Weekend Wonderland - 405 Magazine

Weekend Wonderland

The snow was falling, the carols playing and Christmas lights sparkled all around me. It was a perfect holiday moment. And you can experience it, too – in Frisco, Texas.

The snow was falling, the carols playing and Christmas lights sparkled all around me. It was a perfect holiday moment. And you can experience it, too – in Frisco, Texas.

Merry Main Street

City Christmas Tree in front of City Hall, photo by Elaine Warner

This is the 22nd year for Frisco’s Merry Main Street. Some of the traditions have blended with the newer Frisco Square activities. The traditional tree lighting, an MMS event, is now held in Simpson Square in front of the new City Hall. But the focus of this December 1 celebration is on the boutiques and stores that line the historic portion of Main Street. Businesses stay open late that night and shoppers are entertained by street musicians. There’s no Santa shortage in Frisco as the jolly old elf is available for breakfast that morning and photo opportunities that evening.

Christmas in the Square

Jack and I and our host, Denise Stokes from the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, watched the sky, along with a few thousand friends. The hum of a plane got louder and, finally, there he was – Santa coming in by parachute.

Snow Tubing in Frisco Square, photo by LK PhotographyUnharnessed, he came through the crowd passing out candy when music erupted. Something was happening – first a few kids began dancing, then more. Flash mob! And Santa joined in.

The Frisco Square area encompasses a number of blocks around the City Hall and provides a popular gathering place for community events like the popular “Christmas in the Square.” The highlight of the season is the one-of-a-kind computerized light show. The lights dance and flash to the sounds of favorite holiday tunes. Last year well over half a million people came to the Square – fortunately, not all at once. The lights go on this year November 23 and stay on until January 6.

Weekends are the prime time to visit – that’s when it snows (thanks to the same kind of machines used at Disney theme parks). There are also carriage rides Thursday through Sunday nights.

Special events include the December 8 arrival of Santa and snow tubing on the 15th. Additional features were in the works at press time.

Colorful décor at Mattito’s, photo by Elaine Warner

Eat, Shop and Sleep Merry

The comfortable accommodations at the Westin Stonebriar are hard to top. It not only features great rooms but a super spa and an 18-hole Tom Fazio golf course.

Out-of-the-ordinary shopping is available at a giant IKEA and Sam Moon. Sam Moon is a trip even if you don’t buy anything. It’s wall-to-wall with designer-knock-off purses, scarves, costume jewelry and a source for some fun and funky stocking stuffers.

Restaurants abound – you can feel like a world traveler in Frisco Square alone. Here you’ll find Tex-Mex at Mattito’s, Thai at Best Thai, sushi at Sake Toro or pasta at Josephine’s Italian Bistro. There’ll probably be more worldly pleasures by the time you get there!

Elsewhere in town, a couple of favorites include One2One. Try their Beau Nash soup – a tasty concoction of smoked chicken and corn. Bonnie Ruth’s Café and Patisserie serves a fabulous weekend brunch and their pastries are to die for. Tru Fire Kitchen blends the right amount of elegance with comfort and the eclectic menu offers treats from their Texas pecan and fig salad to a variety of sandwiches, pizzas and pastas. Old-fashioned Double Dip is an ice cream lover’s delight – and their hot dogs are wicked good.

For a handy holiday weekend getaway, Frisco really fills the bill.

For everything you need to know about Frisco:
friscosquare.com/cits
friscofun.org/mms
VisitFrisco.com