Friendswood’s Christmas celebration, Santa in the Park, will take place Dec. 13 at Stevenson Park, featuring a 40-foot Christmas tree. 

Officials said this is the second-largest Christmas tree of any city tree in the nation. 

The details: Santa in the Park will take place from 3-8 p.m. Dec. 13 at Stevenson Park, located at 1100 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood. 

One more thing: The Friendswood Downtown Economic Development Corp. purchased the Christmas tree, City Manager Morad Kabiri said. However, the cost of the tree was not relayed as of press time.  

Texas Tees, a t-shirt shop offering custom as well as Texas and Houston themed t-shirts and accessories, will host its grand opening in Pearland on Nov. 22, according to a social media post from the owner.

The details: The grand opening celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature complimentary cocktails. The first 20 guests will receive tote bags and the first 10 guests who purchase an item will receive free tees, according to the social media post.

• 2710 S. Main St., Pearland

Thanksgiving week is expected to be one of the busiest U.S. travel periods in history, according to projections from AAA. A record 5.8 million Texans are projected to travel at least 50 miles from home Nov. 25-Dec. 1.

Zooming in: About 5.3 million Texans are expected to drive to their Thanksgiving destinations, according to a Nov. 17 news release, while about 328,000 people will fly and 140,000 will use other forms of transportation.

The impact: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations during Thanksgiving week, with the most congestion expected Nov. 25-26. Traffic is also expected to be heavy as Texans return home Nov. 30, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected on Thanksgiving Day.

More details: Texas drivers will pay about the same for gas as they did last Thanksgiving, according to AAA Texas. One gallon of regular unleaded gas cost about $2.65 in Texas as of Nov. 13, down from $2.69 last year.