Now through December 30, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is hosting the fifth annual display of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” designed by Tommy Bourgeois (of The Dallas Opera) and presented by Reliant. Dallas Stage Scenery designed and built the arboretum’s display which consists of life-sized musical gazebos – one for each of the 12 days in the song – for this enchanting exhibition which has since become a beloved holiday tradition in north Texas.
In an interview with NBC5, Bourgeois explained, “I looked back and reflected on when I was a kid going to see department store windows. They were always phenomenal, and I always wanted to do that. A lot of this is over-the-top, but I believe it’s something kids can get into. It’s things they need to look at and find and see and start conversations. There are little surprises.”
Photo: Facebook/Alfonso Mendoza
The exhibit is lit from Wednesday through Sunday, 6 p.m. through 9 p.m., with 500,000 lights! Each gazebo at the Dallas Arboretum’s “12 Days of Christmas” exhibit are 25 feet in height. They each contain the components for their particular part of the theme – example “…nine ladies dancing, eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming….” Each of them features movement of some fashion, such as seals and a circus bear who are balancing the five golden rings as they spin on their noses. Just wait until you see the “…partridge in a pear tree!” Said Bourgeois: “…He is totally rhinestoned and sequined. We even dyed sequins to match the color of the bird…”
Photo: Facebook/Lone Star Coaches Inc.
Due to the length of time that each gazebo is required on display outdoors in unpredictable weather, including the potential for the interaction of such live animals as the squirrels, armadillos, hawks, and raccoons that also enjoy the arboretum, each gazebo is enclosed in glass. Each placement was carefully selected based on views and the need to encompass the park for the exhibition. Overall, “The 12 Days of Christmas” makes for holiday enchantment beyond compare. The Dallas Arboretum has the exhibit on display through both daytime and nighttime hours. There are also other excellent holiday event offerings featured, which can be viewed by visiting their website at the link provided here.
