- An Austin holiday season wouldn’t be complete without great live music performances, a Capitol tree lighting and glowing illuminations that “keep Austin weird.” This holiday season, the city’s cultural arts organizations add to the seasonal landscape with symphonic sing-a-longs, rockin’ plays and a timeless ballet. Historic sites host traditional celebrations and grocery stores convert plazas to ice skating rinks. Contact the Austin Convention & Visitor’s Bureau at (866) GO-AUSTIN for more information. Details are also available at www.austintexas.org. All listed events are subject to change. Zachary Scott Theatre presents three special holiday shows. Plaid Tidings brings the cast of the hit musical Forever Plaid back to the stage through December 31, for heavenly holiday harmonies including tributes to the Chipmunks, Ed Sullivan and the Rockettes. Hilarity ensues with David Sedaris’ The Santaland Diaries, November 24- January 7. Rockin’ Christmas Party puts a rock and roll edge on traditional caroling in the newest edition of the hit musical at Zach’s intimate Kleberg stage at 1510 Toomey Rd., November 24-January 7. www.zachscott.com Art aficionados celebrate the season early with Austin Museum of Art’s Holiday Arts Festival, November 25-26. Guests mingle among the elaborately decorated gardens of Laguna Gloria to view sculpture and art while enjoying holiday cuisine. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with tours of the historic Driscoll Villa and gardens at 1 p.m. daily. Admission is $7 for adults and free for children 12 and under. Laguna Gloria is located at 3809 West 35th Street. For more information, call 512-495-9224 or visit www.amoa.org. Austin gives back to the community with the annual Chuy’s Christmas Parade, Saturday, November 25 at 11 a.m. Giant balloons, festive holiday floats, marching bands and a special appearance by Santa Claus highlight the parade, which runs from 11th Street and Congress Avenue to Sixth Street at Guadalupe. Families are encouraged to bring extra toys to donate to Operation Blue Santa. For details, visit www.chuysparade.com. A piece of Texas history is showcased during Candlelight Christmas at Pioneer Farms, located at 1400 Pioneer Farms Drive, on December 1-2 and 8-9. Musical performances, children’s shows and educational programs show how Texans made merry 120 years ago. More information is available at www.pioneerfarms.org. There’s no sweeter start to the holiday season than a visit to the Four Seasons Hotel Austin’s Gingerbread Village, on display at the hotel, located at 98 San Jacinto Blvd., through Jan. 2. An electronic train winds through a sugar-crafted train station, chocolate shop, clock tower and more. In addition, families get gussied up for the hotel’s annual Teddy Bear Teas, which include a traditional tea, holiday carols and a fireside reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Santa Claus himself. Teas take place on Dec. 9, 16, 17 and 23 from 2-4 p.m. The cost is $35 for adults, and $25 for children 6-11 (prices do not include tax and gratuity). For reservations or more information, call 512-478-4500 or visit www.fourseasons.com/austin/. Kids and parents build a candy-covered holiday tradition with Gingerbread House workshops, November 25-December 1 at the Austin Children’s Museum at 201 Colorado Street. Real gingerbread, icing, gumdrops and candy canes provide the building blocks for this fun family event. Dates and times vary; more information is available at www.austinkids.org, or by calling 512-472-2499. The 37th Street Lights twinkle throughout Central Austin during the month of December. Residents rally together and string up lights to create a funky holiday display along 37th Street from Guadalupe Street to Home Lane. The street is open to through traffic, but for the full effect, it's best to park and walk. No specific hours are designated; for more information, visit http://texaslesstraveled.com/37thstreet.htm. Experience a traditional German-Texan Christmas market and visit with St. Niklaus at the annual Christmas Market in the historic German Free School at 507 E. 10th Street on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The German-Texan Heritage Society offers handmade and imported wooden and blown glass German ornaments and other gifts. Enjoy refreshments, live music, German Christmas caroling and a visit from St. Niklaus at 2:30 p.m. More information is available at www.gths.net, or by calling 512-482-0927. Even in Texas, it wouldn’t be the holiday season without ice skating on the Whole Foods Market Ice Rink. Friends and families show off their skills (or hang on to the railing) from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Nov. 22-Jan.14. The rink is open from 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. every day. Tickets are $10 per person for each 45-minute session (same-day purchase only) and include skate rentals. Whole Foods also offers holiday cooking classes and chef demonstrations in the newly opened Culinary Center. Check the website for schedule and details at www.wholefoodsmarket.com or call 512-476-1206. The annual State Capitol Tree Lighting and KUT Holiday Stroll takes place on December 2 from 6-7 p.m. John Aielli, host of NPR affiliate KUT’s “Eklektikos,” leads the audience gathered around the tree at 11th Street and Congress Avenue in traditional carols. The festivities continue along Congress Avenue with entertainment, and merchants remain open late. The event is free to the public. Details are available at www.downtownaustin.com. In yet another Austin tradition, the month-long Zilker Park Trail of Lights festival begins with lighting of the Zilker Christmas Tree on December 3. The pedestrian Trail of Lights, featuring live music and Santa visits, transforms a mile-long stretch of Zilker Park, located at 2100 Barton Springs Rd., into a twinkling wonderland from December 11-31. A grand parade kicks off the season on December 10 at 5:30 p.m. Throughout the season, guests can park at Zilker Park for $8, or take the shuttle from the state garages located at 14th and Trinity Streets. Shuttles run from 5:45-10:45 p.m.; a round-trip ticket costs $2. More information is available through the City of Austin Parks & Recreation department at www.ci.austin.tx.us/tol. The former home of short story writer O. Henry, located at 409 East 5th St., is decorated for a Victorian Christmas reception and an open house featuring refreshments and live music from 1-3 p.m., December 3. For more information, call 512-472-1903 or visit www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/ohenry.htm. The 7th Annual Noche de Fiesta Navideña celebrates Mexican Christmas traditions with folk art, flavorful foods and seasonal music at Mexic-Arte Museum, 419 Congress Avenue, on December 5. For hours and details, call 512-480-9373 or visit www.mexic-artemuseum.org. