Because it’s a cheerful holiday tradition and a chance for younger artists to build some performance experience, many dance companies put on their own version of The Nutcracker each year. Some productions are a little more dazzling than others, of course, and Austinites are dealt a pretty lucky hand with Ballet Austin’s staging of this familiar but always charming story. Capable dancers, fab costumes and top-notch musical accompaniment from the Austin Symphony Orchestra explain why this has become an unmissable December event for so many of us. more ›

Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the comic book holiday and a great excuse to head to one of Austin’s comic spots(and you’ll get a little sun too, waiting in the parking lot). Not only will there be free comics, (Austin Books and Comics is boasting 10 per person!) but signings, food, people sweating in costumes, raffles of some sort, and frankly the most people you’ll see in a comic book store all year. more ›

Holiday tamales are a Texas tradition. Spending the time to make them, though, can be challenging given all the errands, parties, and events on one's agenda. Last week, we tried samples of Peruvian tamales from Burnet Road's La Sombra, and found them to be impressive additions to Austin's holiday tamale options.

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Trophys is the embodiment of a "hole in the wall." The atmosphere is simply no frills—dimly lit, black walls, spray-painted exit sign, bartenders that wait on you when they get around to it. It's suiting then that Trophys, which is tucked away in a quiet pocket on South Congress, will serve as the host of a CD release show for local reggae-influced group Killing Industry's Will Never See the Light. more ›

• A sex-offender who was sentenced to life in prison escaped near Baytown this afternoon. He fled wearing a guard’s uniform!
• UT Football player arrested for DWI over the weekend. Mack Brown doesn’t seem too pleased with the turn of events.
• Yes, Virginia, there really is an independent record store in San Marcos.

Amidst a massive budget shortfall, City of Austin is considering whether or not to cancel this year's Trail of Lights at Zilker Park. 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 ›

SXSW Music kicks off on Wednesday the 12th, as always with the Annual Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall, but it has become clear over the last few years that the music really starts the night before. Just thinking back to last year, we remember walking up and down Red River, watching bands like Golden Bear, White Denim and Broken Teeth at venues such as Beauty Bar, Emo’s and Red 7, and congratulating ourselves for getting started early. more ›

A season ticket for the Longhorns' seven home football games this year will cost you $385, according to the Statesman's Bevo Beat blog. more ›

• Sex toys are no longer illegal in Texas; federal appeals court overturns the ban.
• McCain adviser tells NPR that if Obama is the Democratic nominee, he won't keep working on McCain's campaign.
• Decapitation wire placed by someone on US/Mexico border fence.

In the wake of an all-conference season where he gained more than 1,600 yards, Texas running back Jamaal Charles announced today that he is skipping his senior season and entering the 2008 NFL draft. more ›

The holiday season can slow things down in town but it cannot keep you from yearning for some good, live music and busting out your new, Santa provided wardrobe. If you have not had your mistletoe and Kringle fix, Emo’s steps in with a Christmas special (literally) on Friday. Christmas Special (featuring members of Voxtrot) provide Holiday cheer and Christmas carols with support from The Black and Red Leaves. more ›

• Elections to continue in Pakistan despite the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif's vow to boycott them.
• Republican Mike Huckabee is clueless about Pakistan.
• Your tax refund could be delayed due to Congress' late fix to the alternative minimum tax.

To begin, I want to re-stress that the stories were/are supposed to be sent to truecraig [at] austinist.com. I’m stressing this because this first one was sent to another address of mine and it got caught in a spam filter. Mere luck had me locate it. Come to think of it, it may not have been meant for use here at all, but after reading the email, it certainly fit what I’m looking for, so whatever [yet another comma] it's included. more ›

Photos from the Sock Monkey Nativity holiday display around the corner of 37th street taken by Brian Berzer. more ›

Listen, the point of karaoke is to get up there and belt that shit out. If you’re the type who really, really, really wants to stay true to the original version, then that’s great. But you don’t have to. Feel free to kick a leg out. Bend down and pump a fist. Throw some scat in there. Or scatology. Whatever one might choose to call “improv noise crap between actual word-based vocals”. That stuff. Do that stuff. No one really cares, including you, and that’s the beauty of the whole thing. more ›

At the Vortex, Rob Nash continues the saga of the Smiths in the holiday edition of his Holy Cross series, 12 Steps to a More Disfunctional Family. Nash is a wonder to behold as he switches characters, and you don't have to be familiar with the storyline to enjoy the current installation. more ›

*The views expressed in Truesday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole. Thank heavens.* -The Editors more ›

If you’re an aspiring writer, you might want to find some time between holiday parties this weekend to brush up your best short story. The Austin Chronicle’s sixteenth annual Short Story Contest closes on Monday. Winners split $1,500 and get published. more ›

