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Hop aboard the Santa Express and hitchhike on vacation. One of the coolest activities in Christmas village in Bayou Bend with Santa Claus and his reindeer is the treasure hunt. In front of Ima Hogg's historic mansion, visitors will come across Santa's crushed sleigh, with gifts thrown to the ground and a very indignant Rudolph.
"Poor Santa Claus, it was his third try and he did not seem to be able to reach the roof of the house.Once again, he crashed on the south lawn.All the reindeer fled; they saw this beautiful village and wanted to go exploring, "says Bonnie Campbell, director of Bayou Bend, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Houston House Museum dedicated to American decorative arts and painting." Rudolph stayed on square; he is unhappy with Santa for breaking the sled. "
The good thing # 1 is when guests receive red dots and a card with the missing reindeer names. "They have to go around to find all the reindeer, they hid in the 14 acres of the property," says Campbell, noting that some of them are well hidden. "Oftentimes, parents approach us:" Please, tell me where Donner is. We found seven reindeer, we want to go home. & # 39; ; " In these cases, a staff member will whisper the location to the parents' ear for children can complete their mission and win the title of Reindeer Wrangler.
At the end of Christmas Village, Carola's Victoring Carolers of Viva Vocé (based in Katy) will have sung sacred songs for a total of 68 hours over 17 nights.
Photo of Cameron Bertuzzi courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The cool thing # 2 – and something the northern states take for granted – is fake snow. Engage in a snowball fight with cotton balls in the gardens and hit your brothers and sisters ruthlessly. "We felt that during the Christmas village season, more than 60,000 cotton snowballs were thrown in. It's quite something," says Campbell. "The most popular thing from last year is our fake toboggan, you go down a 90-foot toboggan run that looks like snow, it's fake snow. This year, we made the slope much steeper. "
What's cool # 3, it's the spirit of Christmas. They installed more than 100,000 lights on the deck and in the gardens. "What we did, we made the garden bloom in winter with Christmas lights, azaleas are pink, lots of pink lights, the butterfly garden is multicolored and the bridge is magically lit. to walk around and walk around" said Campbell. In addition to the festivities, songs sung by the costumed Viva Vocé Victorian Carolers, a tent with a Christmas tree surrounded by trains, cartoons of the time, music posts, photos with Santa Claus (up to # December 23 only) and a reindeer playground. "The kids love it, they put wood on their heads and their friend has rings, they throw the rings on the woods, it's fun."
Inside a large tent is a 15-foot-tall Christmas tree adorned with beautiful ornaments. Trains run around the tracks at its base with Victorian, New England and Southwest villages.
Photo of Cameron Bertuzzi courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The good thing # 4 is a three-dimensional video that is projected on the mansion. "It's really spectacular, people are fascinated," Campbell said. "The sled will smoke smoke, make light, make noise, you see the shadow of Santa who tries to enter, you see him trying to climb into the house to go to the fireplace The house plays tricks: a mischievous elf pulls out his head, the bricks come out to settle, then go away.The poor man finally gets up there, a chair comes out and finally [seems to] enter the fireplace. "
Campbell calculates that during the 17 nights of the Christmas village of Bayou Bend, Santa tries to descend 1,500 times in the chimney. For guests who have enhanced their experience for a visit to Ima Hogg's mansion, the screening is a pleasant distraction while they're lining up.
Which brings us to freshness number 5: a theatrical visit to the first floor of the house on the theme of holidays ($ 5 more). It was designed by local theater actor Todd Waite (we saw it in Alley Theater's The newspapers of Santaland) and the tour has all the dramatic entertainment that one can expect from a professional.
"Normally, when you go to see something like that in a theater, you sit on a chair and you look at it.Our show works so that you go through the show and you pass [six rooms] on the first floor of the house. When you arrive in each room, a two-minute theatrical show presents live actors, costumes, special effects and sound effects, "said Campbell, adding that there were some fun surprises along the way and live actors in most theaters.
The tour is not really suitable for children under five and strollers are not allowed. Places are limited on visits. Our advice is to buy your tickets online in advance to guarantee your entry in time. "It's really worth it," says Campbell.
The Christmas village of Bayou Bend with Santa Claus and his reindeer is scheduled from December 14 to January 5 from 17:30 to 21h. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm Fridays and Saturdays, 6003 Memorial Drive, 713-639-7750, mfah.org/a/christmas-village-at-bayou-bend, free at $ 23.
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