Merry Merry

Here's where San Antonio ranks among best cities to celebrate Christmas

San Antonio Riverwalk Christmas holiday lights

San Antonio shines this time of year.

Standstill traffic, jam-packed store lines, and last-minute shopping frenzies have many locals in more of a seasonal panic than cheer. But it turns out that San Antonio is actually a festive place to have a holly, jolly Christmas.

San Antonio has been gifted a respectable spot in a recently released list of the Best Places for Christmas Celebrations. Personal finance website WalletHub compared the 100 biggest U.S. cities based on 31 key indicators of a “festive and affordable Christmas,” including metrics such as traditions and fun (events and attractions), observance (religious events), generosity (charitable giving and donations), shopping (Christmas markets and retail), and costs (spending for holiday entertainment).

San Antonio comes in as the No. 23 best city to celebrate the season. Overall, the city landed the 22nd spot on the list for traditions and fun, 21st overall for shopping, and 23rd for observance.

Proving that San Antonio might actually be a town full of Scrooges, the city ranked a lowly 71st overall in generosity.

The best Yuletide city is Orlando, Florida, which scored third overall for traditions and fun (Disney Christmas, anyone?) and No. 2 overall for shopping.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas topped the Lone Star State at an impressive No. 10 overall. Houston ranked No. 16 with Austin not far behind at No. 20. Fort Worth landed at No. 49, Plano at No. 62, and Arlington at No. 65. Further down the list are El Paso at No. 83, Irving at No. 85, Lubbock at No. 86, Corpus Christi at No. 89, and Garland at No. 92.

The worst place to spend Christmas in Texas, according to the report, is Laredo, which comes in near the bottom at No. 97.

So where do Americans most say “bah humbug” to the holidays? Grinch types should flock to Hialeah, Florida, which ranks last in observance, second-to-last in traditions and fun, and near the bottom (No. 95) for shopping.

wallethub lists reports

A Night at the Market

San Antonio's Pearl unwraps holiday lights for night market series

Photo courtesy of Pearl

Pearl side streets are at their coziest when holiday decor is up.

The magic of the night market is returning to San Antonio's Pearl for the 2024 holiday season. A news release promises "festive music, unique local makers, and one-of-a-kind holiday finds" on Wednesday Evenings.

Like an extension of the usual farmers and summer makers markets held on the weekends, these markets will bring local vendors to the streets. Holiday Night Markets are scheduled for November 27 and December 4, 11, and 18 from 5-9 pm.

Although Pearl hasn't provided a list of vendors, we do know they'll be selling seasonal goods. Produce is not on the menu, so shoppers will still need to stop by the farmers market for their veggies.

Pearl Holiday Night Market The Holiday Night Markets are a lot like farmers markets in the same location.Photo courtesy of Pearl

The markets will be surrounded by Pearl's other holiday initiatives, including a holiday tree that lights up November 29, the day after Thanksgiving. In response to a question on Facebook about when carolers would stop by, Pearl could not give a date but confirmed that there would be different entertainment every week.

There will also be an opportunity to donate to several charities via Giving Machines from November 18 to December 8. The five benefactors in 2024 are the San Antonio Food Bank, Wish for Our Heroes, Alamo Head Injury Association, Vibrant Works and Catholic Charities of San Antonio. Donors can choose which they want to receive their gift.

Pearl Giving Machines The Giving Machines are like vending machines that drop gift cards into a collection bin to show contributions.Photo courtesy of Pearl

“We are delighted to welcome The Giving Machines back to Pearl in 2024,” said Pearl CEO Mesha Millsap in a separate press release. “Last year's overwhelming response showcased the incredible generosity of San Antonians during the giving season. We're excited to once again offer our community a chance to come together and make a tangible difference in the lives of our neighbors.”

Let me know if you have any questions. I am sharing a link to a folder of high-res images here to include markets, the tree and the Giving Machines. Our Giving Machines event takes place this morning at 10:30 a.m. and we opened a media pass through 11am for that press conference.

pearl markets holidays