December in Lubbock always hits a little different. Sure, the rest of the world is talking bowl games, holiday movies, and Christmas cookies–but here on the South Plains, we’ve also got parades, concerts, lights, and more! Here are four things to look forward to in December in West Texas.
Sports Season Is Packed—And Lubbock Gets in on the Fun
College football bowl season kicks off December 13th, and ALL of us will be screaming ‘RAIDER POWER!!!!’ for our Red Raiders. The NFL and NHL are rolling all month, the MLS Cup Final hits this Saturday, and the third annual NBA Cup runs through December 16th.
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And right here at home? Texas Tech basketball is in full swing, with big matchups at the USA throughout the month. Plus, high school basketball tournaments pop up all over the region.
Big Movies, Big Screens, and Lubbock’s Cozy Theaters
Hollywood is dropping heavy hitters this month. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” both arrive December 19th. Meanwhile, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” opens this Thursday, and both “Kill Bill” movies return in one massive 4-hour-and-35-minute marathon.
Christmas Day gets even busier with Timothée Chalamet playing a professional ping-ponger in Marty Supreme, and Jack Black and Paul Rudd battling a giant snake in a new “Anaconda”.
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If you’re staying local, Lubbock theaters are running holiday classics, too–so expect your annual “Elf,” “Home Alone,” and “Christmas Vacation” showings to be packed with people quoting lines out loud. (And no one minds.)
Big TV Moments—Perfect for Lubbock’s Cold NightsThe Rockefeller Tree Lighting airs Wednesday on NBC“Taylor Swift: The End of an Era” hits Disney+ on the 12th“Fallout” Season 2 drops the 17thThe second half of “Stranger Things” Season 5 arrives Christmas Day, with the series finale dropping December 31st
Translation: plenty to binge while the wind knocks over your trash cans.
Holiday Events All Across the South Plains
Beyond Christmas, Hanukkah (starting December 14th), and Kwanzaa (December 26th), December is FULL of events across Lubbock:
Santa Land at Mackenzie Park
Lights at Vintage Township
Ballet Lubbock’s “The Nutcracker”
Carol of Lights on the Tech campus
Lubbock Moonlight Musicals’ holiday performances
The Lubbock Lake Landmark Torchlight Tour
Plus, quirky holidays:
Giving Tuesday (the 2nd)National Ice Cream Day (the 13th)Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day (18th)Ugly Sweater Day (20th)the first day of winter (21st)Festivus (23rd)New Year’s Eve closes out 2025
December’s loaded, Lubbock–bundle up, get out there, and enjoy it.
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