NORTHWEST HOUSTON — After missing a large portion of its yearly revenue due to the burn ban around the Fourth of July season, fireworks stores have the green light to open shop around New Years, one of two annual windows when sales are legal in Texas.

Fireworks will be permitted for sale from Dec. 20 until midnight Jan. 1 with the exception of "rockets with sticks" and "missiles with fins," two common types that pose a fire hazard, according to Harris County Fire Marshall Mike Montgomery.

Despite the ban of the two items, fireworks stores are still expected to be busy, said Sue Davis, spokesperson for TopDog Fireworks.

"Those items are popular but it's a lot better than having a ban on the entire season," Davis said. "If people can't get the restricted fireworks, they will just buy something else. We don't think it will affect us that much. We are just thrilled to have a season at all."

TopDog Fireworks sells an equal amount of fireworks around the Fourth of July than they do leading up to New Years Eve, Davis said.

"We lost about half of the season and half of our income when the fireworks were banned for the Fourth of July holiday and that's a lot to make up," she said.

The previous ban also had a big impact on nonprofits employed by the stores that relied on sales from the season, including sales from the TopDog Fireworks warehouse located at Hwy. 290 and Huffmeister Road.

The Cypress-Springs High School Band receives a portion of the proceeds from TopDog's sales at the warehouse, which typically amount to 70 percent of the band's six-figure yearly budget, said Justin Smith, band director back in June. The money is used to pay for entry fees to contests, trips and instruments.

Each nonprofit employed by TopDog lost a different amount due to the fireworks ban, but Davis said one Houston-area high school band stood to lose $20,000 to $30,000 during the Fourth of July season.

"The nonprofits can make more money in the 11 days selling fireworks than they can doing 2,000 carwashes, they tell me," she said. "That's a huge chunk of money that they depend on. I'm thrilled that they are going to be able to make their money this season."

There were 4,000 to 5,000 temporary employees other than the nonprofits that weren't hired around the Fourth of July sales period, Davis said.

"Those nonprofits lost a huge amount of income," Davis said. "Plus you've got other stores, other companies that hire part time security and truckers that move the fireworks. The people that were affected in that fireworks ban expanded exponentially."