Grapevine to cut Christmas costs by using decorations from Gaylord Texan

While Councilman C. Shane Wilbanks said he was on board with the decorations to be purchased from the Gaylord Texan, he expressed concerns over where to put them so as to not appear to have too many or too little in any one area.

Williams said many of the ornament balls will be along Northwest Highway and at all the gateway entrances of Grapevine Mills, the Gaylord Texan and Bass Pro Shops. Other decorations will be placed in downtown Grapevine along South Main Street.

"We've had a goal for several years to improve and really expand the Christmas appearance of downtown into other areas," Councilwoman Darlene Freed said. "It seems to me that being able to get really nice decorations for almost 10 cents on the dollar is pretty great."

Mayor William D. Tate supported the plan but voiced his concerns for future years.

"I don't want to get into a situation where we're just taking [the Gaylord Texan's] hand-me-downs every year," he said. "I think we need to buy things that fit in Grapevine and work for us."

The City Council unanimously approved to authorize the sole source purchase of decorations from the resort and convention center, with the stipulation that the Parks and Recreation Department would come back with a presentation of the layout for the decorations.