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My family and I enjoyed a holiday staycation to celebrate the start of the kids’ winter break and my husband’s milestone birthday.  Now in its second holiday season offered, the 12 Days of Drover is a unique, elevated holiday experience exclusive to all overnight Hotel Drover guests to enjoy holiday activations featuring live reindeer, photos with Cowboy Santa, a festive hot cocoa station, boozy hot cocoa for grownups, and fire roasted s’mores tucked away in The Backyard.

Opened in March 2021, Hotel Drover is a new(ish) luxury Autograph Collection hotel by Marriott in downtown Fort Worth. This stunning hotel is built in the middle of the revamped Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards and Marine Creek. Mule Alley is now filled with shops, upscale saloons, new breweries and restaurants, the beautiful Hotel Drover, and Tannahills Music Hall. The area sparkles with lights at night, and the Hotel Drover neon pop cowboy lassos you into its modern Fort Worth ambiance and design.

In December, The Backyard at Hotel Drover transforms into an intimate, rustic-luxe, Western winter wonderland filled with twinkling lights and elegant family holiday experiences during the 12 Days of Drover. As you wander through the stunning patio dripping with Christmas lights, a charming courtyard with a massive Christmas tree welcomes you. Past the lit oak trees, the outdoor covered bar and heated pool, you’ll make your way to The Backyard where the holiday magic awaits.

 

 

Highlights from our holiday experience at the 12 Days Of Drover:

Decadent Hot Cocoa

A beautiful hot cocoa station with all the festive fixings made with real hot chocolate, real rich whipped cream, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, and marshmallows.

 

 

Deluxe S’Mores and Fire Pits

An elevated s’mores station serving up bags filled with all the goodies and supplies you’d need to roast s’mores at the fire pits, followed by a self-serve candy bar tower if s’mores aren’t your thing. For adults, there is a coffee truck serving up boozy hot cocoa.

Take your s’mores kit and grab a seat and gather around the cozy fire pits to roast your marshmallows, enjoy your cup of cocoa and take it all in.

Photos with Cowboy Santa

Cowboy Santa makes an appearance each night during the 12 Days of Drover for complimentary photos and a chance to visit and pet real reindeer. Cowboy Santa did a great job of posing for photos in a stylish branded sleigh while interacting with kids.

Traveller Tip: Be sure to scan the QR code immediately after your photo is taken so you can access and download your photos for a keepsake souvenir of your visit!

 

Christmas carolers provided fun, lively musical entertainment throughout the night.

 

Dining at 97 West Kitchen & Bar

We celebrated my husband’s milestone birthday with a dinner reservation at the hotel’s on-site restaurant 97 West Kitchen and Bar. We dined outside on the patio overlooking the lushly lit backyard and the creek where we could still hear the carlors singing just steps away from our table. I ordered the pecan smoked salmon served with a purple potato puree, while John had the grilled ribeye with fingerling potato hash and we all shared a family fixin’ of fried brussels sprouts with pork belly burnt ends cooked in Round Rock Honey and an apple cider vinaigrette. Our dishes paired well with the Pinot Noir. The kids were easy and ordered the kids Mac & Cheese and the 97 Texas Burger.

We finished with John’s birthday dessert, a 97 West chocolate ganache cake sent from the kitchen. Thank you chef!

Chocolate Ganache birthday cake from 97 West

 

 

 

Christmas Moments Throughout the Property

As stunning as the Hotel Drover already is, they take it up a notch with their Christmas installations and holiday moments (aka instagrammable moments) throughout the property. The installations are modern and witty, rustic and luxe, and subtly branded with the hotel’s stylish logo design. The best time to enjoy the grounds and explore the property and amenities is early in the mornings before guests show up and go about their day.

Front Courtyard

 

Lobby Library Display

 

An assortment of children’s Christmas books are available in lobby areas

 

Lobby Fireplace

 

Elevator Moment

 

 

Back Patio

 

Bar Patio

 

Extras

I love hotels that go the extra mile and offer extras to make your stay memorable and inspiring. Hotel Drover was designed with the whole family in mind. The Lil Ropers package add-on makes your child’s stay at Hotel Drover in the Fort Worth Stockyards extra legendary.

