• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    weekend event planner

    Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this Christmas weekend

    Craig Lindsey
    Dec 22, 2022 | 5:00 am
    Cirque Dreams Holidaze

    Cirque Dreams Holidaze leaps into town for a holiday spectacle.

    Cirque Dreams/Facebook

    Editor's note: By now, most in the Greater Houston area are ready to hunker down as the arctic freeze approaches. While we've listed events on Thursday (when the freeze hits) and Friday (another frigid day), many or all are expected to be canceled due to weather. Check social and event pages for updates.

    As the weekend warms, holiday offerings abound, including movie fun and a visit from Cirque du Soleil before and on Christmas Eve and some quintessential H-Town events on Christmas Day.

    Above all, we urge you to stay safe and warm. Whether you're staying in or venturing out, we wish you the happiest holiday season.

    Thursday, December 22

    Community Artists' Collective presents Ashé Holiday Market

    It’s that time of year, when the Community Artists’ Collective helps out those who are still looking for last-minute gifts to give their loved ones on Sunday. The Midtown art temple will present its 15th annual Ashé Holiday Market, featuring artistic and unique gift items made by local artists. The market will be open to the public Thursdays-Saturdays, and by appointment through December 31. Noon.

    Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Animation Show of Shows

    Timely, beautiful, and poignant, the annual Animation Show of Shows is back. This curated selection comprises the “best of the best” animated short films by students and professionals around the world. Featuring films from 10 countries (including Germany, France, Switzerland and, of course, the USA), the 22nd edition offers an array of highly imaginative, thought-provoking, and moving works that reflect the filmmakers’ unique perspectives and their relationships to the world. Recommended for ages 12+. 6 pm.

    Improv Houston presents Ali Siddiq

    One of Houston’s own will be giving people some holiday laughs before Christmas Day pops off. Ali Siddiq has traveled the comedy circuit for over 15 years using wit, thought-provoking punch lines, life experiences, and perfect comedic timing to engage diverse, racial, economic, and cultural audiences through standup as a headliner and through multiple other mediums as a writer, producer, and host. 7:30 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday).

    Friday, December 23

    Performing Arts Houston presents Cirque Dreams Holidaze

    This annual tradition wraps a Broadway-style production around an infusion of contemporary circus arts. As lights dim and the music swells, audiences will have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads as a fantastical cast of holiday storybook characters come to life. Singers, dancers, penguins, toy soldiers, and reindeer invoke the dreams behind a child’s eye on the most magical of nights. Amidst a backdrop of new sets, scenery, and storylines, this family-friendly production is sure to put a twinkle in your eye! 4 & 8 pm (11 am and 3 pm Saturday).

    The Music Box Theater presents A Beatles Holiday Cabaret

    Before this dips out next weekend, you might as well check out The Music Box Theater’s holiday-concert mashup of Christmas standards and Beatles classics. Song selections include some of the group’s original Christmas/Beatles mash-ups, such as “In My Life/Christmas Canon,” “O Come All Ye Faithful/Revolution,” “Golden Slumbers/O Holy Night/In the End” and “The Long and Winding Road/I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” 7:30 pm.

    Psycho Killer Vinyl Release Party/Giveaway at Numbers Nightclub

    DJ Wes Wallace will be up to his ol’ Classic Numbers shenanigans on Friday, but he’ll be adding a special treat. Just in time for Christmas, Wallace will be throwing a record-release listening party for his blue-moon marble vinyl Psycho Killer EP. He’ll also be giving away some deluxe vinyl packages and other goodies. New Christmas drink specials will be served until 10 pm, and yes – heat will be blowing all through this piece! 9 pm.

    Saturday, December 24

    Grinchy Celebration at Houston Farmers Market

    This Saturday is the last chance for people to get all Grinchy with it this holiday season. The Houston Farmers Market has gone with a Grinch Who Stole Christmas vibe this year. Bring the kiddos, take your picture with the meanest citizen of Whoville, and see if the Grinch’s heart grows a few sizes. Hopefully, the Market will also play some music from that animated 2018 The Grinch, composed by – believe it or not! – Tyler, the Creator. 11 am.

    The Muppet Christmas Carol Brunch at Wild Oats

    Wild Oats, the Texas-inspired, family-friendly restaurant in the Houston Farmers Market, will host their Muppet Christmas Carol-themed brunch on Christmas Eve! Catch the classic movie at one of two showings. Make your reservations so your family and friends can enjoy the Muppet-themed menu, including Al-Gonzo's Texas meat and cheese board, smoked turkey legs with Kermit’s Joplin’ John with crowder peas and Miss Figgy pudding. $50 per adult ($35 per child, free for kids 3 years old and under). 11 am & 3 pm.

