Just about every park has something special for New Year’s Eve. Many have special entertainment lined up with dinner and other events throughout the night. Many of these parks sell out of tickets weeks before New Year’s Eve. So, if you didn’t get a ticket in time and are still looking for things to do, there might be a few places you can go to still have some fun.
Quinta Mazatlán invites you to end your year with a morning of Birding, Wednesday, December 31, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., with Education Specialist and life-long birder Isidro Montemayor. Winter is a great time to get out Birding welcoming an amazing variety of Valley Specialty birds, like the Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, and Plain Chachalaca to name a few. The season also welcomes birds that spend their winter down in South Texas. Ducks, sparrows, owls, even rare birds from Mexico can be seen in the Valley during winter. From binocular basics to bird calls and behavior, you’ll leave this guided experience feeling more in-tune with our avian friends.
The Valley is full of the festive holiday spirit during the Christmas and December holidays. While I am sure you have enjoyed many events at your park, other parks, or maybe around town somewhere, there are still a few activities that you can visit to partake in the Christmas spirit.
In Brownsville you will find the Holiday Village. The Holiday Village is in its 16th season at Dean Porter Park. For those who may not know, the Holiday Village at Dean Porter Park in Brownsville is a collection of cottages, each one measuring about 10’ wide, 8’ deep and over 11’ tall, which are adorned inside and out with the most whimsical and adorable holiday trimmings. The Village is set up in the park every November, free and open to the public, and runs from the Monday before Thanksgiving through the first of the year.
Read more: Many Christmas activities are still ongoing in the Valley
By Barb Zanetti-Taetsch, Photos by Dennis Zanetti
At McAllen’s Elks Lodge 1402 a young girl stands before Santa with her hands on her hips and says, “Santa, do you have a naughty list?”
Santa, Wally Ostrowski, a Winter Texan from Alamo Rec Vehicle Park (ARVP), takes a second to answer her.
“Yes, I do,” he says. “But today, no one here is on it.”
“You HAVE to put my brother on that list,” she says, insisting that he take action and shaking her head, totally ignoring Santa’s absolution. “He steals my French fries … even when I’m watching!”
Read more: Elks and Winter Texans provide Christmas party for special need kids
Mission Bell/Trade Winds hosted their third annual Reverse Advent Calendar food drive. This was started in 2023 by a couple of park residents. DaLeen Markel found an article about a group of people that did this, and she shared it with Rick Anderson, and a decision was made to give it a go. And it has turned into a highly successful event that the sister parks do together.
Read more: Mission Bell – Tradewinds donates over 1,800 pounds of food
The Golf View Estates ladies who love to sew continue to make baby blankets for Mission Regional Medical Center. This season, the group of ladies also started making stuffed bears, dogs and other knitted items. The ladies have made and donated baby blankets and stuffed animals for newborn babies at hospital. This year, the group donated 360 blankets and 45 stuffed animals.
Tropic Star RV Resort raised over $3,000 to help provide clothes and toys for 38 children in the Pharr community. The activity was coordinated by Lorna and Danny Pence. The Pharr Police Department gathered, vetted and then shared the names of families in need. They assisted in obtaining a discount from the Burlington Store on S. Jackson St. in Pharr to help their money go even further. On Wednesday, December 10, 24 shoppers descended on Burlington and quickly gathered items. They then handed them off to 32 residents who wrapped them and then boxed the items for each family. The Pharr Police came and picked up the boxes and beginning, on December 12th, will be delivering the gifts to the families for the next 12 days.
The Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) proudly announces its upcoming Annual Community Health and Wellness Fair, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, January 13 and 14, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Mission Event Center, 200 N. Shary Rd., Mission.
Proudly sponsored by the City of Mission and Mission Regional Medical Center, this two-day wellness fair brings together healthcare providers, wellness experts, and local organizations to offer free health services and education to the community.
Read more: Mission Chamber to host Annual Health & Wellness Fair
On Tuesday December 9th, Tropic Star RV Resort in Pharr hosted their annual Teddy Bear Luncheon. Coordinated by Carol Peets, 103 ladies gifted 209 stuffed animals that were picked up by six Pharr Police Officers.
Over the past several years, the Teddy Bear Luncheon has donated thousands of stuffed animals for the Pharr Police and other Emergency Services to give out to children in need of comfort. The program is just one of the parks wonderful holiday traditions.
