an open house at all the shops. Details: 830-833-5101; www.blancotex.com
Boerne: The Back Door Theatre Troupe will present "A Christmas Carol" several times in December. Details: 830-833-5101; www.boerne.org
Bulverde: Just north of San Antonio, this small town celebrates with lighting displays and community events. Details: (830) 438-4285; www.bulverdechamber.com.
Burnet: White lights and decorations fill the historic square; nearby Hamilton Creek Park glows with lights, luminarias and greenery. The Hill Country Flyer steam train stops on its Christmas-season runs from Austin, and local shops stay open later to accommodate its passengers. Details: 512-756-4297; www.burnetchamber.org
Canyon Lake: Lights displayed all around the lake. Details: 830-964-2223; www.canyonlakechamber.com
Dripping Springs: Just 15 miles west of Austin on U.S. 290, holiday lights exhibit. Details: 512-858-4725; www.drippingspringstx.com.
Goldthwaite: A citywide lighting display, are the highlights of this settlement on Texas 16, north of Llano. Details: 915-648-3619.
Llano: This scenic town will boast lights around its historic square and all around the newly constructed Badu Park, on the banks of the Llano River. Details: 915-247-5354; www.llanochamber.org
Luckenbach: The weeks around Christmas, there are informal Christmas carol sing-alongs around the potbellied stove in the town bar, accompanied by guitarists, and mugs of hot chocolate. This year's Cowboy Christmas Ball at the historic dance hall is Dec. 29, with music by Don Walser. Details: 830-997-3224; www.luckenbachtexas.com.
Round Mountain: One of the smallest towns on the tour, this village of less than 100 residents celebrates mostly with lights. Highlights of the town, on U.S. 281, include the recently restored Methodist church, built in 1876, and the Round Mountain Stagecoach Inn and Stable, circa 1874. Details: 830-825-3233.
Wimberley: This laid-back town, on the tree-lined banks of Cypress Creek, does up its square, packed with antique shops and offbeat boutiques, plus many of its B&Bs and other sites. Special events include an ongoing art sales and a live Nativity scene. Details: 512-847-2201; www.wimberley.org
Texas Hill Country Regional Christmas Lighting Trail: All of the above communities, except for Luckenbach, are part of this lighting display, operating through Jan. 1, unless otherwise noted. For more details about events and lighting exhibits throughout the 13 communities on the trail, call 866-TEX-FEST or visit www.fredericksburg-texas-events.com.