One of the benefits of the Houston Christmas season that often goes overlooked is the fact that going outside is still pretty pleasant without having to put on inordinate layers of clothing. True, we may all dream of a white Christmas, but Houston doesn't exactly deal with cold weather or rainy driving well and an actual white Christmas just sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Plus, milder weather means that we can still ride our bikes in December without worrying about serious injury from the elements; this is good because things are dangerous enough as it is with the other vehicles on the road. Try riding your bike to work in, for example, Green Bay; sure you might not get run over, but you're way more likely to lose a digit to frostbite.
If you're the type that enjoys biking and Christmas lights, this can be a magical time of year. Why waste gas and argue over whether or not to listen to Christmas mix you keep forgetting to update when you can hit the streets on your bike, see some cool lights and get a bit of exercise.
And if you're riding with the Rusty Riders, that may also include making some new friends.
From a humble start of just 16 riders, the Rusty Riders annual Christmas lights bike ride has grown over the last few years to include hundreds of local cyclists.
Watch the video and look at how happy everyone is to be to enjoy a beautiful night and some beautiful lights. Try doing that in the frozen tundra that is the northern part of America. Sure, they may have snowmen and snowball fights, but they don't get to ride around on their bikes in shorts and t-shirts. Mostly just just shovel their driveways. What fun is that?