Light It Up

Best Dallas-Fort Worth neighborhoods for spectacular holiday light displays

Christmas lights at Interlochen in Arlington

Interlochen is one of Dallas-Fort Worth's must-see neighborhoods for holiday lights.

Photo courtesy of the city of Arlington

It's the season to be delighted, and you're in the right place, as Dallas-Fort Worth has been named one of the top 25 cities to see holiday lights.

Real estate website Redfin released the cheerful list, which features the five best neighborhoods in the DFW area for sensational light displays, as determined by local real estate agents.

First up is Arlington's Interlochen neighborhood. No surprise here, the spirited area ranks as the third best in America to see holiday lights, according to Redfin. Each year, more than 200 homeowners go all out with extravagant lights, decorations, and displays that are worth the trek. Note: you'll want to plan for long lines as Christmas approaches.

In Plano, the Deerfield neighborhood hosts a holiday decorating contest that yields magical results: a winter wonderland you can walk or drive through.

Highland Park shines with beautiful light displays, many of which are professionally installed. Redfin also touts horse carriage tours through the neighborhood, for a fee. In historic Kessler Park, you'll find lots of holiday lights against a backdrop of the Dallas skyline. And in Lake Highlands, the 12 Days of Christmas come alive on Timberhollow Circle. The display has been a tradition for more than two decades.

Check out the Redfin roundup for more information on each neighborhood's collection of stunning light displays.

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Death Penalty

Tarrant County man gets death for murder of convenience store owner

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office

Christopher Turner

A man received the death penalty for his 2020 cold-blooded execution of a convenience store owner.

According to a release from the office of Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells, a Tarrant County jury sentenced Christopher Karon Turner, 48, to death on November 20 for executing convenience store owner Anwar Ali during a robbery. Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Charles Boulware and Allenna Bangs represented the state.

On March 27, 2020, at around 6:15 am, Turner, a convicted felon, wore a surgical mask and a glove and entered the Super Big Country Mart in an unincorporated area of Tarrant County south of Fort Worth. There, he held a gun to the back of Anwar Ali, the 62-year-old store owner, and walked him through the store.

Ali did everything Turner demanded, including opening the cash register to give him money. And yet Turner forced Ali into the bathroom and onto his knees, and shot him in the neck. Ali was discovered, dead in the bathroom, about an hour later.

Turner fled the store in Ali's Toyota minivan with the money from the register and Ali's wallet. In the van, he found more than $50,000 cash in a black bag. Over the next few days, Turner went on a shopping spree, buying cars, jewelry, drugs, clothes, and more. He and others used cash and a credit card that belonged to Ali.

Turner fled to Colorado where U.S. Marshals arrested him. On his body they found a firearm which was determined to be the murder weapon.

"This was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder," Boulware told the jury. "From the moment he was charged with this crime, he has tried to escape responsibility."

Bangs noted that before this trial began, Turner obtained the names of jurors and their telephone numbers, and gave them to an inmate charged with murder. At the trial on November 20, as Bangs addressed the jury, Turner tried to hold up a sign to the jury but was handcuffed by Sheriff's deputies who removed him from the courtroom, while he yelled out "she lied."

Ali came to the United States from Pakistan decades ago to pursue the American dream. Ali's son, Hussein, spoke in the courtroom after the death penalty was announced. "Thank you for giving us justice," Ali said. "I hope there are no more devils like this person."