Christmas in the Valley

What is it like for a New Englander to spend Christmas in the Rio Grande Valley? Wonderful! Does it still seem like Christmas without the snow and ice that usually accompanies Christmas?  Sure does! There's nothing like going Christmas shopping wearing shorts and sandals. 

There are plenty of signs of Christmas here. In fact, the town of Hidalgo has a huge display of lights that is well-known throughout the Valley.  Here are some photos from last year's display. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through town to see the lights.

While most people gather with their families for Christmas, the last two years we've spent Christmas with our Mission West family.

As you can see, we were not alone. The park was pretty full by Christmas, with many more people arriving just after the New Year.

Decorating the motorhome was a lot easier than decorating the house back in New Hampshire. No snow to dig through, no icy roof to hang decorations from... nice!!

Back in the Rio Grande Valley

We left San Antonio in a rainstorm and 50 degree temperatures. The rain was welcome to Texas but not what we wanted for a travel day.  After about an hour, the rain started to let up and the clouds started to break up.  It wasn't long before the sun was out and we had dry roads again.  When we arrived in Mission, the temperature was a very welcome 87 and the sun was hot.  It sure felt good to be back in the Valley.  

Every winter, thousands of Winter Texans come to the Rio Grande Valley to escape the cold, snowy winters in the north.  There are probably a couple hundred RV parks in the RGV.  We stay at Mission West RV Park in Mission. This is our second year here and we enjoy all of the activities the park offers.  We were looking forward to seeing friends from last year and meeting up with some friends from home who also spend the winters down here.