More than 15 ranch structures gleam for the holidays at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. (Photo by J. Griffis Smith)
For many Lubbock-area residents, the holidays officially begin when they make the trek to Texas Tech for the university’s annual Carol of Lights, an evening event that has brought the community together for more than a half-century. Thousands of people gather in the Science Quadrangle to hear a carillon concert and chorale groups and sing a carol or two themselves. The finale comes when someone throws a switch, and 25,000 Christmas lights suddenly outline 13 buildings around Memorial Circle. This year’s event takes place December 3. For more information, call 806/742-2542; www.orgs.ttu.edu/tturesidencehallassociation (click on”Programs”).
Just north of campus, Candlelight at the Ranch takes place at the National Ranching Heritage Center about a week later (December 10-11, 2010). Luminarias outline the paths to more than 15 historic ranch structures, where volunteers re-create holiday scenes from the past. Call 806/742-0498; www.nrhc.ttu.edu.
During December, light-seekers also head nine miles east of Lubbock for driving tours of Lake Ransom Canyon, where several tiers of extravagantly lit homes surround the lake, which reflects the spectacle. Call 806/829-2470; www.ci.ransomcanyon.tx.us.