LIL ROPERS*

– Traveling with a Lil Roper Includes –
Child size robe & stool in-room (Upon Request)
Plush Horse Companion
Drover Style Wild Rag
Library of books and games
Family concierge with local recommendations for kids of all ages
Children’s menu at 97 West Kitchen & Bar

*Contact concierge for package pricing.

 

In conclusion, the service, staff, well-appointed rooms and amenities, and overall experience at Hotel Drover was superb. Staying during the 12 Days of Drover made it even more festive and memorable. I look forward to making this an annual holiday staycation tradition with my family. If you’re looking for a special, intimate, and unique experience to celebrate the holidays, this is it!

I enjoyed our stay at this hotel so much that I will have to write an entirely separate post on the amenities itself.

 

There are still several dates of 12 Days Of Drover packages available!  To book your stay:

Photo: Hotel Drover website

Stay between Tuesday, December 13 and Saturday, December 24 to enjoy 12 Days of Drover, open only to overnight Hotel Drover guests and patrons of 97 West Kitchen & Bar. Book the 12 Days of Drover special package to enjoy rooms starting at $399 on select dates plus four tickets to first annual Stockyards Rodeo Rink AND $100 resort credit (USD) redeemable in the New Year.

Featured dates for rooms starting at $399 include Tuesday, December 13 and Sunday, December 18 – Wednesday, December 21. Blackout dates apply and rates subject to change at any time. Book HERE

 

Merry Christmas!

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There’s a new ice skating rink in Fort Worth for the 2022 holiday season and my kids were excited to check out Rodeo Rink during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The location is excellent being at the stockyards, and not having to drive as far into DFW for holiday activities.

The Fort Worth Stockyards and Mule Alley, together with Hotel Drover, has introduced the first-ever Stockyards Rodeo Rink in November and will be open from November 25, 2022 to February 5, 2023.

What we loved:

An outdoor winter wonderland with a covered ice skating rink, festive programming such as photos with Cowboy Santa, live music, (hot) Cocoa Corral, a picnic area, firepits, a beautiful holiday lights display, and a 40-foot Christmas tree for all your holiday photos needs.

 

Rodeo Rink hours:

Monday – Thursday has 5 sessions: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday has 6 sessions to choose from: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm.

 

You can buy tickets here:

Stockyards Rodeo Rink – NOW OPEN!

 

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This week, I’m sharing our final winter decorations that go up – the Christmas tree and our front porch lights.  Coupon code at the end!

Sources:  1. Flocked Slim Christmas Tree  | 2. Tree Skirt | 3. Sheepskin Runner | 4. Large Wire Wreath (sold out from 2018, similar here)| 5. Garland | 6. Metal Lanterns (from 2017, similar here) | 7. Stockings | 8. Dew Drop Lights| 9. Faux Fur Throw Pillows (on sale!)  | 10. Birch Logs

 

I’ve always been on Team “Real Tree” but there are some very convincing faux options on the market that had me convinced two years ago. AND the amazing thing about a faux tree is that a ton of them come pre-lit.  It takes out all of the light spacing, cord tangling stress and leaves only the fun ornament hanging. Speaking of ornaments, I decided to forgo the ornaments this year and kept the tree simple with just its lights. This is our third holiday season enjoying our King of Christmas Flocked Tree, and I can honestly say that I very much enjoy having a faux tree. Not only is it beautiful, but it fits perfectly in my space.  Thanks to the slim shape, we still have room to walk from the entryway to the living room.

 

Front Door

Sources:  1. Garland | 2. Wreath | 3. Mini Trees | 5. Dew Drop Lights|

 

Really loving how our new front door looks decorated for the holidays this year. My front door decor items are usually made up of: garland around the door frame, a wreath, and two small trees (one on each side of the door for balance.)

Now that Thanksgiving is done, and all the Christmas decorations are up and out, it’s time to enjoy the holiday splendor and make time to do the things you love. The only holiday to-do’s I have left on my list is to wrap some gifts and place them under the tree!  As for the rest of the holiday season, I always find this to be a good time to reflect on the year, and to start thinking about goals for the new year to come.

Lastly, if you’re still shopping for a Christmas tree or other Christmas decorations,  I have a coupon code for you! Use the code: SAVE15: during checkout for 15% off your purchase of anything on the King of Christmas site.

