Houstonia’s The Must List tells you about something going on in Houston that you absolutely cannot miss.

Despite its critical role in Houston history, over time Buffalo Bayou phased into just another element of the city’s bustling backdrop. Some of us work alongside it or speed past it on our commute. Even more of us exercise and play on its banks. But Buffalo Bayou’s sediment-darkened waters nurture a complete ecosystem we rely on ecologically as well as economically.

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is seeking to connect Houstonians back to the waters that sustain us. Since 2005, the organization has offered pontoon boat tours of the bayou, running from March until December with a small interlude in February for Valentine’s Day specials. Each half-hour boat tour focuses on a different theme. The partnership’s director of programming Trudi Smith notes that the rides centering on Mexican free-tailed bats as they emerge from Waugh Bridge at dusk are especially popular.

The partnership added a delightful holiday-themed option five years ago, which is now running on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights until December 29. Visitors can listen to Christmas carols, don Santa hats and festive headbands, nibble on candy canes, and blow bubbles while listening and learning about Houston’s natural wonders and downtown’s extensive history. Expect a waterside view of the light shows both at and near Allen’s Landing (starting December 20, this will include Downtown Houston+’s Snow Glow on the Bayou showcase) and a spectacular angle of downtown begging for a few snaps.

“It’s really a unique way to see Houston from a completely different perspective,” Smith says.

She estimates that around 1,500 visitors rode on the public boat tours last year, with an additional 1,500 or so enjoying private tours when friends, family, or employers rent out the sole pontoon in the partnership’s fleet. Regardless of the theme, be it the winter holidays, Valentine’s Day, history, or feisty flying mammals, everyone who hops on the boat will be treated to some of the city’s most unique views and insights.

“What is interesting is that Buffalo Bayou runs right through the heart of downtown. So it is a challenge to continue to have that balance, because the waterway is used. The trails are used,” Smith says. “We have planted native species, native trees, and continue to work to enhance the prairie system.”

The holiday tours occur only at night to make the most of the light displays, so riders may be able to watch ducks settling in for the night, or rabbits and nutria foraging out of predators’ eyelines. Smith also notes that beavers, otters, alligators, and even the rare coyote may even make an appearance. One of the most dramatic scenes, however, actually happens during most nocturnal voyages.

An old sycamore along the banks of Allen’s Landing drapes over the bayou. From afar, its boughs look to be blighted with spots of a bright white fungus of some sort. As the boat approaches, the blotches sharpen into dozens of snowy egrets perching on the branches, tucking their heads beneath their wings for warmth and rest.

They’re not fans of the pontoon, though. As the tourists pass under, they pop up from their slumber and fly across the bayou for peace and quiet. It’s a stunning moment, one that many Houstonians don’t even realize they can experience, too, if they know where to look.

“It’s a living waterway,” Smith points out. A chance to examine how Houston grew around the brackish bayou, home to grumpy alligators and gentle bunnies and many creatures in between. And during this time of year, when the air grows slightly less microwavey and downtown undergoes its annual red, green, and gold makeover, these discoveries can be enjoyed with a satisfying sprinkle of holiday magic.