The holiday season in Houston is a magical time. The city cools down, lights decorate every corner, and families are offered a variety of ways to celebrate. From fun festivals to symphony shows, there is something for everyone. Check out our roundup below for ways to make the most of the holiday season in H-town.  Holiday Shows Around Town  Houston SymphonyDisney’s Fantasia Thanksgiving Weekend Watch the beloved Disney classic while the Symphony brings the soundtrack to life.   Home Alone Dec. 3, 2022  Listen to renowned composer John Williams’ score performed alongside the movie in the beautifully decorated Jones Hall.  Very Merry POPS Dec. 15 – 18, 2022  Broadway’s talented N’Kenge joins the Houston Symphony and Chorus for classic yuletide carols and festive favorites.  Houston Ballet  Nov. 25 – Dec. 27  The Nutcracker is must for every Houston holiday bucket list. Attending this performance is a tradition for many families and is truly the perfect holiday experience for the whole family. Behind on holiday shopping? You can also attend the Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market, which is a shopping wonderland that benefits the Houston Ballet Foundation.  Click to expand Festivals to Attend  Dickens on the Strand Dec. 2 – 4  Transport back to the Victorian era while walking the streets of Galveston’s strand. This annual festival features holiday food and drinks as well as Victorian-inspired crafts and other unique shopping opportunities.  Discovery Green Winter Celebration  Nov. 11 – Jan. 29  Discovery Green is known for offering Houstonians a creative, green space to have a good time year-round. It is especially magical in the wintertime when it transforms into an ice-skating rink. Opening night kicks off Nov. 11, and the first 50 skaters skate free!  Tomball German Festival Dec. 9 – 11  Experience German food, dancing and music while shopping through the festival market, which has over 150 unique vendors.  Houston’s Best Lights  Moody Gardens Lights in Galveston Nov. 19 – Jan 7  The stunning lights of Moody Gardens will twinkle on again this year! As the holidays approach, Moody Gardens gets ready to host the spectacular sights and stunning displays that make up the Festival of Lights. In addition to light shows, there are several other winter activities for families and visitors, such as smores stations, train rides and arctic slides.  Click to expand Santa Wonderland Nov. 11 – Dec. 30th Located in College station, this is worth the drive for any Houstonian. Not only does Santa’s wonderland have spectacular lights and décor, but there are also a wide range of activities, such as tubing through the snow, hay rides pictures with Santa and more.  Zoo lights Nov. 18 – Jan 8  TXU Energy Zoo lights is one of Houston’s favorite lights experiences, and for a good reason! Strings of lights, glowing flowers and animal-themed displays illuminate the zoo as visitors walk through at night. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and snap a picture with Santa for the perfect evening out.  These are just a few ways to experience the city during the happiest time of the year. Let us know your favorite Houston holiday happening by sharing a picture on Instagram and tagging @liveworkhou. Check out more ways to explore Houston.

A total of 120 companies participated in Houston’s first Regional Equity & Inclusion Assessment in 2021, establishing a baseline for where companies stood on a set of 15 key DEI benchmarks. The assessment is based on the Global DEI Benchmarks and provides an internal roadmap for DEI planning and progress. Through the Partnership’s One Houston Together efforts, we will conduct the assessment again in 2023 to offer companies an opportunity to gauge their individual progress and to learn how the business community is collectively progressing on DEI.  As companies prepare to complete the assessment this spring, Partnership member and global consulting firm Accenture worked with One Houston Together to create an Implementation Toolkit to support organizational progress. The toolkit focuses on 7 of the 15 DEI benchmarks and includes a set of 20 recommendations to drive strategy and attract and retain people.  Foundation: Drive the Strategy  1. Vision  2. Leadership 3. Structure Internal: Attract & Retain People  4. Recruitment 5. Benefits 6. Compensation  7. Flexibility  View the presentation. During the November One Houston Together Talent Roundtable, Tiffany Wallace with Accenture Strategy & Consulting presented the toolkit and discussed how it can be used to help companies determine areas of focus.  The collaboration with One Houston Together and creation of the toolkit is part of Accenture’s social impact work, which also includes the development of apprenticeship programs and working to prepare students for the jobs of the future to address the anticipated talent gap and skills shortage.  “Accenture is committed to building more opportunities for more people and fostering a culture of equality internally and within local communities,” Wallace said.  Accenture is also partnering with local historically black colleges and universities to create pathways for students into the field of technology to address the lack of Black talent in the sector.  Wallace said DEI progress is often slow, even among more progressive organizations. “For Accenture it wasn’t a quick and easy journey,” she said. “I joined Accenture in 2014 and I can honestly say that I feel l can bring my true self to work each and every day. I see diversity around me every day which wasn’t the case when I first joined.”  View highlights of the toolkit here. The 2023 Houston Region Equity & Inclusion Assessment will be open from April 1-June 1, 2023. Data from January 1-December 31, 2022 should be used to complete the assessment. View the assessment questions in this fillable PDF and review findings from the 2021 assessment here.