Christmas

Matthew Hines of The Eastern Sea: Dallas Has a Better Sense of Music Community Than Austin

Speaking from his home in Austin, Matthew Hines, comes across as one of those likeable nerds everyone knew in high school. As leader of the indie rock outfit The Eastern Sea, Hines has turned that nerdy charm into three compelling albums, especially 2012's Plague. In anticipation of Friday night's ... More >>

Texas Atheist Aron Ra Is Deeply Irritated by Houston Rep's "Merry Christmas" Bill

This upcoming legislative session is shaping up to be a real barn-burner. In addition to the anti-TSA groping measure and the continued battle against the imaginary scourge of Sharia law already filed by other legislators, Representative Dwayne Bohac of Houston has made things even more lively. A c ... More >>

Go On, Make Your Mom Cry

A Chat With Randy Brooks, the Guy Who Wrote "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer"

I attended the Oral Fixation "Cold Turkey" show at the MAC last Tuesday night, mainly because Observer copy editor and beer enthusiast Jesse Hughey was going to be reading, and he ended up getting some of the biggest laughs of the night, from a crowd that took in some pretty dark tales. Also notable ... More >>

The Overserved's Holiday Wish List

Naughty or nice, it's time to finalize our Christmas wishes and overnight them to Santa, for those (like me) who have procrastinated. With the recent announcement that Neiman Marcus is allowing adults to crawl through those magical interactive holiday windows on Thursday evenings, for a $20 suggeste ... More >>

Why Does Christmas Taste Like Peppermint?

Why is peppermint so ubiquitous at Christmas? Why not pistachios or rutabagas? One could essentially put two drops of peppermint extract in any edible product and BAM! It's a new holiday product. It made me wonder about the history of peppermint and Christmas. Obviously, the movement has roots in c ... More >>

Bold, Nog-Based Confessions

A Reader's Christmas Wish for the Dallas Dining Scene

Every once in a while someone mistakes Scott for a food expert and risks ruining dinner by trusting him to answer to a burning question. Got a question about food or restaurants? Send it via Twitter @scottreitz, email or in the comments. An email I received last week has me in a Christmas funk. A r ... More >>

The Long Winters' John Roderick Talks Christmas Music, Becoming Mayor of Seattle

Back in 2006, The Long Winters released Putting the Days to Bed, one of that year's best efforts, but various personal issues resulted in frontman John Roderick taking an extended leave of absence. Since then, he's appeared as a sideman on efforts by Death Cab for Cutie and Nada Surf, but a new Long ... More >>

Local MP3: Nate Kipp Delivers "It's Christmas"

Metroplex country singerNate Kipp, who had a song on our top 10 local country songs of 2011 list, is in a giving mood this season. While he readies his follow up to last year's great The Holding Pattern, he decided to write his first original Christmas song. "I've wanted to do a Christmas song for ... More >>

Sorry, Arboretum, But Two More Months of Chihuly and Schlock-Selling is Not a "Gift"

Oh, boy. We all get to go see the Chihuly fake flower show at the Dallas Arboretum for free! I just saw the press release. The Arboretum is throwing open its doors and letting us all in to see the fake flower show as a holiday gift to the City of Dallas from the Arboretum Board of Directors. This ... More >>

No Room at the Inn? It's February, But The Soupman Already Needs a Christmas Miracle.

​For seven years David Timothy has brought to the Hyatt Regency downtown 500 homeless people for a Christmas dinner, followed by a night's stay in a warm bed; as Mayor Mike Rawlings said during this year's event, "it's the way we do things in Dallas -- in a classy way." But this morning Timothy so ... More >>

Whiskey Cake: Like Deliverance, But with More Fancy Whiskey and Way Less Gang Rape

Walking through the front doors of Whiskey Cake on Christmas Eve, my father says it best: "I feel like I'm in the movie Deliverance." The abundance of rustic wood, plaid and whiskey barrels lend a backwoods-stillhouse vibe that's further reinforced by our handsome blonde server, who sports suspender ... More >>

Four Restaurants I Wish Santa Would Bring Dallas for Christmas

Flickr​When I dreamed up my ideas for the RedFork space (which are never going to happen), it jogged my memory about many restaurants that I'd love to see arrive and thrive in Dallas. Here are a few more; consider this my Christmas list. If you think a reputable version of one of these restaur ... More >>

Folk Angel Channels Grief and Loss Through a New Christmas Album.

The Polyphonic Spree's Holiday Extravaganza, and More Weekend Shows

It's a big weekend for music indeed. A lot of holiday parties are going on, the biggest of which is being put on by The Polyphonic Spree, who, as you can see from the above video of them doing "Dancey Dance Time" with Yo Gabba Gabba, are quite kid-friendly. In fact, they're encouraging fans to bring ... More >>

Wassail out the Wahzoo with Three Holiday Plays

A Christmas Carol, Greetings! and Dick Whittington deck the stages.

