Credit: Christopher V. Sherman/Over Austin
Pull out your phone and take a peek. See the date? As of today, there are only seven days until Christmas! If that statement just plunged you into a minor panic, don’t fret. Whether you still need to check off the boxes on your shopping list, take the kids out for holiday fun, or treat yourself to a night on the town, here are seven Austin events for the last seven days of the Christmas season.
Monday, Dec. 18: ATX Comedy Ho Ho Hour
Spider House Ballroom (Credit: Dustin Vegas)
Everyone could use a laugh at the start of the work week, especially when dealing with the chaos of the holiday season. This coming Monday starting at 9 p.m., Spider House Ballroom hosts an evening of hilarious stand up comedy from comics like Carina Magyar, Enzo Priesnitz, and Nick Saverino. Prepare yourself for an evening of riotous and occasionally irreverent holiday-centric hilarity.
2908 Fruth St. – Facebook event
Tuesday, Dec. 19: “Elf” Movie Night at Trail of Lights (Free Admission)
Austin Trail of Lights (Credit: Casey Chapman Ross)
This event features three of my favorite things: Trail of Lights, the movie “Elf,” and the word “free.” Not only do you get no-cost entry to Austin’s most storied and wonderfully bizarre light extravaganza, but you can catch a flick while you’re there.
Presented courtesy of Austin Parks Foundation, the event runs from 7-10 p.m. with the screening starting at 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and all the hot chocolate they can drink, as they watch a holiday classic among the trail’s twinkling lights.
2100 Barton Springs Road – Website
➡️ Keep reading: “Insider’s Guide to Austin’s Trail of Lights, 2017 Edition”
Wednesday, Dec. 20: The Harlien Family Christmas Annual Holiday Light Spectacular
Credit: The Harlien Family Christmas Annual Holiday Light Spectacular
If you haven’t experienced this wonderful family tradition, Wednesday is a perfect time to soak in a one-of-a-kind display of holiday cheer. While the display is 100 percent free of charge, the family is accepting donations to Make-A-Wish foundation. This year’s goal is $20,000, to be used to grant the wishes of four local kids with life-threatening medical conditions.
If you visit on Wednesday, Santa will be in attendance handing out cookies and cocoa, and hosting a sing-along. I’m sure he’ll be taking last-minute gift requests, as well. The lights will be burning from 6-9 p.m.
400 Liscio Cove, Georgetown, TX – Website (online donations accepted)
Thursday, Dec. 21: Winter Solstice Party
There’s nothing like a cozy bonfire at Eden East to warm up a chilly Austin evening (Credit: Eden East)
As somebody must have said somewhere, “There’s nothing more Christmas than a pig roast!” One of Austin’s premier farm-to-table restaurants, Eden East, is holding its second annual Winter Solstice Party on Dec. 21 at 6 p.m.
Along with the pork and insanely tasty food, local indie act Fort Never will be on stage. If you’ve never seen Chantell Moody perform with Fort Never or her other band The Digital Wild, then you’re in for a treat. Finish things off with a small gift market and free booze courtesy of Deep Eddy, GEM&BOLT, and Live Oak Brewery, and you have a one stop shop for a killer Thursday night.
755 Springdale Road – Tickets
Friday, Dec. 22: Happy Holidays at the Drive-In: Die Hard
Credit: Yulia Dyukova
While “Die Hard’s” status as a Christmas movie is the subject of fierce debate, it’s become a staple of the season. Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-in is hosting an outdoor screening of the ’80s action classic at the Graceland Oaks event space in Oak Hill. Holiday shorts like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be screening before the film, so be sure to arrive early for an evening of exhilarating mayhem. Doors open at 8 p.m. Yippee ki-yay, Mr. Falcon.
8907 Circle Dr. – Tickets
Saturday, Dec. 23: Live Music at Armadillo Christmas Bazaar
Nakia and the Fresh Up Girls (Credit: Katie McDowell)
If you’re like me, then by Dec. 23 you’re scrambling for last-minute presents for those last-minute family members you haven’t spoken to since last Christmas. This year, fill the stockings with unique gifts from Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.
Not only will you find an incredible selection of locally-made items, but your shopping experience will be serenaded by soul man Nakia (12 p.m.), blues boys The Pederson Brothers (3 p.m.), and the samba/world groove of Beto and the Fairlanes (7 p.m.). Dancing while shopping is an experience not even Amazon can match!
900 Barton Springs Road – Website
➡️ Keep reading: “Austin’s Best Bazaars, Fairs, and Markets for Your Holiday Shopping”
Sunday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Karaoke
Karaoke at The Highball (Credit: The Highball)
What better way to celebrate Christmas Eve than awkwardly warbling “All I Want for Christmas Is You” to a room full of perfect strangers? The Highball is known for being a premier karaoke hall, so even if your voice is more Shane MacGowan than Mariah Carey, you’ll still sound smashing. Plus, the event runs from 7-9 p.m., so you’ll have time to run home, hang the stockings, and put out the milk and cookies. A free, fun, festive way to close out the pre-Christmas season.
1120 S. Lamar Blvd. – Website
@BillTuckerTSP wants to know:
How will you be spending the last seven days before Christmas?