With the promise of receiving many gifts in return, this headlong rush into the temples of consumer culture hardly looks like the selfless goodwill to all mankind, but a few bookstores around Austin are offering the opportunity to participate in the truly noble exercise of helping the needy and downtrodden this season. more ›

Image courtesy Rude Mechs The Method GunThru 12/15, Th/Fr/Sa at 8pmThe Off Center (map)[info] | [tickets] The Dick Monologues12/16 at 2pmHyde Park Theatre (map)12/12 at 7pm (sold out)[info] | [tickets]In this season of family-friendly fare, we're pleased to highlight a bit of naughty-naughty for your holiday pleasure. Admittedly it's something of an intellectually flavored naughty-naughty, but hey, that's how we like it. Rude Mechanicals' current show The Method Gun contains nudity! Whee! Nude Rudes!! Which... more ›

Between now and January, New Release Tuesday will focus on 2007 reflections and music news related to both this year's releases, the holidays and 2008's potential. The standard NRT posts will resume in 2008. It will also feature the opinions of the author, who does not represent the Ist network as a whole. What a damn shame. The holiday season is tough for music lovers shopping for other music lovers. This is mostly because... more ›

The Paramount presents White ChristmasDecember 9th, 11th and 12thParamount Theater (713 Congress Avenue)$7 / $5 Children, Students and Seniors, 7pm-ish, Tickets available at the box office day of show[info]Being that we live in a heat belt where it is not uncommon to see kids raking leaves in tank tops and jorts on Christmas Day (seriously, we've done it...well, not the jorts part), dreaming of a white Christmas is something that we are intimately familiar... more ›

The Holiday season is in full swing in NYC, with holiday lights in Brooklyn, a giant snow globe in Bryan Park and Chanukah specials for ham. One citizen decided to go vigilante on annoying car alarms, a murder suspect used a fake Asian accent on the stand and a video of a man being beaten up by teenage girls on a subway shocked the city. And we interviewed soon-to-be-leaving-Gawker editor Choire Sicha, who said,... more ›

Image from SOS Alliance SOS Holiday Party & Silent AuctionFriday, December 7Mercury Hall (615 Cardinal Lane)$10 Suggested Donation, 7pm - Midnight[info]Tonight, the Save Our Springs Alliance will be hosting their annual Holiday Party and Silent Auction at Mercury Hall. In addition to food, drinks and great people, the event will showcase music by two environmentally-conscience local bands, Bill Oliver's Otter Space Band and The Bouldin Creek Bobkats. The Silent Auction features items from over 300... more ›

Judge Jeanne Meurer may be running for Travis County District Attorney. Pimp C was found dead yesterday afternoon. He was 33. How To Green Your Christmas Tree: Tips for having a more eco-friendly holiday. Colors! Gmail adds colored labels. Guerrilla artist Banksy in Bethlehem, proving if "it's safe for sissy artists, I think it's safe for everyone." Here’s What We Need: Some Way to Associate Our Low Fares with Worn Out Vaginas Using a... more ›

Flyer from Blue Genie 7th Annual Blue Genie Art BazaarDecember 5th through December 24thMonarch Event Center (6406 N. I-35 #3100)FreeSunday-Thursday: 10am-10pmFriday-Saturday: 10am-MidnightSunday, December 24th: 10am-6pm[info]Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Austin's annual holiday shopping destination for locally-made art and various one-of-a-kind gifts, returns tomorrow for its seventh run. This year, they've outgrown the Blue Genie space and are moving to the Monarch Events Center up north, in Lincoln Village. Running from tomorrow morning through Christmas Eve, the... more ›

The Austin Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Austin: Handel’s MessiahDecember 4, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.4214 N. Capitol of Texas Highway (4214 N. Capitol of Texas Highway)Riverbend Centre[info] | [tickets] Sir Thomas Beecham wrote of Handel in his memoirs, "Since his time mankind has heard no music written for voices which can even feebly rival his for grandeur of build and tone, nobility and tenderness of melody, scholastic skill and ingenuity and inexhaustible variety of effect…Handel…is... more ›

Venezuelan voters didn't want Chavez as a ruler for life after all. Putin's party wins the Russian election, warns against Westerners who may say the election was unfair. Best feminist candidate: Obama? Later this week, Romney will publicly address his Mormon faith and how it may affect his possible presidency. Looks like it will be Texas v. Arizona State at the Holiday Bowl. Conan O'Brien will pay his "Late Night" crew from his own... more ›

Flyer courtesy Downtown Austin Alliance Holiday Sing-Along, Tree Lighting and Congress Ave. StrollSaturday, December 1Texas State Capitol (1100 Congress Ave)6-9pm[info]The annual Holiday Sing-Along, Capitol Tree Lighting and Congress Avenue Stroll takes place tomorrow evening. Here's the schedule of events, courtesy the good people at the Downtown Austin Alliance: The evening starts at 6:00 p.m. when crowds gather on the south steps of the Capitol to sing the songs of the season during John Aielli's Holiday... more ›