By now, we've all seen the TV ads for Second Baptist Church's legion services at Christmas, in which Pastor Ed Young slyly promises that there will be snow for all the children afterwards. Whether this is just at the main Woodway campus or at all five campuses was not disclosed in the slightly creepy commercial. But this makes Houstonist wonder: what other products and enticements should megachurches begin offering to encourage wayward Christians (and their pocketbooks) to attend their services? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below.
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Results tagged “christmas”
a great idea. But why go through the endless hours of knitting an ill-fitting sweater when you could give handmade art instead. You aren't a very good artist? Well, that don't matta, it's the thought that counts. And besides, practice makes perfect, which is why you should attend Dr. Sketchy this Sunday.
That's right, folks, it's not a drive-in -- it's a glide-in! Discovery Green has been hard at work creating Houston's only outdoor ice rink for the holidays, which will have its grand opening tomorrow night!
After you've recovered from the coma-inducing tryptophan coursing through your veins tomorrow, grab your friends and family and head over to Post Oak Boulevard for one of Houston's favorite traditions: the 23rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting.
It's an American tradition, just like representative democracy and childhood obesity: the Super Bowl. Even people who aren't football fans usually find a way to watch the game (or the commercials, depending on your priorities) and the die-hards view Sunday as some combination of Christmas, graduation, and the non-lame parts of the Olympics all rolled into one. If you don't have plans for the big game already, here are a few options around town:
Good morning, Houston. Remember the plans for the Dynamo stadium on the east side of downtown? And remember Metro's plans for two new light rail lines heading out from the east side of downtown? Turns out there's a question about whether the stadium will be in the way of the rail lines — and it's not clear yet whether the proposed stadium will have an effect on the rail alignments. "We are evaluating a number of options. Any proposed solutions will be part of the ongoing process with the FTA. We do not expect this to affect the timetable for construction," Metro spokeswoman Sandra Salazar told the Chronicle. Metro maps — which Salazar said are being revised — show the East End and Southeast rail lines routed along Capitol Avenue, which runs through a site the Chronicle reported that the city and Dynamo are looking to buy for the stadium.
What up, Houston? Houstonist is glad to be back in the saddle after our "long winters nap." Looks like the Missed Connections crowd didn't take too much time off for Hanukwanzmas. Plenty of folks were out ho ho hoeing around. Enjoy.
Seeing as how it's now officially 2008 — which, by the way, is both the International Year of the Potato and the International Year of Sanitation (thanks, U.N.!) — we figured it was a good time to pay a visit to the Houstonist Favorites page and see what your favorite Houstonist posts of 2007 were.
Here's an abridged, holiday version of this week's music calendar. If you like Latin-rock, you're in luck. Tonight, Grupo Fantasma and their funky horn section returns to the Continental Club. Nearby, at Warehouse Live, Vallejo will be playing. Del Castillo visits Warehouse Live tomorrow night.
beating the Texans received at the hands of the Colts. We saw beleaguered soccer moms parking their Suburbans at the mall with better timing and depth perception than some of Sage Rosenfels' passes on Sunday. Anyway, on to the links:
We're having a good Christmas so far, but between Aunt Peggy's constant nagging ("When are you going to settle down and get married?") and our new nephew's constant crying and screaming, we need a break. After dinner, we should be able to get away from the family for a bit. Most places are closed, but there are a few options: seeing a movie is the obvious one, but the crowds won't help us relax. Now, a good live band and a beer -- that sounds more like it.
Happy Holidays Houston! If you can stand more excitement after all of the festivities this week, we suggest tuning in for a re-airing of Justice's awesome "performance" on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and a brand spanking new Austin City Limits with Bloc Party and Ghostland Observatory.
Houstonist normally throws all of our trash out of the car window during our daily commute into town. It is so much easier than having to put the trash can on the street.
Christmas shopping at The Galleria, incessant caroling and a just a touch of holiday-induced agoraphobia have Houstonist feeling a bit out of sorts today. Our feathers and lackadoogles are more than slightly ruffled. Unfortunately, we can do nothing buscept press on with our holiday chores and hole up inside the HQ once said tasks are complete. That's when we're planning to throw back a cocktail or six like a Ruffled Rooster.
Last year, when 80's rock band Twisted Sister decided to do a Christmas album, no one was expecting the music critics to applaud. And, they didn't. However, Dee Snyder and gang did pull it off well with their rendition of the traditional classic "O Come All Ye Faithful," by performing it in the same style as their hit "We're Not Gonna Take It." Sure, it''s regurgitation, but it's funny.
French restaurants have been very kind to Houstonist. They reside in quaint little locales, offer crusty bread and real butter, and cook up delectable and delicate fares. We were delighted to learn that a new french restaurant opened on Colquitt just two weeks ago. The owners and chefs of Au Petit Paris, Eric Legros & Dominique Bocquier, have created a 'casual' neighborhood restaurant with a distinct Parisian feel. Though the restaurant lacks the pretentiousness of most upscale restaurants and the decor is charming and comforting, the food is decidedly upscale as are the prices. We arrived at Au Petit on a brisk Houston winter night (no, seriously - we had to wear a coat and everything) and were delighted to find a cozy cottage restaurant instead of a lackluster stripmall dive. Eric and Dominique took an old Montrose house and created an adorable dining venue that is intimate and comfortable. The only gripe we had with the ambiance was their choice in music - a bit too techno bistro for the setting. The menu options were enticing, but we experienced sticker shock at the prices - nothing casual about that! Appetizers start at $12 and go up to $19. Entrees range from $23-$33. Dessert was $9 a pop. A full three course meal would run you well over fifty bucks. Perhaps these prices are the Euro conversion rate?
