I needed to uncover a means of obtaining holiday cheer. (I have a tendency to become homesick and a bit sad during the holiday season. Since we have no storage space at our apartment, holiday decorations seem impractical thus we did not put up a Christmas tree.)
We kicked off December with a trip downtown to Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas (UT has more to offer than painting the town burnt orange and bringing the expressways to a standstill on game day). The choirs and wind ensembles conducted a "Holiday Choral Concert." Although I am not one who usually enjoys choir concerts, I love Christmas carols. The live rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus in a packed auditorium brought us a healthy dose of holiday spirit.
Austin, being the state capital, has a lighting of the Christmas tree ceremony. The event begins with a Holiday Sing-along and Holiday stroll (the street leading up to the Capitol is closed and shops are open with holiday festivities). Chris was agreeable to the event since one of his favorite local NPR hosts was leading the evening. I had heard about the even last year and was excited to participate this year.
This was the lowest attended event in Sing-along history due to freezing temperatures. We however, found the frigid air adding to our holiday spirit. We were given official, printed song books and for once could sing every verse of our favorite songs. After an hour of singing the Christmas tree was lit and we began our stroll. A cameraman stopped us and we were featured on the nightly news. (video clip not available, despite our searching).
The historic Paramount Theatre was playing Christmas cartoons on a big screen. It was quite the juxtaposition to be watching Rudolph, on the big screen, while taking in the elegant architecture of the theatre. We opted out for pictures of Santa but captured this gem. (Airstream trailer is a "symbol" of Austin along with this rendition of a local mural.)
Another local holiday tradition is the Austin Trail of Lights. This takes place in Zilker Park (large park in the middle of the city, on the banks of the Colorado river). True to its name, it is a walk with different "stations" of Christmas lights.
I was able to participate in my favorite Christmas tradition in our home: baking.
And Chris participated in the decorating and eating:
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