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Christmas In Austin

Submitted by clex on Sat, 12/23/2006 - 7:47pm. Outdoors | Scenes

Austin has always struggled for a mainstream Christmas tradition... the Zilker Tree, the Trail of lights, Congress Ave. lights. However, there has also always been a counter-culture season tradition as well.

- Take, for example, the (now!) well known "Hippie Christmas" on 37th street. Started off weird-as-you-please but it didn't take long for the Westlake set to start cruising through in Explorers with the windows rolled up.

- When was the first time that you saw a wild cedar tree on the side of the road in full Christmas decoration? Pretty common now.

- Before the Continental Club went legit, you could always count on them being there AND open.

- Christmas Tamales and Tamaladas: one of many Tejano traditions that I first experienced in Austin. Remember when they called it "Austin style Mexican food"?

- The town getting empty. Remember when the UT students leaving town made a significant dent in the population? Suddenly, everything was empty and the folks remaining had the bond of true Austin kinship.

All is not lost. I hear that there is a very healthy chapter of the Santa Rampage here in town. Good for them.

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Talking To Santa At Calcasieu

Submitted by Setebos on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 10:20pm.

When I was a tad, the parents made it a Christmas tradition to travel around Downtown. See the tree in the Capitol. The Nativity creche in front of the LCRA Building. And then we went to the Calcasieu where there was a large window display featuring a mechanical Santa. A free-standing microphone was set up (even at night), and you could talk to the Santa and receive a reply from somewhere.

"The Wild must Wild remain!"

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Christmas bazaar

Submitted by NickWallingford on Sat, 12/30/2006 - 2:05pm.

On a trip back to Austin in 1986, I think it was, I went to one of the earlier Armadillo Christmas Bazaars. It was only then that I found out that the Armadillo itself was gone - the bazaar was at some municipal hall in that same area.

My biggest disappointment of that day? After traipsing around for some hours, my partner and I went back to the place we were staying - only to find out that Stephen Fromholz had been due to play less than an hour after we had left! I regret not getting to hear him then to this day...

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