Good morning, Houston. One thing about the holiday season: You hear Christmas music (and if you haven't been hearing it, just tune in to Sunny 99.1 — you'll catch up quickly). With that in mind, we were interested to check out ASCAP's list of the most-played holiday songs this year. It was released on Dec. 4, but by that time, the group reported that 1,562 different holiday songs had already been played 2.37 million times since Oct. 1. The No. 1 song was "Sleigh Ride," which Leroy Anderson wrote during a 1946 heat wave; at No. 2 was the 1934 classic "Winter Wonderland"; and at No. 3 was "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which was originally quite a morose little ditty.
Several more venues are celebrating the holidays this week with showcases. The Meridian is hosting the annual Holiday Babes Christmas Party tomorrow night with our favorite local musical babe, Katie Stuckey. Verizon Wireless will be a haven for country singer/songwriter lovers tomorrow night (includes Roger Creager and Bruce Robinson). Warehouse Live celebrates twice with the Jingle Balls Friday night, showcasing local favorites Paris Green and Glass Intrepid, and their annual Eve of Christmas Eve party Sunday night with The Machos.
Good morning, Houston. So you say you're a Dynamo fan, eh? Well, here's your chance to prove it: The back-to-back MLS champs are auctioning off a chance to get close to the team's two MLS cups — literally. If you win the auction, the cups will be dropped off at your house on Christmas Eve and picked up Dec. 26; in between, you can do whatever you want with 'em (within reason, of course). Best of all, the money raised will benefit Casa de Esperanza, an organization that helps kids in crisis. Break out your checkbooks and bid — the auction ends at 5 p.m. today.
Christmas is a week away (great googlymoogly - we still have some last minute gifting to get) and if you had planned to have lots of different cookies on hand, or made up to take to your rotten coworkers, and haven't quite managed to bake, a lot. This is a super simple, very fun way to host a gathering, have a good excuse to get your nog on, and have a respectable assortment of goodies. First you plan a very simple, stress-free menu and drinks - anything from chicken n' dumplin's with a nice chilled white wine or some mulled wine/cider, to charcuterie and cheeses with luscious egg nog. You bake one batch of cookies and ask all of your guests to do the same. Everyone lays out their cookies on platters, and each guest can get a paper box with waxed paper, or even some cute brown paper bags with "zip top" plastic bags and share.
::Monday Night Movie at Domy::
Good morning, Houston. If you've been working on a list of things you can do with cow patties, we've got another item for you: You can make pens out of them. Just ask John Lopez of Poteet, who has gotten semi-famous in South Texas by making pens from ground-up cow patties. No, — the ground poop is mixed with a plastic resin, milled into cylinders and fitted with pen parts; the finished product, which the AP describes as "looking almost like wood from a distance," sells for $45. Lopez said he got the idea for the poop pens when he was thinking about making handmade pens, but couldn't find exotic materials in Poteet. So he turned to one of the most abundant natural materials around, and he said he's proud of how the pens reflect his surroundings. "That's where I live, and I'm not a Yankee," he said. "I've been up north once. I've been to Oklahoma, and I didn't care for it."
A lighter week for concerts, but many home-state bred musicians are in town. Tomorrow night, we recommend San Antonio's Girl In A Coma, but if you prefer 90's rock, you might want to catch Dallas' The Toadies return to Verizon Wireless. Speaking of returns, Bandera's Robert Earl Keen brings his annual Christmas show to town Friday night. Saturday, Warehouse Live is hosting a few local bands, headlined by Million Year Dance. Not from Texas,...
The Texans pleasantly surprised us yesterday. Here we were all ready for another defeat, and suddenly Sage "Best Backup QB In The League" Rosenfels makes us feel all better. The picture that accompanies the top link today captures the feelings of many Texans fans today, we'd imagine. But there's more than just football going on this time of year; read on and see! - The lovely and talented Stephanie Stradley at AOL Fanhouse has a...
Local tech news in a compact, digital format. City Duped By New Court Technology City officials are threatening a lawsuit against Maximus Inc, the company that was hired to supposedly make things easier for the municipal court system. Officials are giving the company until Thursday to come up with a plan to work out the bugs. The city has already dropped a cool $10 million into this flawed system. Continental Allows Cellphone Check In...
Last second shopping anyone? If you are sitting at home bored today - or just feel in the mood for some locally -inspired retail therapy - head on over to the very first Houston Underground Arts Market today from 2-6pm. Houston artists, artisans, crafty bastards and threadheads will be selling their wares giving you ample opportunity to buy unique and funky gifts for your friends and/or enemies. Find locally crafted soap, clothing, stained glass, jewelry...