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Check this list twice for holiday gift ideas you can only get in Texas

Make it a wrap on holiday shopping.

Photo by Elena Noviello/Getty

It's time to get a jump on your holiday shopping, and you probably have a varied list of tastes, budgets, and interests to accommodate.

This gift guide takes all that into account, with a wide range of suggestions for an even wider range of friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, babysitters, pet sitters, tutors ... well, you get the idea.

From festive experiences to cozy clothing, the best presents are right here. You might even finish your shopping early this year, which is perhaps the best present of all.

DSO Holiday Pops Photo courtesy of DSO

Dallas Symphony Orchestra concerts
Hear the sounds of the season with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra with a trio of festive concerts. At Christmas Pops, December 6-15, the DSO performs such holiday favorites as "Joy to the World," "Jingle Bells," and more.

Kings ReJoyce on December 11 invites audiences to experience the magic of multi-Grammy Award-winning opera vocalist Joyce DiDonato. She joins forces with Dallas vocal group Kings Return and pianist Craig Terry for a night of festive carols and seasonal classics.

Your holiday spirit will be overflowing December 20-22 when you experience Elf in Concert. The Christmas film classic is accompanied by a live symphony orchestra.

Looking ahead to the New Year, Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads the Dallas Symphony Orchestra through the epic music of Star Wars on January 3-4, 2025. Prepare for an intergalactic experience featuring John Williams’ iconic scores, including “Revenge of the Sith,” the heroic “Star Wars Main Title,” and the intense “Duel of the Fates.” From the thrilling space battles to the epic journeys of beloved characters, this special two-night concert will bring the excitement and grandeur of the Star Wars saga to life.

Grapevine ice rink Photo courtesy of Grapevine CVB

Grapevine Peace Plaza Ice Rink
Get festive this season in Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas. Ice skate under the stars and the twinkling lights of a 60-foot live Christmas tree at Peace Plaza Ice Rink, presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Grapevine. Considered "the Rockefeller Center of the Southwest," this Texas-sized, high-quality ice rink offers a magical skating experience right on Peace Plaza, in front of the stunning Grapevine Main Station. Whether you’re a seasoned skater or trying it out for the first time, there’s nothing quite like gliding on ice surrounded by festive lights, Christmas music, and the sparkle of Grapevine at Christmas. It's $20 per person for a one-hour session (ice skates included), or $500 for a private hour for up to 50 people.

The ice rink is just one highlight this season in the Christmas Capital of Texas, with more than 1,400 events happening over 40 days. After a fun-filled skate, warm up at Harvest Hall and enjoy bites from 10 international kitchens and cocktails at the Holly Jolly Bar at Third Rail. Stroll along Historic Main Street, adorned with millions of twinkling lights, and check off your Christmas list at the locally owned boutiques, check out the art galleries, people watch at the bistros and cafés, and sip wines on the Urban Wine Trail. Make sure you stop at various photo opps along the way, from Hometown Christmas to Toyland.

For more information on all the experiences in the Christmas Capital of Texas, including Gaylord Texan Resort’s ICE! and Meow Wolf’s The Unreal Winter, and to book a getaway at one of Grapevine's 20 hotels, visit ChristmasCapitalofTexas.com.

Plaza at Preston Center holiday Photo courtesy of Plaza at Preston Center

Plaza at Preston Center
Come explore one of Dallas’ premier open-air shopping centers, where everyday holiday shopping is transformed into an elegant experience.

You can't go wrong with gift cards to il Bracco and True Food Kitchen — or stopping in for a bite during a shopping sesh. Luminary Lifestyle stocks clothing, accessories, and home décor, covering a lot of bases in one store. And don't forget about four-legged family members! Lucky Dog Barkery has all the treats, toys, and even apparel a fur baby could wish for.

Camp Aspen sweartshirt Photo courtesy of Camp Aspen

Camp Aspen elevated loungewear
Aspen is where scenic majesty is bookended by frozen winter wonderlands and sun-dappled summers; townie charms easily intersect with fabulous global luxury; mountain purity meets playful debauchery; and adventure junkies hobnob with opulence connoisseurs.

But the place with almost everything was, until recently, missing one special something: a premium and playful lifestyle brand to celebrate the destination year-round. Hence, Camp Aspen elevated loungewear, co-founded by Houston siblings Maidie and Patrick Ryan.

Camp Aspen elevated loungewear is designed to embody the spirit of this timelessly cool Colorado destination while playing into the whimsical nostalgia of sleepaway camps so deeply rooted within a sizable Texan contingent that has now made Aspen its home away from home.

