Gish Picks: Week of December 9, 2009


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. Do you have something you would like to promote on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. 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!

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS 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 all of the mansion’s 1st floor rooms are decorated with historic recreations of celebratory moments from the 19th to 20th centuries. 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 night-time tours take place under the magical glow of candles and Christmas lights as 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 10 and 11 and 17 and 18 from 5-7pm and include holiday lights, decorations, entertainment and refreshments. All ages welcome. Tours are self-guided on Thursdays and docents are present on Fridays. Click here to purchase tickets. Additionally, on Sunday, December 13 from 1-5pm in the gardens will be Victorian-era ornament-making crafts designed for children and holiday refreshments. (Free with general admission.) There’s a special FREE “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 hosts monthly FREE Family Days on the third Sunday of each month, September – May.

OTHER HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

This week I’ve gone hog wild looking for holiday celebrations for families. Below is a list of my special PICKs. I have especially tried to find more than just the usual Christmas events, so you’ll see several multi-cultural happenings. Events are in chronological order and if they’re going on all season, they’re at the bottom. Enjoy!

“The Seven Gifts of Kwanzaa”
City of Refuge Church/Sisterhood Creations Inc.
This Friday, December 11, 6pm (show at 7pm); free.

This exciting musical celebration of family, community and culture features the Impilo Cultural Dance Ensemble performing African dancing and drumming while teaching the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, collective economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The holiday of Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor of Africana studies at California State University.

“A Very Merry Pops”
Houston Symphony
This Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12 at 8pm and Sunday, December 13 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm; tickets start at $29.

Enjoy the Symphony’s annual holiday tradition featuring conductor Mike Krajewski, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Symphony chorus and a very special guest, Santa Claus. Über-cool pop piano sensation William Joseph is the other special guest this year.

“47th Annual Candlelight Tour”
Heritage Society
Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12, 6:30-9:30pm; tickets start at $5.

You’ll stroll along paths lit by glowing candlelight and visit the park’s historic buildings as well as enjoy historical re-enactments, carolers and music. Storytellers and crafters share how holidays were celebrated in the past.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
Main Street Theater
This Saturday, December 12 at 1 and 4pm; tickets are $10 and $12.

I took my son Matthew to see this one and we loved the wild Herdman kids who bring chaos to a small town Sunday school class and their staging of the annual Christmas play. The show ends with everyone learning the true meaning of Christmas.

“East End X-Mas”
Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
Saturday, December 12, 7pm; free.

Enjoy this annual holiday fiesta full of “East End” flavor, from Mariachi music and tamale tastings to classic low riders collecting toys for local kids. It’s the last blast of the year before the Orange Show closes for winter. The Orange Show folks ask that you bring a new unwrapped toy to be donated.

“Fiesta Guadalupana”
MECA
Saturday, December 12, 7pm; free.

This festivity is opened with the traditional serenade of “Las Mañanitas” to La Virgen de Guadalupe. Prayers in song are followed and a procession leads the crowd into MECA’s outdoor pavilion where the Pastorela – La Musica del Cielo -- will be performed.

“Do You Hear What I Hear”
A.D. Players
Through December 19; tickets are $11.

“Do You Hear What I Hear” follows a little lamb and shepherd boy as they tell everyone about the birth of Jesus. This wacky holiday comedy reminds us that everyone can tell someone about the miracle of Immanuel.

“Santa’s Magic Timepiece”
UpStage Theatre
Through December 20; tickets are $10.

Kids will delight in mischievous elves Holly and Jolly as they and an inventor elf named Tink help Santa get ready for Christmas Eve.

“Christmas Cruises on Buffalo Bayou”
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
December 5, 18, 19 & 26, 5-8pm; tickets are $7/adults and $5/children (must be at least 4 years old).

Join Buffalo Bayou Partnership in celebrating the holiday season with 30-minute pontoon boat rides along Buffalo Bayou served up with plenty of decorations, brightly colored lights, song and cheer!

“Seasons of Sharing”
Children’s Museum of Houston
Through January 10; tickets are $7.