The Phones Are Open and Dallas' Tamale Purveyors Are Ready For Your Order

Flickr​Don't be the pinche gringo who jacks up your Christmas Eve celebration. It's tamale ordering time, and while some places make a few extra bazillion to sell to all the assholes who don't call ahead, others are more than willing to send you home tamale-less if you don't pick up the phone. ... More >>

Local Holiday Music Roundup: Seryn, Folk Angel, Josh T. Pearson & More

I think yule really enjoy this list.​We're full-blown into December, which means the holiday season surrounds us. And good lord, there are a lot of holiday albums being released this year. Seems like everyone from Lady Gaga to My Morning Jacket have the tour bus television on the Yule Log channel. ... More >>

Charlie Daniels Says Westboro Baptist Church Is Neither Baptist Nor a Church

​Sometimes, introductions simply aren't necessary. That may be due to the enormity of the subject's status as a legend, or perhaps it can be credited to the fact that the artist doesn't need anyone to handle the talking for him. Both scenarios apply to the one and only Charlie Daniels. In the ... More >>

Private, Social, Drunk: Rocco Milano, Mansion Expat, Has His New Bar Humming

FacebookHum: Now being served at Private Social.​Private Social bar manager Rocco Milano is like a young redheaded Santa, ready to grant all your alcoholic Christmas wishes, or maybe the fourth Wise Man, bearing obscure aperitifs and rare scotches in place of frankincense and myrrh. Perched ... More >>

DJ Contest at Artopia and the Best Shows in Town This Weekend

​As we mentioned on Tuesday, this year's edition of the Dallas Observer-sponsored Artopia event on Saturday at Dallas Contemporary will have a music angle. Three DJs -- Skrause, DJ-O and The Latin House Krew -- all compete for a chance to perform at Lights All Night, December 30 and 31. If you wan ... More >>

Rockin' Christmas Party: Not Rockin', Not a Party, Not Christmas-y

WaterTower Theatre commits musical re-gifting.

Bless Us, Everyone

One Way to Fill Downtown Dallas: Dress Up Main Street, and the Park, With Lots of Lights

​It most certainly did not feel like Christmas: Seventy-four degrees and 85-percent humidity is no way to spend the Saturday night before Thanksgiving. It certainly sounded like Christmas: Main Street Garden was surround-sounded by KVIL-approved Christmas hits, turned up to 11, not for the easily ... More >>

Cookies for a Good Claus

Request Lines Now Open For Tomorrow Night's Kosher Christmas Music Show on The Ticket

Former News-man-turned-Lodge'r Michael Precker grabbed this last night at the kosher Tom Thumb in Preston Forest, which clearly doesn't want to wind up on Robert Jeffress's Grinch List.​If you listen to KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket), perhaps you've heard: Tomorrow night, from 9 till midnight, I'm yet ... More >>

Today: Holiday Breakfast Cooking Class

If you don't have the time to make this spread, head to Sur La Table today.​Poor breakfast, it's the most overlooked meal during the holidays. Sure, you're having a huge lunch or dinner, but you're going to need something to nibble on while the kids unwrap presents and trash the living room. G ... More >>

Top Alternatives to Milk & Cookies for Santa

Photo by popofatticus via Flickr​On Christmas Eve across Santa-revering areas, many little tykes put on their jammies and set out a plate of treats and (usually) a glass of wholesome milk (or perhaps, cider) for Mr. Claus to nibble on. This, of course, is in appreciation of the gifts he'll stuff i ... More >>

Whitt's End: 12.17.10

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Tony Romo took girlfriend Candice Crawford to the top of Reunion Tower last night to celebrate her 24th birthday. And then, yep, he popped the question. Very cliched and Dallasy of him, but cool. ... More >>

Good Friday: DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, The Flowers of God, The O's, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, The Mumbles, Collin Herring, Boys Named Sue & More!

Merry Rockmas​It's a weekend chock-full of holiday parties. The Granada Theater is throwing one, DayBowBow has one in Denton, The O's have one at Sons of Hermann Hall, and "The Orphanage" is hosting their fifth annual Christmas party at the Double Wide on Saturday night. The two slackers who host ... More >>

Schutze has trouble being Christmasy enough for Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church after finding himself on the receiving end of a Christmas scam.

Scrooged

Idol Records Releases New Chris Holt Christmas Jam, Preps Sophomore Album From The O's

"Um, I actually ordered a Tuaca?"​2010 wasn't the biggest year Idol Records has ever seen. The once-dominant local label responsible for past releases from area favorites such as the Old 97's, Centro-matic, Chomsky, [Daryl], The Crash That Took Me, Black Tie Dynasty, PPT, The O's and others releas ... More >>

Fogging up the Windows

Good Friday: The Christmas Edition

Rest up, old man. You've earned it.​So your Christmas festivities are coming to a close. For hours, you've been sitting around with family for hours, eating and hearing about Uncle Harold's increasingly aggravating bunion problems. You're getting anxious. Antsy. You need to get out.Well, friend, y ... More >>

O, Tannenbaum

Listonmania: Best Christmas CDs 2009 Edition

​If you're looking for some yuletide music to play at your Christmas parties this year, you still have time to run out to your local CD store and search out some of the real holiday-themed gems that came out this year.Before we get into our recommendations on how to add a little extra musical spic ... More >>

Hurling Pillows, Singing Carols and Drinking All the Way, Santas Rampage Through Dallas

Patrick MichelsSanta finds a friend at the Pegasus Plaza Christmas tree.​Dozens of Santas crawled the downtown pubs Saturday night, taking over watering holes from Victory Park through the West End and Main Street and out to Expo Park. Along the way, they staged a pillow fight, sang Christmas caro ... More >>

Puppet Season! Coppertone Wishes Us All A Filthy Christmas; DCT'S Show Counters With G-Rated Aplomb

Tilt Fest

The Winspear Goes Nuts

Little Baby Action Figure

Let It (Fake) Snow

See the fruits of holiday marketing

Steamrolled

A Christmas Tradition

Throw in a little Tuna with your tinsel

Headbangin' Christ Child

Christmas goes metal with the TSO

Carols Caliente

Who says winter has to be cold?

Get Physical

24 Hour Fitness offers incentives to turn flab into fab

Home is on the range

And, yes, you can travel on your stomach--if it's iron-plated