    The Riot Comedy Show presents Saturday Night Late Show

    This promises the most unpredictable and chaotic showtime in the comedy scene. Audiences will feel immersed in an intimate late-night crowd where everyone is loose and ready to have fun. The show will include a hot lineup of standup comedians both local and visiting. So, spend Christmas Eve keeping yourself warm by getting your laugh on! (There will also be a New Year’s Eve next Saturday.) 11 pm.

    Sunday, December 25

    Christmas Day Slabfest

    If you have a lovely little ride that you’ve been meaning to show off this holiday season, here we have this Christmas Day block party that’ll be going down over at MacGregor Park, presented by Still Grinding Entertainment. All car clubs and bikers are welcome at this afternoon shindig. You can bring tents, lawn chairs, dogs, cats, whatever. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with spending the holiest of holidays checking out all the fly slabs that’ll be showing up. 2 pm.

    Drink the Tree at The Rustic Post Oak

    Over at The Rustic’s Post Oak location, come deck the halls and drink the tree! They will be open on Christmas evening for their annual celebration of eating hot tamales and drinking cold beer. Guests can “drink the tree” by choosing from an assortment of beers on The Rustic’s original, beer bottle Christmas tree, and their kitchen will be serving homemade tamales from open to close. Admission is free with an RSVP. 5 pm.

    The Continental Club’s Annual Christmas Show

    Now in its seventh year, the Continental Club has been throwing a free Christmas show guaranteed to get people jumping after a day of gift-giving, turkey-consuming and possible relative fisticuffs. The band that’ll be kicking the yuletide jams this evening will be Houston’s own Molly & the Ringwalds. Needless to say, they are a party band that specializes in ‘80s music. So, come spread cheer, joy, and mirth all in one evening. 8 pm.

    news/entertainment
    popular

    Movie review

    New movie Eddington confronts the chaos of early pandemic life

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 18, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in Eddington
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in Eddington.

    The coronavirus pandemic had a profound impact on the entire world, one that has been shown in various ways by movies and TV shows. However, even though a number of productions have attempted to show what life was like during the early days of the pandemic, few have tried to truly reckon with the way lockdowns and restrictions changed people.

    Filmmaker provocateur Ari Aster does just that in Eddington, set in a fictional small town in New Mexico in early 2020 that proves to be a microcosm of the debates taking place worldwide at that time. Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is not a fan of mask mandates or other restrictions imposed by the government, while mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) tries to lead by example in an effort to keep his community safe.

    The men butt heads not just on how to deal with the pandemic, but also over a personal history involving Joe’s wife, Louise (Emma Stone). When news of the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota makes its way to town, it starts a slow simmer among the town’s youth population, putting even more stress on Joe and his small department. Conspiracy theories, white guilt, partisan politics, cults, and more combine to make the community into a powder keg that threatens to explode at the slightest provocation.

    Aster (Midsommar, Beau is Afraid) takes aim at all sides in a film that’s part satire and part thriller. No matter how each viewer reacted to the pandemic, the film offers at least a character or two that will come close to representing their viewpoint. Although opinions may differ, it seems clear that Aster is not portraying one side as “right” or more righteous than the other. What he is doing is demonstrating just how much was happening in a short period of time, and how those things could negatively affect anyone.

    On the flip side, the film also challenges viewers with viewpoints that may not match their own, which can make for an uncomfortable experience at times. The reactions various characters have to certain events range from rational to wholly unexpected, and Aster seems to delight in keeping the audience on their toes the entire time. This is especially true when violence rears its ugly head, resulting in some intense and upsetting scenes.

    Not everything in the film lands, though. A subplot involving Louise and Vernon (Austin Butler), a cult leader who preys on her fears, feels tacked on, with no relation to the film as a whole. In fact, the character of Louise is a misfire in general, one whose purpose makes little sense. Aster also lets (asks?) some actors speak in almost inaudible tones at various points in the film, a frustrating experience in a film as dialogue-heavy as this one.

    Phoenix loves to dig into off-kilter characters, and this one ranks high on that scale. Even if you don’t enjoy what his character does, it’s hard to fault the performance that brings him to life. Most of Pascal’s scenes are with Phoenix, and while he matches Phoenix’s energy, the lower key nature of his character leaves him overshadowed. The nature of the film means few others make an impact, although Deidre O’Connell as Joe’s passive-aggressive mother-in-law and William Belleau as Officer Jiminiz Butterfly stand out in their scenes.

    Few of us would volunteer to go back to the baffling days of early 2020, but Eddington does a great job of examining what was happening at the time and how events united some and divided others. It’s not a feel-good film, but it is one that will make viewers re-examine their reactions at the time and how those influenced the current reality.

    ---

    Eddington is now playing in theaters.

    coronavirus pandemicfilmmovies
    news/entertainment
    popular

    most read posts

    Self-taught chef slices into Houston with high-quality sushi to go

    Shaq surprises Houston restaurant with $1,000 tip and more top stories

    Shaquille O'Neal leaves $1,000 tip at Houston Tex-Mex institution

    Loading...