Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! This week, let's take time to reflect on what we are thankful for. I am thankful for my friends, my family, and my loyal GISH PICKS readers. Thank you for helping me continue this community service year after year!

Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests.

I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

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FREE MUSIC!  Hey tweet peeps! Follow me on Twitter and be eligible to win a cool kids' cd, such as "The Tortoise and the Hare," "Hot Peas and Butter," and other titles from Sugar Mountain PR.  I'll choose a winner from all followers signed up TODAY.  Be sure you know how to "direct message" since that's how you'll be notified that you’re a winner.  You'll get daily PICKS of fun times in Houston – news you can use.  I look forward to being stalked by you!

Now, GO FIND FUN!

ENJOY AN OLD-FASHIONED HOLIDAY AT BAYOU BEND.

I love the holidays and Bayou Bend’s annual celebration of Yuletide makes them really special for us as we connect to the past with their old-fashioned Christmas activities. Ima Hogg’s house is transformed with festive lighting in the gardens and eight of the mansion’s rooms are decorated with historic recreations of celebratory moments from the 18th to 20th centuries. Making it more festive, as you enter, you’ll be greeted with carolers and holiday refreshments. There are several events going on at Bayou Bend, the highlight of which is their annual “Candlelight Open House” nights. These tours take place under the soft light of candles and period music and docents in each room provide information about the holiday settings and discuss the customs of the times. The tours take place Thursdays and Fridays, December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 from 5-7pm and include holiday lights, decorations, entertainment and refreshments. They are self-guided on Thursdays and docents are present on Fridays. Other programs include first-floor, self-guided tours of the house as well as ornament-making for children and other activities and refreshments on Sunday, December 6 and 13 from 1-5pm. There’s a special “Holiday Family Day” on Sunday, December 20 from 1-5pm that will feature children’s activities, entertainment, first-floor house tours, and refreshments.

Bayou Bend is open Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10am-5pm; Sundays 1-5pm; closed Mondays and December 25. Admission on Family Day is free for everyone. Full-house tours are $10/adults; $8.50/seniors 65+ and students 18+ with I.D; and $5/10-17 years old (no children under 10 permitted on a full-house tour). Self-guided tours are $7.50/adults; $5/seniors 65+ and students 18+ with I.D.; 17 years and under/free.

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...ICE SKATING RINKS. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

Winter in Houston generally means lukewarm weather with occasional cold snaps and fall colors. If you’re yearning for real wintry blasts, grab the kids and head out to any of our indoor or outdoor rinks. Many of them offer hot chocolate and other goodies and you can make it a full day of fun since there are amenities to explore close by.

The indoor rinks include Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex; Memorial City Mall Ice Rink; and Polar Ice Galleria. The Ice at Discovery Green is a rink placed over the park’s pond and they have planned weekly activities: Mondays – Skating with the Stars; Tuesdays – Jazz on Ice; Thursdays – Silver Screen; Fridays – Cool Tunes Hot Ice with Hot 95.7; Saturdays – Skate with Santa with KUHF; Sundays – Holiday Green Market. It’s open through January 18. The Woodlands is home to The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center, the largest seasonal outdoor ice rink in the Southwest, which will also remain open through January 18. Next to the rink you can wander through the “Winter Wonderland.” For the first time, Pearland also has an outdoor ice rink, Ice Skating at Pearland Town Center, with 5,000-square feet of real, frozen ice open December 3 through January 10.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE FINAL SHOW OF "THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER".

Even though the UH School of Theatre and Dance had to cancel their summer “Children’s Theatre Festival,” they are living up to their promise of presenting shows for kids from time to time. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is their second presentation (“Holes” being the first) and will be onstage next Saturday, December 5 at 1pm. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” reflects on how it’s the season of loving, giving, and...mayhem! Called "The Worst Kids In The World" in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, the show is based on a book written by Barbara Robinson. It tells the story of 6 children (the Herdmans) who are delinquent and violent and go to church only for the Sunday school snacks! They find themselves drafted into the annual Christmas Play – which turns out to be a blessing in the end.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” takes place at the Wortham Theatre, UH Main Campus, entrance #16 off Cullen Boulevard. Tickets are $10/adults and $5/children.

FORGET "BLACK FRIDAY" -- WHY DON'T YOU BUY NOTHING?!

The Houston Simplicity Network is hosting their bi-annual "Buy Nothing Day” this Friday, November 27 from 1-4pm at the Live Oak Friends Meetinghouse, 1318 West 26th Street in Houston's Heights. This anti-consumeristic, family-friendly event provides an opportunity to trade objects and services without using common currency, which gives us a chance to think in a new way about the way we place value on objects and services within our community. All you need to do is stop by and join in -- bring a table, shelf, rug or blanket to display your goods or a sign that describes the service(s) which you would like to barter and bring some food to share if you wish. In addition to each individuals’/family’s table where their items are displayed, they will have a designated area for "free" and visitors may then use such items to barter and trade with if they wish. No money will be exchanged for services or goods. Children are welcome; in fact some creative kids have baked cookies or homemade doggie treats to use as their barter currency.

Houston Simplicity Network folks validate and support one another’s efforts to simplify. They learn how to make more time for family, friends, and what matters most by connecting people from the Houston region who want more fun and less stuff. Check their website for simplicity events and ways to connect with people to create local simplicity circles.

Sarah Gish
Gish Creative
1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116
Houston, Texas 77057
phone/fax: 713.532.1173

email: sarah@gishcreative.com
web: www.gishcreative.com
and: www.thesummerbook.com
and: www.saveourlandmarks.org

© 2009 Sarah Gish

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