The Trail of Lights, an Austin holiday classic, features a path of fully lit trees surrounded by themed sets and statues — many of which are from classic stories, cartoons, and movies. Sometimes, we have mythical creatures.

I’m only displaying one such set in this mini-series, this towering jackalope, the largest statue from the event — a mythical animal of a jackrabbit with antelope horns. Big Tex-Mex claims to be the world’s biggest.

Each set is sponsored by a local organization or business. Big Tex-Mex is sponsored by Maudie’s, a local Tex-Mex restaurant. Notice the well-lit tree in the background and imagine an entire park filled with them. The Trail of Lights has grown since the fifteen-plus years I last saw it. It retains part of its low-budget, kitschy past but with more sophistication and scale. It strikes a healthy balance between tradition and upgrades.

Want to see more pictures from the Trail of Lights? I’m featuring a deeper dive into this year’s event with larger pictures in this month’s free photography magazine, which is coming out in a few days. I’ll also talk about the latest camera I’m testing. Signup for the free email magazine to read the story.