Bye-bye November, say hello to December and holiday-themed gatherings. While you work through your shopping list, make sure you take a bit of time for yourself and your family and remind loved ones of the real meaning behind the gift-giving season.

Do so by checking out this week's celebrations of the past, a luminous young professionals social, delicious little homes and the fruits of the Texas hill country.

Click on the links below each event suggestion for helpful features, including the ability to download the details to your online calendar and to learn about places to shop, eat, drink and sleep near your final destination.

Bayou Bend's Yuletide Thursdays and Candlelight Fridays

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's home to American decorative arts' holiday exhibition breathes yesteryear's spirit of the season into the former residence of philanthropist and art lover Ima Hogg.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens enhances guests' experience with themed beverages and bites as costumed performers recreate traditions of the 17th through 20th centuries. Yuletide Thursdays is designed for adults, while Candlelight Fridays is perfect for families.

The deets: Yuletide Thursdays are through Dec 20, 6 p.m.; Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens; tickets are $20.

Candlelight Fridays for Families are through Dec. 21; 5 p.m.; tickets are $7.50.

Urban Green's "Glow in the Park"

The stage of Miller Outdoor Theatre will morph into an eco-friendly neon wonderland as the young professionals who support Hermann Park Conservancy plan their holiday social.

Chairs Caroline Bean, Cynthia and Chad Mabry and Megan McGraw have organized a gathering with flair, including drinks, music, and a silent auction that prompts a fashionable crowd to fundraise to keep the park's grounds verdant.

The deets: Thursday, 7 p.m.; Miller Outdoor Theatre, tickets start at $35 for non-members; $25 for members.

The Heritage Society's 50th Annual Candlelight Tour

This three-day history tour journeys to a simpler time in Houston's history. Alongside decorated landmark buildings, guests will enjoy re-enactors, carolers, performances by the Houston Boychoir and Houston Grand Opera's HGOco and themed bites in a candlelight setting. Mayor Annise Parker will kick off the festivities on Friday, and event chair Shawn Stephens will ensure merriment lives on through the weekend.

The deets: Friday through Sunday; The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park; tickets are $15 for adults; $12 seniors; $8 students; and free for children ages 5 and younger.

Fourth Annual Gingerbread House Build-Off

If visions of adorable gingerbread houses tickle your fancy, then this competition for Best Architectural Icon, Tallest Standing Structure, Best Traditionally Themed, Best Non-Traditionally Themed, Most Creative Interpretation of Materials and Public Favorite spiced cookie holiday dwellings with surely make you smile.

Teams can register for $125. Free to watch the building in action.

The deets: Saturday, 10 a.m.; Hermann Square Park; free event.

Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail's "Holiday Crystal Wine Trail"

The Holiday Crystal Wine Trail pairs food samples with wine at participating vineyards. For those who need a respite from traditional holiday planning, let the fruit of the vine quench that thirst. On the trail are the varietals of Bernhardt Winery, Cork This! Winery, Messina Hof Winery, Pleasant Hill Winery, Retreat Hill Cellars, Retreat Hill Winery & Vineyard, Saddlehorn Winery, Texas Star Winery and Windy Winery.

The deets: Saturday and Sunday; participating wineries; tickets start at $25.

Staff writer and savvy Houston explorer Whitney Radley's pick: Designer appearance and holiday trunk show: Ana Mae Holmes' {temple street}

Whitney says: "The statement pieces that comprise the holiday collection of handmade Houston jewelry company {temple street} are classic but on-trend, sweet with a hint of sass. Come to think of it, they're just like their creator, Ana Mae Holmes, who will host a trunk show at Dao Chloe Dao on Saturday and Sunday.

"Stop by to treat yourself to holiday specials and to meet the woman behind the wares."

The deets: Saturday and Sunday; Dao Chloe Dao; free event.

Arts smarty pants and in-the-loop dance maven Nancy Wozny's pick: Dance On Film Festival

Nancy says: "Houston is turning into a mini dance film hub. How do I know this? Because there is yet another dance on camera festival, this time presented at FrenetiCore.

"Included in the lineup is The All Hands Meeting, a new work by Rebecca French, FrenetiCore founder and artistic director, and Drain by Ashley Horn, which is a modern love story told through the mutual discovery and courtship of subterranean pipe dwellers. Drain features two outstanding local dancers, Shanon Adams and Alex Soares, and was filmed in Houston's runoff water drainage system."

The deets: Friday, 8 p.m.; Frenetic Theatre; event is free, donations are encouraged.