I take my kids to this show each year because it’s multi-cultural and represents the holiday celebrations of Ramadan, Diwali, Las Posadas, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the Lunar New Year.

“A Fertle Holiday”
Radio Music Theatre
Through January 16; tickets are $24.

How can you not love a holiday show that takes place in the town called Dumpster? The fun-loving RMT folks reprise the Fertle family and friends as they gather to celebrate the holidays for the twenty-fifth year. This show is good news for RMT fans since their website boasts a full schedule through the end of next year even though they announced plans to retire awhile back.

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...CLEAR LAKE. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

Head down 45 South to Bay Area Boulevard and you’re in Clear Lake, home of Space Center Houston, Armand Bayou Nature Center, and much more! This Saturday, December 12 is the city’s annual “Christmas Boat Lane Parade,” sponsored by the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce which folks enjoy from land and from hundreds of boats anchored throughout the Lake. The parade features more than 100 brightly decorated power and sailboats that will traverse the Clear Lake channel from the South Shore Harbour Marina and the Nassau Bay Lagoon to Galveston Bay.

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S CHORUS!

"Kids and Christmas" Holiday Pops Concert
Saturday, December 19, 5pm
Alice Pratt Brown Concert Hall at Rice University
Tickets: $15-$20 (discount for groups of 10 or more)

Your feet will be tapping as the children perform favorite holiday classics and jazzy pop tunes, accompanied by professional musicians. This popular concert is the perfect ingredient for a happy holiday season!

Concert of Sacred Christmas Music
Sunday, December 20, 4pm and 7pm (two performances)
Chapel of the Villa de Matel Convent, 6510 Lawndale
Tickets: $25 (discount for groups of 10 or more)

This concert showcases the children's clear voices with beautiful carols and sacred songs that will bring back memories - and create new ones.

Coming Attraction: Auditions for boys and girls in grades 4 through 8 for HCC's spring season! Do your kids love to sing? Do they enjoy performing on stage for famous people and happy crowds? Do they want to make new friends? Do you want them to sing at Carnegie Hall next June? If you answered yes to these questions, then call today at 713.650.3800 to schedule an audition for the Houston Children’s Chorus! Rehearsals for their 2009-2010 spring season will begin in January and are held in a convenient central location.

To purchase concert tickets, learn more about the Chorus, schedule an audition, or buy one of their CDs, visit www.houstonchildren.org or call 713.650.3800.

CHECK OUT STRAITS RESTAURANT.

Here’s someplace special and unique to try out with the family: Straits Restaurant + Lounge, which just opened in the Hotel Sorella at the new shopping complex on the west side, CityCentre. Thank goodness former hairdresser Chris Yeo missed the food of his native Singapore! Since 1987, the stylist-turned-chef/restaurateur has opened four Straits Restaurants, starting with his signature location in San Francisco. He makes his Texas debut by bringing his contemporary take on Singaporean cuisine to Houston’s dining scene. Yeo has devised a menu that offers an extensive array of both small and larger plates, in tune with his vision “to create a restaurant where food is a communal experience between friends and family” and each dish is designed to be easily shared. Considered to be the first true fusion cuisine, Singaporean cooking is the culmination of many exotic influences including the bright flavors and cooking styles of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Nonya cuisines. Though Yeo’s creations may boast humble roots and traditional ingredients, the execution and preparations are contemporary and sophisticated. Signature dishes include Chili Crab, one of Singapore’s national dishes, a whole crab sautéed in a sweet-and-spicy sauce; Rendang Beef, a dish from Malaysia/Indonesia that has tender cubes of slow-stewed beef served with a side of grilled pandan polenta; and Origami Sea Bass, a dish of Chinese origins that features sea bass baked en papillote with ginger, shiitake mushrooms, rice wine, and longan, a healthful Chinese ingredient rich in vitamins and known for providing stamina.

Yum Yum!

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THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

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The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so HAPPY TRAVELS! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


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 Designed by West of the World