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center glows with soft light from hundreds of luminarias, torches and lanterns during Luminations: A Winter Celebration, December 8-10 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Music lightly resounds as children enjoy storytellers, holiday crafts in the Little House and photos with Frosty the Snowman. Tickets are $9 for adults and $3 for children. More information is available at www.wildflower.org or by calling 512-292-4100. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar keeps Austin weird with distinctive jewelry, fabrics, handmade goods, blown glass, paintings and prints from local and national artists, December 9-24 from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Austin Music Hall at Third and Nueces Streets provides a fun atmosphere for shoppers to browse among the handicrafts while listening to live music from some of Austin’s best musicians. Tickets are $3, weekdays before 7 p.m. and $5, evenings and weekends. For details, call 512-442-1605 or visit www.armadillobazaar.com. Choreographed by Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mills, The Nutcracker pairs classic dance with a classic performance of Tchaikovsky’s timeless score by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Clara and friends captivate audiences with an evening of magic in the Land of Sweets. The show runs December 9-23 at Bass Concert Hall, located at 23rd Street and Robert Dedman Drive. Show time is 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Dec. 10, 16, 17 and 21. Tickets are $15-$73, available through the Texas Box Office at www.texasboxoffice.com, or through Ballet Austin at www.balletaustin.org or 512-476-2163. Austin Symphony teams up with Chorus Austin to ring in the season with the immortal masterpiece Handel’s Messiah. Riverbend Center, located at 4214 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., provides a traditional Hill Country setting for the concert on December 12 at 8 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit ww.austinsymphony.org or call 888-4-MAESTRO. Don your kilt for Scottish carols and time-honored tunes at the Paramount Theatre’s Scottish Christmas with Bonnie Rideout. Folk dancers add grace and excitement to the performance, December 14 at 8 p.m. For tickets, call 866-4-GET-TIX or but online at www.austintheatre.org. The Jewish Community Association of Austin presents One Candle for Tzedakah from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. on Dec. 17. Children enjoy crafts, games and activities at the Dell Jewish Community Center located at 7300 Hart Lane, in celebration of the Hanukkah holiday. Donations of toys and unwrapped clothes brought by participants are handed over to local charities. Details are available at www.jcaaonline.org or 512-735-8030. Families and friends join Austin Symphony to sing holiday favorites with a full orchestra at the annual Christmas Sing-a-long, December 19 at 8 p.m., at Riverbend Centre. The experience is free – but popular; tickets are still required to join in the fun. Call 888-4-MAESTRO or visit www.austinsymphony.org. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, located at 1800 Congress Ave., presents Holiday Favorites in the Museum, Dec. 20 and 27 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Local musicians perform seasonal tunes in museum galleries while guests browse among Miss Ima's Quilts, an exhibit showcasing American tradition through the elaborate quilt collections of Miss Ima Hogg. Find more information at www.thestoryoftexas.com. Doors open to Texas tradition with Candlelight Tours of the Governor’s Mansion, located at 1010 Colorado Street, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Dec. 26. This free event is open to the public; attendees are reminded that purses, cameras and backpacks are not allowed inside. Parking is available at the State Capitol visitors’ parking garage at 12th Street and San Jacinto. Call 512-463-5516 or visit www.txfgm.org for more information. Oldies fans can sing along to Holiday Pops with The Association, December 30 and 31 at Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road. The popular Sixties group earned six gold discs and one platinum disc with such hits as "Never My Love," "Windy" and "Cherish." Austin Symphony conductor Peter Bay leads the performance at 8 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 888-4-MAESTRO or visit www.austinsymphony.org. New Year’s Eve invites families to come downtown and welcome 2007 with First Night Austin. This alcohol-free festival marks the new year with art, ritual and festivity, from 2 p.m.-midnight. The city’s plazas, storefronts and parks, along Congress Ave. from Riverside Drive to the Capitol and beyond, serve as a background for dance, music, film, video, poetry and visual art. For complete location listings, map and event information, call 512-476-5577 or visit www.firstnightaustin.org. PHOTO CREDITS: 37th Street Lights (courtesy J. Griffith Smith, Texas Highways), "Luminations" at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (courtesy Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center) and the Four Seasons’ Gingerbread Village (courtesy Austin CVB) Reprinted by permission from Austin CVB