The Cherrywood Art Fair returns this weekend with work from more than 80 artists. As always, the Cherrywood fair is hosted by Maplewood Elementary (38 1/2 St. at Maplewood) and admission is free! Proceeds from Cherrywood's always impressive silent auction benefit the school and arts and landscaping programs in central East Austin. Stop by on Saturday between 10am and 6pm or on Sunday from noon to 6pm to enjoy art activities, workshops from the WonderCraft, artist demos, live music, and more. Look over the complete list of participating artists and make sure to read about the inspiring Little Artist/Big Artist program with work for sale at the fair. more ›

As you sit down to write your annual letter to Santa, consider taking a turn behind the sleigh's reigns by fulfilling someone's holiday wish. Many local non-profits have put together wish lists of items that would be particularly useful in helping fulfill their missions. Other groups are making your holiday shopping a little easier by suggesting gift ideas that also give back to the community. For other charity ideas check out our post about holiday volunteering and our roundup of organizations providing services to the area's most needy. As always, visit I Live Here, I Give Here for a comprehensive list of area non-profits. more ›

Yesterday we profiled some organizations that are providing services to our community's most needy who are looking for donations this holiday season. Today we're highlighting groups with volunteer opportunities that are just as helpful as cash donations. Although we might not have extra funds this year, many of us find ourselves underemployed with time to spare. We can't think of a better way to use up some of our free time, give back, feel useful, and gain some valuable experience. more ›

As we enter yet another recession-era holiday season, even more members of our community are looking for assistance and generosity. And, as we sit down to our computers on Monday to being our work week by reading our favorite local news and culture website, we're reminded of just how lucky we are. We can't claim to have endless bounty, but we do take great comfort from contributing charitably to great causes. Though out the week, the altruists at Austinist will be bringing you information about local organizations looking for donations, volunteers, and assistance this holiday season. We'll start things off by profiling a few groups that are providing services to some of the neediest members of our community. more ›

Each year there seem to be more craft fairs and art bazaars offering their locally, handmade goodness as an alternative to the mall shopping scene. We're certainly not complaining - it's hard for us to find holiday joy in line at Wal-Mart on X-mas Eve. We'll be bringing you more details about upcoming holiday art fairs in the coming weeks - until then, check out our rundown of the crafty happenings taking place this weekend. more ›

Those of us who have been naughty all year might well prosper in this economy; we'll be lucky if Santa brings us coal (seriously, did you know that you could heat your house with this stuff?!). For the rest of you, who have no doubt been nicer, crafty elves all over town are coming together to hock their wares at various holiday art fairs. Shopping for local, handmade gifts cuts out a lot of the holiday hassle and is a great way to insure that you are giving unique presents. After hitting up a few of these sales year after year, our biggest shopping challenge is always resisting the urge to spend our gift budgets on ourselves. more ›