Christmas Lights on the Courthouse Square
Beeville, Texas - November 16, 2001
    By Lizzie Welder
    An Interview with Teresa Holland

Every year since 1991 we've had Christmas lights at the Courthouse. We can thank Teresa Holland for that. Her favorite holiday is, of course, Christmas. Every year she has new ideas and new lights. She gets a lot of help from the McConnell Community Squad. These men are offenders who are about to get out of prison. They are very nice men, and by doing good deeds like this they make a better impression. The prisoners are the ones who do all the climbing. To get the trees lighted, they have to climb about twenty feet high, which is two stories.

Around Thanksgiving they start putting up the lights. The hardest part is getting all the supplies and lights ready. I asked Teresa Holland why she never uses colored lights. She told me that at other courthouses you never see colored lights so she has never thought about it.

When people come to see the lights, they usually give donations. These donations help a lot. The supplies altogether probably cost around $15,000 or $20,000. The more money they get, the prettier the courthouse will look. The county pays for the electricity. 

The most fun part is watching the little children come and look at the lights. Besides the children's tree, this year they are going to put up a patriotic tree because of the tragedy of September 11. On December 1, there will be church choirs singing carols and carriage rides for everyone. There will also be a wonderful carriage that brings Santa Claus to the courthouse. (See www.Beeville.Net/ChristmasInBeeville  for more information.)