For more than 20 years, families have made their way to Vetro Glassblowing in downtown Grapevine during the holiday season to create something they can bring home and hang on the Christmas tree year after year.
Located on Main Street behind the Grapevine Vintage Railroad depot, Vetro has become part of the holiday experience in a city known for its elaborate Christmas celebrations. Each year, the glassblowing studio welcomes families, friends and groups to step inside its shop and create their own handblown glass ornament.
For some families, that visit has become a tradition spanning decades.
“We have a lot of people who come year after year,” said David Gappa, owner and master glassblower of Vetro. “They’ve made Vetro a part of their holiday tradition, and we do our best to help welcome them each year to make it a unique experience each time.”
How has Vetro Glassblowing become a Grapevine Christmas tradition?
Vetro has called Grapevine, the official Christmas Capital of Texas, home for more than two decades, growing alongside the city's holiday festivities and becoming a familiar stop for visitors exploring downtown during the season.
Gappa said some customers have returned every Christmas since Vetro opened, building collections of more than 20 ornaments to add to their trees or gift each year. Some families create one ornament together each year, while others have every family member make their own.
The studio's location places visitors close to the heart of Grapevine's Christmas activity. Gappa said the area surrounding Vetro transforms into a festive environment that extends throughout downtown, organized in large part by the city of Grapevine.
“Each year, the city turns our front parking lot into a Christmas wonderland with decorations and a Santa and his entourage,” he said. “It really becomes a place to come visit and see and rediscover the magic of Christmas.”
How can visitors make their own Christmas ornament at Vetro Glassblowing?
Vetro's Help Create experiences give visitors an up-close introduction to the art and science behind glassblowing while creating a keepsake of their own. No previous glassblowing experience is required, as Vetro artists guide participants through the process.
Participants enter the hot shop and select from five color mixes, which change seasonally and from year to year. A glassblower gathers molten glass from the furnace and rolls it in the participant's chosen colors, then helps them blow and shape their ornament.
Once the ornament is finished with a clear glass hook, it goes into an annealer to cool before it can be picked up or shipped.
“It's such a cool experience to see how molten glass changes color as it cools and even the colors of the colored pigments added to the glass as the shape is formed,” Gappa said. “There is something magical being created right before your eyes, and even better during the cooler months of the year”
In addition to its traditional round ornaments, Vetro offers a Snowman Ornament Help Create experience in which guests work alongside glassblowers to create their own handmade snowman ornament.
For the 2026 holiday season, Snowman Ornament Help Create events are offered on various dates from Nov. 11-Jan. 2, while traditional Ornament Help Create events run on various dates from Nov. 18-Dec. 23.
The experience can be enjoyed individually or with family and friends. Children age 12 and older are welcome to participate. Vetro also hosts private groups and company holiday parties and team-building experiences.
What other Christmas gifts and decorations can visitors find at Vetro Glassblowing?
Visitors don't have to make their own glass to bring something special home. Shopping at Vetro’s gallery gives visitors an opportunity to support local artists during the holiday season.
The gallery features handmade pieces at a wide range of price points, from smaller gifts around $20 to elaborate works of art worth thousands of dollars. Visitors can find glass flowers, paperweights, vases, bowls, lighting fixtures, jewelry and seasonal pieces created by Vetro's glassblowers and other artisans from across Texas.
“The possibilities of glass are endless as far as what people can create ...,” Gappa said. “Everything in our gallery is handcrafted by skilled local and regional artisans.”
Christmas offerings include handblown tabletop trees and glass pickle ornaments inspired by the German tradition of hiding a pickle ornament on the Christmas tree for family members to find.
How can families make Vetro Glassblowing part of their Christmas traditions?
Whether families are continuing a tradition or looking to start a new one, a Vetro glass ornament can become more than a decoration. As collections grow, each piece can serve as a reminder of another Christmas spent together.
Visitors should book their tickets to a Help Create experience early, as spots fill up quickly, Gappa said. Register for an event and learn more about Vetro Glassblowing here:
Address: 701 S. Main St., #103, Grapevine
Phone: 817-251-1668
A quick recap FAQ
Where is Vetro Glassblowing located?
Vetro Glassblowing is located on Main Street in Grapevine, near the Grapevine Vintage Railroad depot and in the heart of the city's holiday festivities. The studio has been part of the Grapevine community for more than 20 years.
Can you make your own Christmas ornament at Vetro Glassblowing?
Yes. Vetro's Help Create experiences allow guests to work alongside professional glassblowers to create their own handblown Christmas ornaments. Participants select their colors and help blow and shape the molten glass before the finished ornament is slowly cooled.
What Christmas ornament experiences does Vetro Glassblowing offer?
During the holiday season, Vetro offers its traditional Help Create ornament experiences as well as snowman ornament events. The seasonal activities give families and friends an opportunity to create handmade keepsakes they can bring out each Christmas.
Why has Vetro Glassblowing become a Christmas tradition in Grapevine?
Some families have returned to Vetro every holiday season for more than 20 years, creating a new ornament each year and building collections that document Christmases spent together. Its downtown Grapevine location also places the studio amid the city's larger Christmas celebrations.