The Lake Highlands Junior Women's League organizes and pays for the Christmas tree on Wildcat Way. Last year's version was 22 feet of synthetic evergreen. Crews assembled and decorated it in a single Monday, and it stood over Cane Rosso and Fish City Grill. Then it stayed dark until the night of the league's annual event, according to the Lake Highlands Advocate.
This year that event is Light Up the Highlands, on Sunday, November 29, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 7100 Wildcat Way. That's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and the address puts it at Merriman Park's corner. For most of Lake Highlands it's a short drive to the season's biggest kickoff. For Merriman Park it's a neighborhood event in the most literal sense, with the tree just one crossing away.
The Tree Sits One Crossing Away
Merriman Park Estates is laid out south of Walnut Hill Lane, east of Abrams Road and west of Skillman Street. The association dates the neighborhood to 1958 and counts 12 streets. Lake Highlands Town Center, anchored by Sprouts, occupies the southeast quadrant of Walnut Hill and Skillman. Put the two descriptions side by side and the Town Center sits directly across Skillman from Merriman Park's northeast corner.
On the north side of Walnut Hill sits Lake Highlands Station, the Blue Line stop at 9393 Whistle Stop Place, on the northwest corner of Walnut Hill and White Rock Trail. DART describes the Town Center's sidewalks, trails and streets as linking to the station. That station lot, the Town Center and the neighborhoods around them make up the event's parking map.
Where the Event Page Points Drivers
The league's event page answers the parking question in two sentences:
You are welcome to park at the local DART station parking lot across the street, in the Lake Highlands Town Center, and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Handicap parking is available in the the DART Station parking lot immediately across Walnut Hill.
The same answer adds a warning in bold: avoid No Parking zones or risk a tow.
Hundreds of families came to the 2024 edition, the Advocate reported. Visitors driving in from across Lake Highlands have the station lot, the Town Center and the nearby streets to choose from. For a Merriman Park household, the trip to the tree takes no parking at all. You leave the car in the driveway and arrive on foot with the stroller, the wagon or the dog.
Two Hours on Wildcat Way
The schedule fits into one late afternoon, and the 2026 lineup is long for a free event. The league lists these activities:
- A Christmas tree countdown and local performances
- Pictures with Santa
- The Christmas Market
- A snow luge, a bounce house and a 360 photo booth
- A hot chocolate station
- Face painting and balloon artists
- A Cane Rosso food truck selling personal pizzas for $12 to $13, and a Cedar & Vine food truck with food for purchase
The league calls everything family friendly and says the event is stroller and wheelchair accessible.
Admission costs nothing. The league asks each guest to bring two non-perishable food items for NorthPark Presbyterian Church's Reverse Food Truck, which collects for community partners such as the Vickery Meadow Food Pantry. The most-needed items are specific: spices like cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and coriander, plus flour, corn meal, masa harina flour, sugar, cooking oil, can openers and maxi pads. If you're walking over, it's easy to put a bag of masa and a jar of cumin by the front door that morning.
A League Built It, and It Settled at This Corner Recently
The event hasn't always been on Merriman Park's doorstep. The league itself goes back to 2004. In a 2024 profile, the Advocate described Light Up the Highlands as founded 10 years earlier. The rest of the history, from Advocate coverage over the years, comes down to a few changes:
- Around 2014: Light Up the Highlands begins.
- 2018: The event moves to the Town Center from its spot across from the high school because construction was underway at Lake Highlands Recreation Center Park. That year's program included carolers and Santa with live reindeer.
- 2024: The tenth anniversary. A taller tree replaces the decade-old original, and a Christmas Market of local vendors joins the lineup.
- 2026: The newer tree's third season on Wildcat Way, with the countdown, the market and the Reverse Food Truck all on the program.
A move made during a park construction project gave the event the address it still uses, at the edge of Merriman Park. The league also raises money from sponsors every year to put the event on. The countdown is a volunteer project from the tree to the hot chocolate.
When the Countdown Ends, Dinner Is Close
The food trucks pack up at 6 p.m., and the Town Center's own restaurants are right there. Cane Rosso's Lake Highlands location at 7150 Skillman St. lists current hours and menus dated through November 2026. Fish City Grill keeps a Lake Highlands location at 7170 Skillman St. Jersey Mike's is in the same building at Suite 140. Sprouts at 7110 Skillman St. is open daily until 10 p.m. if Monday's lunches still need groceries.
For a sit-down meal a short drive east, Lakeridge Village at Walnut Hill and Audelia now has Sorella, an Italian restaurant at 9660 Audelia Road run by sisters Gondze Ajro and Vjosa Bajraktari. The Dallas Observer reported a soft opening on Aug. 24. The Lake Highlands Advocate's October profile listed lasagna bolognese with béchamel at $24 and spicy vodka rigatoni with Calabrian chilis at $21. It also said the large room on the left side can be reserved for private dining. That's handy if the extended family is still in town after Thanksgiving.
In the same center, Vector Brewing's menu now lists coffee from 7 a.m. and breakfast Tuesday through Sunday, with full breakfast Friday through Sunday. Taco Joint and Goldie's are tenants there too.
The Rest of the Season, Mostly Within a Few Miles
The Arboretum's display opens first, and the tree countdown and two December dates follow close to home. Two of them come from the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District, and one is the Arboretum's long-running display on Garland Road.
| Event | Date | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday at the Arboretum | Nov. 11, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027 | Daytime 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Holiday at Night 5 to 10 p.m. | Dallas Arboretum |
| Light Up the Highlands | Sunday, Nov. 29 | 4 to 6 p.m. | Lake Highlands Town Center, 7100 Wildcat Way |
| Hope for the Holidays | Saturday, Dec. 5 | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Location to be announced by LHPID |
| Holiday on Forest | Saturday, Dec. 12 | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Forest Audelia Park, 9759 Forest Lane |
This season at the Arboretum includes the Christmas Village, the DeGolyer House decorations and the last year of the 12 Days of Christmas gazebos, according to the Arboretum. In past years, Hope for the Holidays has been a gift drive. The Advocate's 2019 coverage suggested buying a toy for a child ages 1 to 12, buying a gift card, or donating money for the PID to shop with. The 2024 Holiday on Forest had Santa, reindeer, Frosty, children's activities, giveaways and free snacks and drinks.
TxDOT's 635 East project wrapped up with a ribbon cutting on Sept. 14 after six years of construction, and the work included rebuilding the Skillman Street Bridge, the Advocate reported.
I've been doing real estate in Lake Highlands for nearly two decades, and a lot of the work happens on blocks like these, where a household's year runs on its own calendar. If you're in Merriman Park and wondering how close-to-home events like Light Up the Highlands fit into a sale or purchase timeline, The Dallas Realtor is glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation.
