Video: Nettles describes the events and activities planned for Christmas in College Station

Grace Hallowell:

Good morning, everyone. I’m Grace Hallowell, with the City of College Station and today, my guest is Aubrey Nettles, the marketing director for our economic development in tourism division. Good morning, Aubrey.

Aubrey Nettles:

Hi, Grace. How are you?

Grace Hallowell:

Good. I am so excited you’re here to talk about Christmas in College Station. I’m a recent transplant to College Station from up north. About a year ago, we came down and I was really nervous that it wouldn’t feel like Christmas, but I’ve got to say, you guys do so much and it feels just like Winter Wonderland all throughout the city during the holidays.

Aubrey Nettles:

Good, I’m glad. Well, this year, Christmas in College Station is going to be our best year yet. It’s our third year for Christmas in College Station. We started back in 2019 during really the height of the pandemic, and it has continued to grow, and it has been such a great addition to College Station. We’re really working primarily with Santa’s Wonderland as the largest Christmas attraction in Texas. They bring in almost a million visitors to our area every year and what we are looking to do is make sure that they come here, they stay here, and that they enjoy all that College Station has to offer. In addition to our amazing restaurants and retail, we also have over 30 different Christmas events happening throughout November and December that people can enjoy. So definitely, come to see Santa’s Wonderland, but also, hit up some of these other great events while you’re here.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes, Santa’s Wonderland is amazing. I didn’t know what to expect going to it for the first time last year, but it surpassed my expectations of Christmas.

Aubrey Nettles:

Yes. I definitely recommend everyone check out Santa’s Wonderland. At this point, they grow it every year. I can’t see everything in one day. I think it’s a two-day adventure.

Grace Hallowell:

Definitely.

Aubrey Nettles:

They are going to have free shuttles from Post Oak Mall every day throughout the season. That’s another great addition that they’re adding, so that you don’t have to worry about traffic or parking. You can just park at Post Oak Mall and have a free shuttle there to see Santa’s Wonderland.

Grace Hallowell:

That’s really nice. That’s very helpful because I know parking can be an issue sometimes.

Aubrey Nettles:

Yes. We’re really excited about that, and I will definitely be taking advantage of that

Grace Hallowell:

Yes. So what other events are going on?

Aubrey Nettles:

Sure. There is a wide variety of events happening during Christmas in College Station. All of them can be found on http://www.christmasincs.com. We are starting them off on November 12th. We’re having a kick-off to Christmas at Aggieland Outfitters. It is a vendor market, which is always my favorite. Start shopping early.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes.

Aubrey Nettles:

And then live music and great fun holiday shopping at Aggieland Outfitters as well. So that’s one of the first events that we will be having. Then we’re going to be having Christmas in the park, Lights On for Christmas in the park is November 24^th, but the event weekend, which is a phenomenal event weekend, is December 2nd and 3rd. So, that weekend, they’re going to have hayrides, real snow, pictures with Santa, everything you can imagine. It really is just a tremendous free event, and they also offer free shuttles from Post Oak Mall, which is awesome. We go every year. It’s tremendous family fun. Just a great time.

Grace Hallowell:

Yeah. The real snow, I know it was something that I thought I would miss. I don’t actually miss the real snow everywhere, but having that little bit of snow in the park I get my fix of the snow and that’s it.

Aubrey Nettles:

Yes. And the lights there are amazing.

Grace Hallowell:

Oh, beautiful.

Aubrey Nettles:

In fact, the Parks crew works on that year-round and they’re always adding new features every year, and so, we always check those out. Like I said, you can drive through Lights On, it’s November 24th through the end of the year, but the event weekend is December 2nd and 3rd. There’s also a fun run that happens that weekend as well.

Grace Hallowell:

Awesome. What else is going on?

Aubrey Nettles:

There’s so much. We also have our Howdy Holly Days event at Northgate. This is one of my favorite events in which there’s a vendor market, we have photo opportunities, Santa will be there. We have snow as well. And we also have a Sip and Shop component in which we work with the different Northgate establishments, and they offer drink samples and food samples, so while you’re there shopping, you’re also having some food and drinks as well. I absolutely love this market. We have, both artisans and brick and mortar vendors who come out and I’ve gotten so much of my Christmas shopping done there. It’s just great to see Northgate in a different light.

Grace Hallowell:

Right.

