Snyder's Union is a plaza on the Katy Trail. It has five large granite benches, a shade trellis, a tiered drinking fountain and a view straight down into the park. When the Advocate reported on its construction in September 2009, it described the project as a plaza meant to give trail users "a birds-eye view of Lee Park." On Wednesday, December 2, that view is what links the corridor's two free holiday events. The first wraps up on the plaza at 6 p.m., and the second starts in the park below at 6 p.m.
That three-and-a-half-hour stretch, from 4:30 to 8 p.m., is the free part of Turtle Creek's holiday season. They're open to anyone, and you can get to them on foot. After that night, the season moves indoors to the weekend tea services and ticketed events at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and Hotel Crescent Court.
A Plaza Built to Look Down on the Park
Few trail access points are set up for this kind of handoff. The plaza cost $1.5 million, according to the Advocate's 2009 report. The city approved up to $200,000 in 2006 bond money, and most of the rest came from neighbors Bobbi and Dick Snyder, who gave more than $1 million. The plaza is named in their honor.
Today, Friends of the Katy Trail lists Snyder's Union as one of the trail's chair-accessible entrances. Its trail information page also points to street parking on Carlisle Place, next to the plaza. That means you can get in at street level, meet people at the trail, and walk down into the park.
The Turtle Creek Conservancy has made the same connection in the past. Its 2024 tree lighting page told guests to "walk or bike down the Katy Trail to join us." This year, the trail's own party ends right when the park's begins.
December 2 Runs in Two Shifts
Here is how the evening lines up, based on each organization's 2026 listing:
- 4:30 p.m.: Holiday on the Trail. Friends of the Katy Trail hosts its gathering at Snyder's Union on the Trail from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on December 2, 2026. The group's 2023 newsletter called it an annual community gathering with sips, treats and holiday cheer.
- 6 p.m.: Light Up Turtle Creek Park. The Turtle Creek Conservancy's Light Up Turtle Creek Park returns that same Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. It's free and open to everyone, with festive lights and holiday treats. The Conservancy says more details are on the way.
- Through January 15: Signs along the boulevard. The Conservancy's Holiday Sign Sponsors get festive present-shaped signs along Turtle Creek Boulevard from December 2 through January 15. These sponsor signs will stay up long after the evening ends.
The park's trees are part of the event's funding. The Conservancy offers Tree Lighting Sponsor tags, and each one goes on one of the lit trees in Turtle Creek Park.
The last edition with full published details offers some background. In 2024, the lighting took place on a Monday evening at Arlington Hall, and Arlington Hall and selected park trees were lit at 7 p.m.
If you're coming from the trail, the walk is short. People coming by car can use Carlisle Place, the parking Friends of the Katy Trail names for Snyder's Union, and stay parked for both events.
After That Night, the Season Moves to Weekend Tea
For the rest of the season, most events on the corridor are ticketed and fall on Saturdays and Sundays. Turtle Creek's two hotels both run holiday tea services, and the details make it easy to compare them.
| Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek | Hotel Crescent Court | |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Monet Art Afternoon Tea | Nutcracker Holiday Tea |
| Days | Saturday and Sunday | Saturday and Sunday |
| Hours | 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Seatings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Season | Through December 31 | November 14 through January 3 |
| Price | $100 per person, $125 with Champagne | $140 per adult, $60 per child |
| Setting | Art-themed tea service | Nutcracker décor and live holiday music |
The Mansion's figures come from Rosewood's official afternoon tea page. D Magazine's afternoon tea guide, published November 4, lists the service through December 31 and names Perrier-Jouët as the Champagne. The Crescent's dates and prices come from PaperCity's October holiday tea roundup. The hotel's Happenings calendar lists the same November 14 to January 3 run, with Nutcracker décor and live holiday music. The hotel's Eventbrite listing shows December seatings at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.
The two services follow different calendars. The Crescent's Nutcracker tea starts Saturday, November 14, two days after this post goes up, and runs through the first weekend of January. The Mansion's season ends with December, so it's the one with less time left. The Crescent's set seating times also differ from the Mansion's longer midday window, which matters if you're planning around a family's schedule.
The Dated Exceptions Between Thanksgiving and New Year's
A few events break from the weekend tea pattern. Each is tied to a specific date, and most need a booking:
- Crescent Thanksgiving To-Go. Meals serve 4, 8 or 12, starting at $285. Order by 2 p.m. on Monday, November 23, and pick up Wednesday, November 25, from 2 to 4 p.m.
- Thanksgiving at The Mansion Restaurant. Rosewood's Thanksgiving menu, linked from the restaurant's page, is a three-course prix fixe at $170 per adult and $75 per child.
- Thanksgiving Brunch at The Crescent Club. Thursday, November 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Kids' Gingerbread Decorating Workshop at The Crescent Club. Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, from 10 a.m. to noon.
- Adults' Gingerbread Decorating Workshop at The Crescent Club. Tuesday, December 15, from 6 to 8 p.m., with snacks and one drink ticket.
- Christmas Brunch at The Crescent Club. Friday, December 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Conservancy has a members' event too. Holiday in the Hall is its holiday party at Arlington Hall. Individual tickets are $300, and memberships at the $300 and $500 levels include one or two complimentary tickets. It takes place in the same park as the free lighting, but it's the ticketed version of the season.
One familiar tradition takes place off the corridor this year. Dallas Theater Center's A Christmas Carol runs November 27 through December 27, 2026, at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. The Kalita Humphreys Theater on Turtle Creek Boulevard isn't hosting it.
Where the Season Ends
The Turtle Creek calendar ends in stages. Rosewood's Monet Art Afternoon Tea runs through December 31. The Crescent's Nutcracker Holiday Tea has its last weekend on Saturday, January 2, and Sunday, January 3. The Conservancy's present-shaped sponsor signs stay along Turtle Creek Boulevard through January 15, the last sign that the December 2 evening took place.
If you live within walking distance of Snyder's Union or the park, you can see the season's free events start from your own street. If you're thinking about what that walkability means for your home's value in the year ahead, Christian Smith Real Estate Group knows the blocks between the Katy Trail and Turtle Creek Boulevard closely. Request Your Personalized Home Valuation and we'll show you how your address compares.