Its Range collection nods to an iconic way to get around Aspen. The Range crewneck sweatshirt, in particular, has twice sold out online, so with this latest restock the brand enhanced its desirability even further. It has been luxuriously upgraded with a sleeker logo patch on the back and a more indulgent, 100-percent cotton fabrication. Available in Aspen green (obvi), summit white, and the new midnight blue.

Holiday espresso martini Photo courtesy of Valencia Hotel Collection

Valencia Hotel Collection Holiday Packages
Make this season truly unique with two exclusive packages crafted to bring a touch of holiday magic to your stay. Experience the charm of the boutique hotels located in Austin, College Station, Las Colinas, Lubbock, and San Antonio, each offering a distinctive blend of luxury, style, and warm hospitality.

The Holiday Sweets package invites you to relax in luxurious guest room accommodations and savor two praline-infused signature holiday cocktails or mocktails, perfect for setting a festive mood.

For a more indulgent experience, The Sweet Holiday Escape package includes guest room accommodations, a delightful holiday breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and two praline-infused cocktails or mocktails to make your stay even sweeter.

Whether you’re looking for a festive retreat or a cozy getaway, these packages offer the perfect blend of seasonal warmth and luxury in the inviting atmosphere of these boutique hotels. Celebrate the season in style and book your holiday escape today.

Elevate your holiday gifting with the luxury of Valencia Hotel Collection. Choose eGift cards for memorable stays or shop Valencia at Home for signature scent candles and sprays, bedding, and more.

gift guide shopping holidays promoted

pet protection

How to protect Texas pets against the dangerous New World screwworm fly

MPhoto by Tran Mau Tri Tam ✪ on Unsplash

Make sure these guys are up on their flea and tick meds.

Two New World screwworm cases in dogs are among more than 30 confirmed instances in Texas and New Mexico, prompting warnings Wednesday, July 8 from veterinarians and humane societies that pet owners need to remain vigilant to protect their animals.

The parasite reappeared in cattle in the U.S. in June, more than 50 years after it had been largely eradicated from the country. The pest is actually the larvae of the New World screwworm fly. It eats live flesh and fluids rather than dead material, as the larvae of most fly species do.

Here is what to know about the parasite, the threat it poses to pets and how to protect them:

Screwworm fly larvae can infest any mammal
The fly's migration north from Panama starting in 2024, and through Mexico in 2025, has agriculture officials warning that it poses a threat to the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry, but the larvae can hatch and breed in any mammal, including wildlife, dogs, cats and occasionally humans.

The problem develops when a female fly lays its eggs in open wounds and mucus. After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed for about a week before maturing, dropping to the ground and continuing to develop into an adult fly.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says newborn animals and animals with open wounds or who have undergone surgery or other medical procedures recently are especially vulnerable. Even a tick bite can host an infestation, Aaron Grady, executive director of the Houston Humane Society shelter, said during a webinar on the screwworm.

Screwworm fly close-up The goal is to stop these flies from successfully breeding. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife

Infestation signs include restlessness and bad smell
Animal health experts say pet owners in areas where the screwworm is present — southern and southwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico so far — should watch their animals closely and examine them for wounds, cuts and bites regularly.

Pet owners should look for any maggots or movement in a wound. Other signs include a foul smell and restlessness or anxiety in an animal, or an animal “hyper-fixating on looking or chewing in a certain area of the body," said Melissa Stansell, a veterinarian at the shelter Austin Pets Alive!

Any one of those is reason enough to go to a veterinarian. The affected animal is likely in a great deal of pain, and that can cause death from shock. The larvae also can cause death if they move into vital organs or by causing infections that turn deadly.

Flea, tick medications can stop an infestation
Humane society officials and veterinarians said shelters across Texas are trying to prevent infestations in animals by giving them prescription flea and tick medications. They recommend that pet owners do the same.

“It will kill the larvae as they ingest the blood and tissue,” Stansell said. “The chemical compositions of those products are what kill the actual larval stages of these flies.”

Veterinarians also can treat infestations and animals can recover if pet owners contact them quickly. Stansell said the treatment could include antibiotics.

“It is only fatal if left untreated,” she said.

An effort to eradicate the fly again is underway
The New World screwworm fly is a tropical species and decades ago would disappear each year when colder weather arrived with the fall or winter.

But state and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials aren't waiting for the weather to turn. They've returned to an eradication method that worked decades ago, breeding sterile male flies and releasing them into the wild. The female New World screwworm fly mates once in her monthslong life, and if her partner is sterile, her eggs won't hatch — causing the population in an area to drop and then disappear.

For years, the only factory breeding sterile flies in the Western Hemisphere was in Panama, but the USDA invested $21 million to convert a site in southern Mexico from breeding fruit flies to recently start breeding screwworm flies. The agency also plans to spend $750 million on a new fly factory in Texas, set to open next year.

screwworm fly pets