2009 Candlelight Christmas Home Tour -   Add a little Victorian charm to your holiday season with great shopping, ice skating, festivities and memories to last a lifetime that only Waxahachie can offer.

The holiday season will officially begin with the Candlelight Christmas Home Tour hosted by the Waxahachie Downtown Merchants Association . The tour features 12 unique homes total, spanning from the Victorian era to the 21st Century, decorated in their holiday finest for three weekends.  Each dazzling weekend will showcase four bedecked properties.    The homes will be open from 2 p.m.-8 p.m.  Tickets are $15 per weekend and can be purchased at the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce, Ellis County Museum and at the homes on tour the day of the event. The Downtown Victorian Christmas Festival taking place again this year at the same time as the Candlelight Home Tour as an added attraction with festivities including visiting artisans selling their wares around the Ellis County Courthouse Square, music by America’s only traveling carillon “Cast in Bronze, photos with Santa in Toyland Park on the Square and the new Enchanted Pines E-Z glide outdoor ice skating rink.Enchanted Pines will feature a 4,000 sq. ft. ice skating rink located in the parking lot across from City Hall with rental skates available in the Parks and Recreation building.  Enchanted Pines will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Thanksgiving weekend until the end of December.  Admission will be $6 per person.  Discount coupons will be available at the Ellis County Museum, the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce and other participating merchants.     

Bethlehem Revisited, the event Fox 4 News named the “#1 Holiday Event in the Lone Star State will take place December 5-7  and 12-14.  Bethlehem allows visitors an opportunity to step back in time 2000 years, walk the streets of ancient Bethlehem and observe the reenactment of the night of Christ’s birth, complete with Mary, Joseph, marketplace vendors, craftsmen, tradesmen, clergy and many more, as well as numerous live animals.  “The Supper Quilt” by Dr. Donald E. Locke D.D.S. will also be on display inside the Central Presbyterian Church.The city of Bethlehem is located behind the Central Presbyterian Church, 402 N. College, and it is open from 6 pm-9 pm.  Admission is FREE. The non-profit event is produced solely by volunteers and donations. Waxahachie’s other holiday favorites include the Christmas Market & Gift Show on December 6, sponsored by the Waxahachie Junior Service League, at the Waxahachie Civic Center from 10 am-5 pm.  Admission price is $5.  The Waxahachie Christmas Parade will also be hosted by the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce and Optimist Club on that day in downtown Waxahachie starting at 10 a.m. For more information, call the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau at 972-937-2390 or visit www.waxahachiechamber.com.