Houston – When it comes to bright lights in the big cities of the Lone Star State, H-Town rockets to the top with one of the best skylines in the state. And when it comes to Christmas in the space city, there are all sorts of options like the Zoo Lights, the crazy Nutcracker Market, or even the ice sculptures at Moody Gardens in Galveston. But now, you can add the Magical Winter Lights to the long list of things to do in Houston for the holidays. “It’s just a beautiful place to be and something I think once you’ve come, you want to come again,” said Roshelle Salinas.
Roshelle guides guests through this massive display that’s a little bit different than your normal twinkling lights on a tree. “It’s not just a Christmas celebration,” said Roshelle. “It really is representing our whole world and what we have here in Houston.”
These massive glowing displays are called lanterns and Yusi Cheng is the one who had the bright idea of bringing this to the Space City back in 2014. “Yusi’s from Houston, born in China, but lived her entire life in Houston and she really wanted to share this cultural aspect with everyone and you need a large space for it,” said Roshelle. “It’s a very big footprint. So she first started in different areas of Houston, has moved the festival around the city, and now our goal is really to touch everyone in Houston to build memories and create a tradition that we can get everyone from Houston to participate in.”
Turns out these lit up lanterns have a lineage that goes back to Yusi’s home country. “Her family came from the town in China that first started creating these Chinese lanterns,” said Roshelle. “So she grew up going to these festivals in China and really wanted to bring that tradition here to her home in Houston.”
These lantern displays do a great job of showcasing one part of the diverse culture of Houston. “It really pays tribute to the creator’s roots, and I think it’s one of the most detailed lantern sections that we have too,” said Roshelle. “We’ve got the traditional homes, we’ve got the Palace Lantern, the Chinese drums that you can hear that also are to go with the Dragon and the lion dance.”
While these exhibits can be explored during the colder months of the year, bringing these lanterns to life is a process that takes a ton of dedication. “Yusi starts approving designs and looking at creations in the spring, the year before the show, and it takes about 60 to 90 days to build all of this as well,” said Roshelle. “So we bring in Chinese artisans and engineers to actually fabricate everything right here on site live. So it’s not stored, it’s not kept here. They really come and build it this whole time.”
The class on culture doesn’t stop there either, as you’ll also find acrobats and even a cotton candy sculptor who can create some incredibly spherical sweets and some really cool characters too. “They get really creative with their desserts,” said Roshelle.
While mini McAuliffe was ecstatic, we’re here for Christmas lights and don’t fret, you’ll find those here too. “We couldn’t have Magical Winter Lights this time of year, all of November and December without a Christmas section as well,” said Roshelle. “You can even get some Santa photos right here closer to Christmastime too. And with so much detail. I mean I think it was like over 4 million lights in here, but you’ve got the reindeer and Santa’s home, and the snowmen, all the ornaments on the castles. It’s just festive.”
There’s even a section of lights dedicated to the Lone Star State. “Yeah, we got to have some space for two-stepping of course. Well, we’ve got the longhorns, the boots that are full of detail, like a good boot maker. We’ve got the skyline, the football players, the Texas flag. I mean, we got to be patriotic for our state here.”
While I had flashbacks to Qbert watching folks dance, my boy had Saturday night fever on a Tuesday thanks to all the unexpected things you can find here. “You’ll be able to play some Chinese drums and you’ll see some animal life and every little boy’s favorite thing, dinosaurs,” said Roshelle.
While you won’t see Santa on every sign, the Magical Winter Lights do provide a unique way to celebrate the season with the world. “We have one of the most diverse cities in the country and to be able to respect all of the cultures that Houston represents, it’s definitely seen here in Magical Winter Lights,” said Roshelle.