Lights in The Heights Brings the Party Home, While Snoop Dogg and Cher Roar Into Town

Houston weekends are packed full of events, but how many of them are truly worthy of your time? PaperCity’s new events calendar offers a curated look at all the best things to do in the area. But everyone can still use a guru — or two.

PaperCity Weekend Gurus Matthew Ramirez and Virginia Reynolds cull our calendar for your weekend must dos in this weekly series.

Christmas Village at Bayou Bend

The 2003 hit movie Elf has no shortage of iconic scenes, hilarious one-liners, and quotable dialogue, yet there is one – just one – scene that can even come close to portraying my excitement for Christmas.

Cue the scene when Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, learns that Santa will be visiting Gimbels department store the following day. Buddy, who simply cannot contain his enthusiasm, exclaims, “Santa!!! Oh my gosh! Santa, here? I know him … I know him!”

If you, like Buddy, find yourself incredibly eager to meet Santa, then head to the Christmas Village at Bayou Bend, which opened today (Thursday, December 12) and runs through Monday, December 30. The Village will welcome the beloved Santa with twinkling Christmas lights, faux-snow slide for sledding, play area with cotton snowballs, model train, and so much more. But be sure you visit any time before December 24 if you want to meet Santa and snap photos with him – he has to get back to the North Pole before his big Christmas Eve adventure!

Tickets for members are $13 (adults) and $8 (youth). Non-members are $15 (adults) and $10 (youth).

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Horchata Art and Maker Holiday Market

Horchata is best enjoyed during the spring. And summer. And winter and fall. The sweet drink made from rice milk is a simple one, but boy does it pack a flavorful punch. If you aren’t familiar with the cinnamon-y, vanilla-y beverage, perhaps you know its boozy counterpart, RumChata (also delicious). Well this Saturday, December 14, you can revel in your love for horchata at Insomnia Gallery’s Horchata Art and Maker Holiday Market.

The indoor/outdoor market, held in conjunction with Bloom’s Poinsettia Market, will include a number of vendors for shopping, food trucks for snacking, and obviously horchata for sipping – both spiked and regular. Insomnia Gallery will be partnering with its neighboring business Treats of Mexico to provide the horchata, so you best believe it will be worthwhile (Treats of Mexico has strong 5-star reviews on Yelp).

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Lights in The Heights

If you still haven’t gone on a tour to see all of Houston’s magical Christmas lights, or are just looking to switch things up from your usual trip around River Oaks, then head to Woodland Heights this Saturday for its annual event, Lights in The Heights.

The sparkling night will showcase colorfully lit homes throughout the neighborhood, with jazz bands and caroling to further enliven the scene. And once you’ve wrapped up your tour, make your way to a Heights restaurant (it is the hottest restaurant neighborhood in the city) for a quick bite or tasty drink to continue the holiday festivities.

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Stavros Halkias

Stavros Halkias is a very funny, decidedly un-family friendly comedian who hosts a podcast with an unprintable name and even more unprintable jokes. Halkias’ Twitter account is also funny and worth a follow (in fact I mostly know Halkias’ material from his online presence), and is smart and thoughtful in a way most comedians online are not.

Alas, Halkias’ show – which kicks off Friday, December 13, at The Secret Group – will prove Mr. Halkias is very funny across all media. He’s irreverent, but not cruel or mean, usually aiming any vitriol in his jokes at himself. He’s a deft comedian who nails the peculiarities of an older millennial’s life.

Doors open at 7 pm; advance tickets $20, $27 at the door. -Matthew Ramirez

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Cher

Cher is an American icon. She hasn’t toured in nearly half a decade and any chance to her live in person in a prized opportunity one should not miss. Unlike other older American pop legends, Cher has retained an aura of coolness, probably due to her active and often amusing Twitter account. Plus, she introduced Auto-Tune to a young generation who’ve looked at her (deservedly) as a trailblazer since.

Catch her this Sunday, December 15, at Toyota Center. Nile Rodgers and his equally legendary disco band Chic will open. Tickets start at $57.95; doors open at 6:30 pm; Cher takes the stage at 7:30 pm. -Matthew Ramirez

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Snoop Dogg

Speaking of American icons, Compton rapper and innovator Snoop Dogg is at the top of the list not just in hip-hop, but across pop music. Lest you think his best music is well behind him, the prolific Snoop has released two great records this decade – the funky dance record Bush in 2015 (he mostly sings), and 2017’s Neva Left, which was a return to his roots.

Sure, there’s been a lot of forgettable stuff around those (including as a featured guest on comedian Lil Duval’s unfortunate Living My Best Life), but he’s a great performer and one you should probably catch at least once in your lifetime. He’ll be at House of Blues Monday, December 16. Tickets start at $59.75; doors open at 4:20 7 pm. -Matthew Ramirez

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.