What is Christmas without snow and Santa? Unless you're on a Caribbean beach, then there's gotta be snow on the lawn and a fat guy coming down the chimney to eat your cookies. (This second miracle of Christmas is a more physical phenomenon.) Since cold and wet have not yielded to snow (as of this writing), The Shops at Willow Bend (in North Dallas off the Tollway) once again comes to the rescue of local young hearts and little tykes. The giant snow globes are back through December 31and they are baaaaad boys. Forget last year's cuddly penguins. In this year's special 20-foot dome we've got psycho funny man Vince Vaughn (well, actually, a life-size fake Vince Vaughn) plugging his Fred Claus holiday comedy in a no-cost wonderland journey through arctic cold, falling snow and movie soundtrack. Other domes feature a 28-foot Christmas tree and a photo station where the family can be "green-screened" into the movie's North Pole Workshop. Fred's better-known brother Nicholas is also on hand to keep an eye on his bro and open an ear to your wishes. Visit shopwillowbend.com.
Dec. 27-31, 2007