About Houston's Prestonwood

Within hours of posting our newest listing, which is our personal home, we got a call to schedule a showing!

We granted the request and two hours later the agent arrived with her working partner and the out of town couple. We went outside so the agents could show the house without feeling any pressure.

Within a few Minutes, the agent opened the back door to tell us that this couple was looking for a specific floor-plan and this was not it...

We were of course disappointed , but we cannot change the floor-plan. It is what it is. I did wonder if the agent could not have guessed that it did not have what her customer wanted by its size and the remarks? Maybe she could have asked some questions on the phone before dragging her clients around? From an agents perspective, perhaps my ideas are slanted, and it does feel very different to be on this side of the sales process.

Yesterday it was very stormy all day and the phones did not ring for our house or any of our listings.

Having an enforced day off occasionally may be a really good thing. I really did not realize how tired we were. We have been busting it for five months to get the house into show shape! Perhaps the buyer will show up tomorrow! It does only take one!

A great stress reliever would be NOT putting things off until the last minute. Procrastination has been one oft least favorite character traits all my life!

Today is the deadline for getting our Christmas lights set up for this Christmas Season. We started yesterday and literally ran out of daylight before we could get the task complete.

Appointments in addition to an unexpected computer glitch requiring a trip to the genius bar at the Apple store have successfully robbed us of the morning and early afternoon.

We still need to get a timer and some more yard supplies so time is becoming an issue.

How embarrassing it will be to be scrambling after the sun goes down and people are out enmass to view the lights. Perhaps they will just think we have achieved a new level of animation?

The good news is that we are not being graded on this, and there are no penalties for an incomplete project. Wonder if the extra stress will give us the incentive to start the next project with more time to spare. Based upon our previous performances in the personal projects department, it seems highly doubtful. Wonder when we will consider ourselves as a priority.

We live in a subdivision that was once known as the "Christmas subdivision. " In days gone by, the HOA required that the residents decorate the exterior of their homes. This event was a highlight of the Christmas Season for many Houston residents.

The traffic was horrid,but the over all effect seemed to achieve a peaceful sparkling escape for all for a couple of weeks each year since the early 1970s.

Times have changed. The participation is no longer required, but is still widely popular for residents and light gazers as well.

Tomorrow night will be the first night of this seasons light event. It will continue every night till Jan 1. It means that most homes are already wearing their holiday finery. We are right on the edge of being ready for prime time. We still have all day tomorrow, unless we get lucky and someone wants for us to show some property...

If you live in the Cypress, Spring, Tomball, Waller, or any part of Northwest Houston, you might consider adding this bright spot to your Christmas Holidays! Prestonwood Forest is right off SH 249 close to FM 1960.

It's Christmas time folks and whatever holiday you choose to celebrate aside, this is the season of lights! In the NW Houston area, one of the top neighborhoods to visit each year for light viewing is Prestonwood Forest, just off Hwy. 249 N (see map below for access points into the neighborhood). Prestonwood Forest has been serving up holiday cheer to area residents for many years, and this year is the year for it to shine even brighter as it has been rumored that even HGTV may make a visit to this famously bright neighborhood. The Prestonwood Forest 'Nite of Lites' festival runs from Saturday, December 10 to Sunday, January 1. Lights are on daily from 6:30 PM - 10 PM.

If you haven't been to "Christmas Lights Neighborhood" before then you're in a for a treat. Residents go all out to decorate their streets and homes with massive amounts of Christmas lights. Many streets have a theme that each neighbor participates in and the neighborhood as a whole offers fun competitions for categories such as best cul-de-sac, best lamp post, best front door, best mailbox, best block. High traffic congests the area at this time, but no one is upset. In fact, visitors frequently pile into the backs of trucks or on trailers equipped with friends, Christmas tunes and hot chocolate while they meander the neighborhood checking out the displays.

Over the 36+ years that Prestonwood Forest has been hosting the Nite of Lites festival, many families in the area have made a visit to Prestonwood part of their annual holiday tradition. If you're looking for a new tradition for your family, consider making a visit to Prestonwood Forest. If you do come, here a few rules that the homeowners association has asked visitors to keep in mind and a map of where to access the neighborhood.

DO’s

1. Have fun!

2. Remember lights are on all days during the Nite of Lites from 6pm until 10pm weekdays and until 11pm on weekends.

3. Visit both sides of our neighborhood (see map – Many visitors miss some of the best decorated houses in our neighborhood by failing to visit the streets between Ravenhurst and Hargrave).

4. Respect our residents and let them in and out of their driveways.

5. KEEP YOUR VEHICLE LIGHTS ON.

6. Remember to make a bathroom stop before enjoying the lights.

7. Be patient and show courtesy to other visitors.

8. Use caution when backing your vehicle.

9. Feel free to say “Merry Christmas” and “your house looks great” to homeowners who are outside enjoying the event.

10. Have Fun!

DON’TS

1. Drive with your vehicle lights off.

2. Enter our residents’ yards without permission.

3. Think bushes or trees are public bathrooms.

4. Throw trash in the streets or yards.

5. Tamper, adjust or move decorations.

6. Take a souvenir string of lights.

7. Feed the bears (ok maybe you don’t have to worry about this).