Aubrey Nettles:

With kids and families, I love it. The more we use Northgate during the day and in the early evenings, the better.

Grace Hallowell:

Right, exactly. And I mean, at this point, is it too late for vendors to sign up to be a part of this? Or can they still sign up for this year and even next year?

Aubrey Nettles:

That’s a great question. So for that Howdy Holly Days event at Northgate, we are still needing vendors. On the Visit College Station social media, we have an advertisement for vendors and there’s a link where they can sign up. We have another market at Century Square where we’re full, but that Northgate event, we still need vendors. We have a lot of opportunities for vendors at that event. So please sign up, but don’t delay because we do have a maximum number of slots.

Grace Hallowell:

Right. The earlier, the better.

Aubrey Nettles:

Yes.

Grace Hallowell:

Okay. And then, for people coming out of town, is there anything for them? Are there places for them to stay?

Aubrey Nettles:

That’s a great question. We work with Santa’s Wonderland and our College Station hotels to have what is called Santa’s Certified Hotels.

Grace Hallowell:

Perfect.

Aubrey Nettles:

And so, 18 of our College Station hotels are participating this year and they are offering either discounted rates or gifts that are Christmas related to all of the guests who sign up during this time. Essentially, you go to the Christmas in CS website, or you book through the Santa’s Wonderland page, through the Santa certified hotels. Then you’re ready to go and you will be able to see all 18 Santa certified hotels and what they’re offering and sign up through them. But, it’s just a great partnership that we have with those hotels and Santa’s Wonderland and it’s just an extra incentive or way to welcome these guests during Christmas in College Station.

Grace Hallowell:

Exactly. And every penny counts, especially during the holidays.

Aubrey Nettles:

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Grace Hallowell:

Yeah. So what else can you tell us about Christmas in College Station?

Aubrey Nettles:

Let’s see. So, we’re also going to be offering a Holiday Deals Pass during Christmas in College Station, and that’s for visitors, but our citizens that live here can take advantage of it too. Essentially, we want folks to check out all our great retail store and our restaurants. A lot of our retailers and restaurants are offering deals like buy one, get one free, Or Savi Boutique, for example, is doing, if you spend $30, you get $10 off.

Grace Hallowell:

Perfect.

Aubrey Nettles:

And so, when you get into town for Christmas in College Station, make sure you download the Holiday Deals Pass. It’s an app on your phone. You can access it through our website, christmasincs.com, and then you can take advantage of all those specials. Like you said, everything counts during Christmas. We’re all trying to get our Christmas shopping done, and it’s just one way to make sure that you’re checking out all that College Station has to offer. And for me, as a citizen, you bet you I’ll be taking advantage of it too.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes. Yeah, I know. There’s so much that I feel I still need to try, even being here for a year. There’s so much I haven’t tried yet, so that’s definitely a good incentive.

Aubrey Nettles:

Absolutely. I am a huge fan of the boutiques here in College Station, so I personally will be checking those out.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes. Anything else everybody needs to know?

Aubrey Nettles:

Let’s see. Like I said, we have a lot of great events, but if you as a business in College Station are having your own event that you would like for us to share, and if it’s open to the public and it’s in College Station, we can absolutely do that. Just let us know and we will share that for you. We have all of the information on our economic development website for our businesses to share whether they want to provide a deal for the Holiday Deals Pass, or if they want to share an event. That is on our economic development website, which is grow.cstx.gov, and it’s under the existing businesses section. We would love to have you partner with us for Christmas. The more businesses that we can get involved, the better. This is really a way for us to support our existing businesses as well.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes, it’s very important to support local businesses.

Aubrey Nettles:

Absolutely, 100%. and this is an important time for them, the Christmas season.

Grace Hallowell:

Definitely.

Aubrey Nettles:

So, we want to make sure that we’re supporting them. We love our College Station businesses.

Grace Hallowell:

Alrighty. Anything else?

Aubrey Nettles:

Like I said, there’s 30 or so events right now on the calendar, so everybody check those out. We will be posting them on our social media as well. And just as we enter the holiday season, I hope everyone has a very blessed Merry Christmas. And I hope to see you at the events. I will be there. And I’m excited.

Grace Hallowell:

Thank you so much, Aubrey, for being here and talking to us today, and that’s Stuff You Don’t Usually See.

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