The proprietors of Home Slice Pizza (1415 S. Congress, 444-PIES; www.homeslicepizza.com) invite everyone to help them celebrate their first year in business at Home Slice-o-Rama, a backyard carnival with plenty of family fun. Events include a pizza-eating contest, pizza-dough-tossing demonstrations and hand-tossing challenge competitions, Hands on an Eggplant Sub contest, musical entertainment, game booths, and plenty of cheap beer for grownups. Proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. Admission to the carnival is free, with tickets for drinks and food. Noon-5pm, Saturday, Dec. 2.
One good holiday shopping idea would be to take a drive along the Texas Hill Country Holiday Wine Trail (www.texaswinetrail.com) and pick up Texas wines for gift-giving, plus a custom-made grapevine wreath decorated with signature Christmas ornaments from participating wineries. Tickets for the self-guided tour are $35 per wreath and are available online. Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 2-3 and Dec. 9-10.
Enjoy a holiday wine dinner buffet in the tasting room at Stone House Vineyard (24350 Haynie Flat Rd. in Spicewood, 512/264-3630; www.stonehousevineyard.com) paired with wines from Australia and Texas; $65 per person; reservations required by Dec. 5; 7pm, Saturday, Dec. 9.
If singing Christmas carols is what it takes to get your family into the spirit of the season, Henri Mazza and Owen Egerton at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (www.originalalamo.com) are creating a new tradition just for you. Bring the whole family to the Christmas Pops! Sing-Along with all your favorite Christmas carols being performed by pop stars. After singing along in the theatre, lyric sheets will be distributed, and the audience will go caroling around the Warehouse District, Congress Avenue, and down Sixth Street, ending up at the Jackalope (404 E. Sixth) for Christmas cookies and milk (or beer for mom and dad). Tickets are $10; 7pm, Thursdays, Dec. 7, 14, and 21; 4pm, Sunday, Dec. 10; and 4pm, Saturday, Dec. 16.
This article appears in December 1 • 2006.