All aboard the North Pole Express - that is, if you snag your tickets in time. Grapevine - aka "The Christmas Capital of Texas" - put tickets for all their 2023 holiday festivities on sale at 10 am July 25, and within minutes they were flying off shelves faster than Santa's sleigh, representatives say.

July 25 is a full five months before Christmas, but Dallas-Fort Worth is already filled with Yuletide spirit (as evidence by the number of Christmas in July) events around town this month.

Grapevine celebrates 40 days of Christmas with more than 1,400 events and activities this year, ranging from holiday light and drone shows to live performances, immersive experiences, and more.

Coming back for a second year will be the Peace Plaza Ice Rink, which debuted as a crowd-pleasing new attraction in 2022.

And of course, there the festive train rides that are perennial favorites. For adults, two Christmas Wine Train excursions are offered this year, one in November and one in December.

And the family-friendly North Pole Express is already the hottest ticket in town, organizers say. The rides typically sell out, and this year is looking to be no exception, they say. (By the afternoon of July 25, there was a queue online for tickets.)

Tickets available for purchase as of July 25 include:

• North Pole Express - "A festive journey featuring traditional Christmas sing-alongs, Christmas characters, and photos and interaction with Santa" co-presented by Trinity Metro TEXRail and Great Wolf Lodge, runs November 24-December 23. Tickets: $40 for adults and kids, $6 for babies under 1 year old.
• Christmas Wine Trains – A 21-and-up excursion that includes two glasses of wine from local wineries, savory bites, and more, presented by Trinity Metro TEXRail. Thursday, November 30 and Thursday, December 14. Tickets: $52 or $395 for a table.
• Peace Plaza Ice Rink – A family-friendly, 4,500-square-foot outdoor ice-skating rink on Historic Main Street, next to a 50-foot live Christmas tree. Tickets: $20 per person for all ages, skate rentals included.
• Live Christmas performances at the Historic Palace Theatre including The Texas Tenors, the Nutcracker, Kraig Parker’s Elvis Christmas Show, Elton & Cher’s Christmas Show and, all-new this year, Reba – The Christmas Tribute. Tickets: Vary by show, available here.
• Classic Christmas movies at the Historic Palace Theatre including Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, The Santa Clause, Elf, and more. Tickets: Vary by show, available here.
• Elf Adventure – Little elves work through four fun activities in Historic Grapevine. Tickets: $3-$10.

For more information and tickets to these events and many more, visit GrapevineTexasUSA.com or ChristmasCapitalofTexas.com.

Tickets to the Gaylord Texan's 2023 ICE! experience (starring The Grinch) also have gone on sale. Read more about it in this story.