Thanks for reading!

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This week, I’m sharing how I “winterized” two features in our home: the entryway and the fireplace mantels—how to make those areas feel like a little winter escape with a nod to the holidays (yes there are stockings, but tree’s not up…YET) in early November that could easily be added to for Christmas, and is giving me all the cozy feels.

Entryway – Creating a Simple, Elegant Welcoming

Sources:  1. French Country Mirror | 2. Mini Wreath | 3. Silver Bell Ornaments | 4. Metal Lantern | 5. Dew Drop Lights|

I styled our entryway and fireplace mantels, using mostly Target products (Wondershop, DollarSpot, Threshold, and Hearth & Hand) all in this beautiful natural winter vibe. The general aesthetic theme was “hygge ranch” so I kept everything simple and minimal (with a couple of statement pieces) to work with.  The main palette was set with whites, metals, woods and greenery rounded out with lots of soft ambient lights and twinkle lights…starting at the front door.

 

Fireplace Mantels – Adding Traditional and Statement Holiday Elements

Sources:  1. Large Wire Wreath (sold out from 2018, similar here)| 2. Garland | 3. Metal Lanterns (from 2017, similar here) | 4. Mini Trees | 5. Dew Drop Lights|

 

Probably one of my favorite features of a home is having a fireplace mantel to decorate for the holidays. Lucky for us, we have two fireplaces, so I get double the fun to decorate both mantels.

I made the garland above by combining three different garlands and faux stems for a fuller look, and wove in dewdrop lights, then swagged the garland to one side so it’s off centered from the mantel for a more modern vibe.  I plan to add more candles scattered across the mantel for more soft lighting as lighting is so important during these darker days.

Hands down, my favorite new holiday item from Target’s Wondershop this year is this fabulously large, simple yet striking, lit wire wreath, pictured on my accent wall at the kitchen. At night, the ambiance is calming in this room from the wreath’s twinkle lights.

Sources: 1. Lit LED Wire Christmas Wreath “Joy”   | 2. Garland | 3. Light Fixtures (from remodel June 2019)| 4. Wreath on Hood |

Target DollarSpot finds this season: four mini wreaths I attached to the backs of the counter stools, and a sled and mini holiday sign to add to the kitchen vignettes.

While our home is already pretty neutral, going with softer colors instead of traditional holiday hues like red and green (or even blue and silver) neutral colors really extends the life of the “winter” look. Plus, if you’re like me, right at New Year’s Eve, I get a little anxious to take down any signs of Christmas already.  I can’t imagine getting tired of cozy, furry pillows, cozy throws, and glowy candles, piece I could still carry throughout to early spring.

I’m full-on ready now to bring in winter (even though it still hits near 70 in the afternoons in DFW)!

Stay tuned for the next holiday post where I’ll share our Christmas tree and front porch!

 

 

 

 

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One of my favorite Easter traditions is putting together baskets for the boys. Our boys will receive these modest sized Easter baskets, and while they definitely dream about it being filled with candy, I include only a few of their favorite candy treats, while incorporating fun little personalized gifts too.

Jonah & Baron’s Easter Basket Details: Easter Baskets: Magnolia Hearth & Hand for Target | Monogram Basket Charms: Spritz for Target  | Chocolate Bunny: Peeps | Cotton Candy Cones: Maud Borup | Garden Gloves: Kid Made Modern| Kinder Easter Eggs: you can find these at just about any grocery store near the checkout lines!

 

Easter baskets can be as simple or as eggstragavant as you wish to make them.

Here are a few ideas for Easter gifts or basket fillers for kids, all under $20:

  1. Tamagotchi – I had one from the 90s! The updated versions are a hit and still affordable. $12
  2. Peter Rabbit books – a classic! Gift set includes 4 books that can be divided among siblings and family members. $16
  3. Dinosaur Eggs – great value for 60 pieces. $13
  4. Hatchimal Puzzle  $7.99
  5. Garden Tools – for your little helpers in the garden, $19, and another version $8
  6. Mad Libs  – Diary of a Wimpy Kid version! Great for older kids to build a richer vocabulary to master grammar. $9

What are your favorite things to put in your kids’ Easter baskets?