Gish Picks: Week of December 24, 2008


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. Now, GO FIND FUN!

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME...WHAT'S STILL GOING ON THIS WEEK?

Now that Christmas really is here, many shows end their run and get ready for the new year. Here are a few stalwarts that will keep going on after Christmas:

“A Christmas Carol” presented by the Alley Theatre through December 28

“A Christmas Story” presented by the Texas Repertory Theatre through December 28

The Gifts of Christmas: “O. Henry's Gift of the Magi” and “The Foster Father” presented by A.D. Players through December 31

“The Nutcracker” presented by the Houston Ballet through December 28

“The Twelve Ways of Christmas” presented by The Ensemble Theatre through December 28

“A Fertle Holiday” presented by Radio Music Theatre through January 10

And if you’re looking for Chanukah events, check out the very comprehensive site www.chanukahinhouston.com.

IT’S A GREAT TIME TO CATCH UP ON MOVIES.

Before you pack the kids up and go, check out www.kids-in-mind.com, which rates films on a scale of 1-10 for sex/nudity; violence/gore; and profanity. The write-ups on each film go into great detail about scenes, making it easy to be choosy! Below are some films I recommend at alternative venues:

“The Polar Express 4D” at Moody Gardens is back this year. The heartwarming holiday saga featuring the voice of Tom Hanks tells the story of a young boy’s journey to the North Pole where he learns the true meaning of Christmas. And kids will enjoy awesome special effects: in addition to snow in the theater, seats will rumble, cool breezes will blow and the smell of hot chocolate will waft through the theater.

Also on at Moody Gardens is “The Light Before Christmas 2D”: after losing their way on a cold, blustery Christmas eve, two children, Katie and Makean, are rescued by their friend, The Candleman, an old sage who imparts wisdom, hot chocolate and stories. He immediately invites the shivering children to his cozy cottage where he helps them warm up and dry out their mittens.

“Santa’s Polar Blast 4D” is showing at The Health Museum through January 4. This holiday film for the whole family is the story of a lonely snowman so enamored with Santa's Village that he devises a plan to take over Santa's empire and steal Christmas!

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is screening “Star of Bethlehem” in the Burke Baker Planetarium. The film provides new insight in the search for the legendary holiday star and raises several questions about the wise men, their country of origin, and Jesus’ birth. The show is produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

RINGING THE BELLS AT ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

Sights and sounds abound at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, which is ringing out the old and ringing in the new with the Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir of Fort Worth. On Saturday, December 27 at noon, thirty school- and college-age bell ringers will ring some three hundred bells from memory and without a conductor! Then on Sunday, December 28 at 10:30am, the Church is presenting “Christmas Lessons and Carols” in the King’s College Choir (Cambridge) Tradition. There will be pre-service music by the Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir and then George Mims directs St. Martin’s Choir assisted by the Choir in this concert depicting the wonderful spirit of Christmas.

A free will offering is received and child care is available.

WONDERING HOW TO BEST EXPLORE HOUSTON?

There are gazillions of places to visit while traversing Houston’s over 30 square miles – from the Galleria-area Water Wall the city just purchased from Hines Interests (yippee!) to the Armand Bayou Nature Center. How can you navigate all that with your kids? Get to your mouse and click on these sites and you’ll definitely GO FIND FUN!

www.thesummerbook.com/attractions.html

www.spacetaker.org

www.hottowncoolcity.org

www.artshound.com

GET OUT OF TOWN WITHOUT ALL THE TRAVEL HASSLE AND MONEY SPENT: VISIT THE WOODLANDS.

If you’re wary of spending big bucks and traveling for hours, get out of town the easy way: visit The Woodlands! Nestled in 28,000 acres of forest preserves north of Houston, yet easily accessible from I-45, The Woodlands offers so much for families. There's distinctive shopping and fun entertainment options: Market Street, The Woodlands Mall (home to The Woodlands Children's Museum), The Woodlands Waterway, The Fountains at Waterway Square, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (which is reopening in 2009 after sustaining Ike damages). For natural times, hit the more than 145 miles of hiking and biking trails, which includes Town Green Park, a great spot where families can run and play. For a complete list of activities and attractions, log onto www.thewoodlandscvb.com.

A great place to stay is The Woodlands Resort, where you can hang out at the Forest Oasis Waterscape™, an incredible water experience featuring a 30-foot Forest Tower with a double-helix racing slide, a relaxing waterfall, underwater music and underwater marine murals. Seasonal activities include dive-in movies, live bands, build-your-own S’mores and organized games. And for New Year's Eve, the Resort is unpopping the corks from 8pm-1am. Their special package includes a five-course dinner at The Glass, the resort’s signature dining venue overlooking Lake Harrison, as well as dancing to the sounds of Daniel Blanchard & The Majestics and a champagne toast at midnight. It's $125/person; pricing excludes tax and gratuity. Reservations for this event are required and can be made by calling The Woodlands Resort at 281.364.6323.

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My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

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

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, AND ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children, and parents helping their children), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

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 © 2008 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World