Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself.  Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.

So the presents have been opened and everyone is blissfully basking in the warm afterglow of the holiday season. In most households the basking will last until about 10 a.m. on Christmas morning. After that, everyone is itching to get out of the house and away from the glow.

After Christmas can be the perfect time to take in those fabulous light displays. The crowds have thinned out and the holiday pressure to get every experience in before Christmas day has magically disappeared. Instead of feeling compelled to rush, you have time to relax and really take in the beauty of the displays.

Here are some light displays you and the kiddos can check out. Hopefully they’ll help the holiday glow last a teensy bit longer.

Although it doesn’t technically fall into the holiday category, you won’t find any display more spectacular than the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park. Guests walk through a colorfully lit garden of 24 different scenes around the lagoon area. Highlights include; a 300 foot Imperial Dragon Boat that’s big enough to welcome passengers aboard, a Porcelain Pagoda temple made of 68,000 pieces of porcelain dish ware, and a cast of monkeys, pandas, and giant tulips. You have until Jan. 5  to see the explosions of color.

Now is the perfect time to enjoy area light displays. (Photo: Vitruvian Lights)

Another out-of-the-ordinary place to view lights is at Klyde Warren Park. Get out of your car and let the kids burn off the sugar from the Christmas cookies on the path around the park. You and the kiddo scan grab a snack at one of the food trucks nearby and then head over to the rink to try your hand at ice skating. If you’re feeling extra energetic take a stroll over to the AT&T Performance Center and check out the 72 trees in the center that are illuminated by 250,000 lights. Except for the skating and the food trucks it’s a totally free experience.

Another good place for a Winter Wonderland-like walk is Vitruvian Lights in Addison. You and the little kiddies can wind through a beautiful 12-acre park that’s lit up with millions of lights wrapped around more than 200 trees. The lights remain on every evening through Jan. 1 and best of all, it’s free.

If you really want to do it up big, load up the tines and head to the Gift of Lights and Snow at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The Gift of Lights is drive-thru light show that features more than 600 holiday displays in a nearly two-mile span at TMS. The SnowMagic Snow Village is an outdoor area that features a tubing hill, snowball gallery and play area created from more than 100 tons of real snow that is refreshed daily. It should be noted that the light display and the snow village are two separate attractions at the TMS with separate admission fees. Open daily until Jan. 5.

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer.  She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 8-year-old daughter, Rose.  Tell us about your quirky kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at [email protected].