Christmas in TX
 

Our son was recently stationed in Kingsville, TX with his girlfriend. Since he will be in training and she has a new job as a nurse at a hospital, their time off for Christmas will be limited. The thought of them alone in boring Kingsville for Christmas is depressing. We would love to come to them. I'm thinking a 3-4 hour drive for them would be reasonable. San Antonio? Austin? Gruene? Corpus Christi? There will be six of us, so either two rooms or a cabin. Are there any resorts or towns that do a good Christmas spread? Thanks in advance!

I'm thinking you need to ask them just how "boring" the place is before you presume to have them drive somewhere just to see you.

Thank you, Dukey, for your helpful insight. :/ I have not presumed anything. We have already discussed this with them. Btw, have you ever been to Kingsville? Yikes! Also, we are trying to do something nice for the whole family, and of course their input will be crucial.

It is 3.5 hours on a map from Kingsville to Austin. I have not been to the other places that you mentioned but I love Austin. I looked at going there over a Christmas season but did not make it - you don't mention your budget but VRBO has a ton in the Austin area.

I don't know how much time they will have off? Anyway - I hope you enjoy it! I know others that have really enjoyed the River Walk in San Antonio so perhaps look into that as well.

I'm not sure how much time they will have off. I imagine son's girlfriend will has less time and be less flexible than son. I was thinking they would join us when they could. Btw, it would be me, husband, 3 young adults in their early 20's and 15 y.o. I would like to keep it at $400 per night.

As a new nurse, the girlfriend may have to work both Christmas Eve and Day and get some other day off such as New years. You might have her check what is tradition at the facility.

San Antonio's Riverwalk is beautiful at Christmas time. The towering trees lining the Riverwalk are all lit with tiny lights, while the river itself is lined with luminarias, lit nightly. Google "luminarias on San Antonio Riverwalk" then click on images. It'll give you a good idea how pretty it is that time of year.

Don't know how long you plan on staying, but there is plenty to be seen around town between the Riverwalk, the missions ( including the Alamo), SeaWorld with its Christmas celebration, El Mercado, plus several museums. Gruene is a day trip in one direction, Fredericksburg in another. The Alamo Bowl will be Jan 2 this year between Pac-12 and Big 12 teams. Celebrations, teams and fans, start early (but are fun). Citywide corporate events are at a minimum that time of year so it's a good time to visit.

San Antonio is a great suggestion but you might want to look into Fredericksburg too. F'burg is an old German community, so they do a lot of celebrations with a festive German influence. The Rockbox Theatre always does a great Christmas show (www.rockboxtheater.com). Nearby Stonewall, Texas does an amazing Christmas lights display and the LBJ Ranch is decorated for Christmas too. F'burg is just over an hour from San Antonio and 90 minutes from Austin. San Antonio is also about 90 minutes from Austin. So, you could even base yourself in one place and do day trips to the others.

Check out Log Country Cove in Burnet, Tx.

. . and the lights in Johnson City

The San Antonio Riverwalk at Christmas is one of my favorite things in the world. SA is, functionally, the largest city in northern Mexico and the Mexican holiday season runs from December 12 to January 6 (the "Lupe Reyes marathon") so even if your travel is not exactly on 12/25 there's plenty of fun to be had.