It’s the holiday season in Houston, and my neighborhood’s excitement for Christmas got REAL this week!
My neighborhood here in Houston is incredibly diverse. I’ve met neighbors from Venezuela, Australia, New York, California, Oregon, Thailand, Iran… virtually every place you can think of. Just down the highway is a place called CityCentre, a nice little area hub with restaurants, upscale shops, hotels, new apartment developments – and all the different kinds of people mix on these streets, enjoying the shopping and food. High school kids out on a date wander hand in arm. Hispanic families make their cute toddlers the center of attention. Groups of young Middle Eastern men roll down the street in groups of six or more, laughing together and speaking Arabic. CityCenter is a true American melting pot right here in Houston. And on Saturday, everyone came out to celebrate the holiday season with a festival.
That day, the temperature dropped under fifty degrees Fahrenheit. As Houston flew into a frenzy of boots and scarves, I baked chocolate chip cookies and made coffee, filling my office with cozy smells. And when the sun set, I headed to CityCentre for the lights, the food, the arts, and whatever else I could find to enjoy.
The garden area in the center of the mall is always packed with playing kids, and Saturday night I found a huge ice slide set up and a snow patch! The snow was artificially made, but the smiles on faces were real. Everyone under the age of ten slid down on their back or stomach, dressed in full snow gear: hats, gloves, coats, boots. Parents stood around the sides of these attractions but it was impossible to tell whose kids belonged to who in the melee.
In the crowd, I estimated around thirty nationalities were represented. I watched cross-cultural communication happening: it was more difficult for some than others, but the novelty of having snow and the kids’ excitement gave everyone common happiness. In the spirit of Christmas, everyone was willing to put aside work and worry for a few hours around a dark patch of fake snow.
When I finally got too cold and hungry, I went to an upstairs restaurant and ate my favorite mac-n-cheese burger. The waiter asked how old I was, and I laughed. My choice of dinner did kind of call that into question.
I may be too old for the snow slide, but thankfully, the mac-n-cheese burger has no age limit. And neither does holiday spirit in Texas.
~ The Dauntless Princess ~