By Christine Bolaños

Friday, 02 December 2011

There are many ways to spend the holidays sans-snow in Pflugerville, Round Rock and surrounding areas. Here is a compilation of December activities for young and old.

Location: Round Rock, Austin, Pflugerville

1. Start off the day by taking the kids to Friar Tuck’s Pantry, a traditional English coffeehouse and bakery located in downtown Round Rock. During the month of December, the pantry serves hot chocolate with marshmallows, traditional English cake, traditional Christmas pudding and mince pies—small British pies made of dried fruit with apples and almonds. 8 a.m.– 4 p.m. (Mon.–Sun.) • 204 E. Main Street • 733-8825

2. Then head to Chaparral Ice Center at Northcross Mall in Austin for some bonding time on ice skates. Skating classes are available free through one-time, 30-minute introductory classes for beginners ages 6 years and older. For class times and availability, call 252-8500, ext. 9. A public skating schedule is available at www.chaparralice.com/generalpublic • Varied hours • 2525 W. Anderson Lane, Austin 255-8500 www.chaparralice.com

3. For a kid-friendly lunch, stop by Threadgill’s Home Cooking in Austin for holiday specials such as turkey with dressing and pumpkin pie served exclusively during the months of November and December. • Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m. 6416 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin • 451-5440 • www.threadgills.com

4. Next, take a trip to the Austin Children’s Museum for gingerbread house workshops. Workshop sessions are available Thursdays through Sundays on Dec. 2–23. Teetertot workshops are also held for children ages 5 and younger. Three people are allowed per gingerbread house. Price includes museum admission, supplies and materials. • Varied times available online • $30 (members), $35 (non-members) per gingerbread house • 201 Colorado St., Austin • 472-2499, ext. 201 (to register) • www.austinkids.org

5. For a little taste of Europe, treat your children to dinner at European Bistro in Pflugerville. The full-service restaurant offers meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes with Hungarian, Russian, German, French, Czech and American flair. There is a menu just for children and a variety of specialty desserts. • 5–9 p.m. (Tue.–Wed.), 11 a.m.– 9 p.m. (Thu.), 11 a.m.– 10 p.m. (Fri.–Sat.), 11 a.m.– 8 p.m. (Sun.), closed Mon. 111 E. Main St. • 835-1919 • www. european-bistro.com

6. End the night by watching a computer-controlled Christmas display at a Round Rock home synced to music that you can tune into in your car. The display, which has garnered national attention, uses 14,260 lights—most of which are LED lights, software engineer and homeowner John Storms said. The computerized light display runs Nov. 23–Dec. 31 and can be heard on 106.9 FM, a legal, low-powered transmitter connected to the light system. Storms said he and his family hold the display annually because they love Christmas and enjoy sharing the lights with their neighbors. (The home address is not provided to avoid heavy traffic flow in the neighborhood in which the home is located.) • 6–9 p.m. (school nights), 6–10 p.m. (non-school nights), show canceled for rain www.listentoourlights.com

Location: Round Rock, Austin, Pflugerville

1. Start the holidays off right with a coffee, hot tea, cocoa, mocha, latte, cappuccino, espresso, milk or hot apple cider from Dazzle Coffee in Pflugerville. Choose from three different mochas and imported flavors such as coconut, gingerbread and Irish cream, and sugar-free flavors such as hazelnut, French vanilla and peppermint. The drive-thru coffee venue opened in 2006 and served its 250,000th customer in 2010. • 5:30 a.m.–6 p.m. (Mon.–Fri.), 6 a.m.–6 p.m. (Sat.), 7 a.m.–5 p.m. (Sun.) • 100 N. Second St. • 670-1100 www.dazzlecoffee.com

2. Then check some people off your holiday gift list by visiting A Fine Stitch Embroidery Gifts in Pflugerville. Personalize backpacks, blankets, totes, bags, diaper covers, towels and other items. 709 E. Pflugerville Parkway • 989-9890 • www.afinestitch.com

3. To get ahead on your Christmas gift list, spend some time at Adam’s Gifts and Home Decor in Round Rock. The shop carries holiday seasonal items not usually found in major retail outlets and features brands such as Tyler Candles, Willow Tree, Lampe Berger and Chamilia. • 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. (Mon.–Sat.) • 409 N. Mays St. 255-7500 • www.roundrockgifts.com

4. Re-energize with lunch at Juarez Mexican Restaurant and Bakery in Round Rock. The restaurant will be serving holiday desserts such as flan; pecan, pumpkin and apple pies; and roscas—a dessert typically served during Mexican New Year’s celebrations. • 6:30 a.m.– 8 p.m. (Mon.–Sat.), 6:30 a.m.–3 p.m. (Sun.) 1701 N. Mays St. • 255-6262 • www.juarezrestaurantbakery.com

5. For free live music followed by a light dinner, head to Vino 100 on a Thursday or Friday in Round Rock. Performers include Johnny Deftone, Anna Mae Mitchell and Pat Harris, Randy Stern, Sound of AM, and many more in December. There will also be a holiday grand wine tasting Dec. 10. Dinner options include lamb burger topped with a poblano sauce and an egg over-easy, ciabatta pizza, white wine and red wine, cheese plates and much more. Desserts such as homemade cookies, ice cream sandwiches and s’mores panini are also available. One hundred red and white wines are offered for $25 or less. • 1–9 p.m. (Tue., Wed., Sat.), 1–11 p.m. (Thu.–Fri.), closed Sun.–Mon. 3021 S. I-35, Ste. 120 255-0526 www.vino100rr.com

6. End the day with Ballet Austin’s 49th annual production of ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, a holiday tradition including more than 200 dancers and live music from The Austin Symphony Orchestra. A unique part of Austin’s interpretation of ‘The Nutcracker’ includes the nightly cameo role of Mother Ginger played by notable Austin personalities. This year’s Mother Ginger cast includes Sen. Kirk Watson, D-District 14, Formula 1 U.S. Chairman Tavo Hellmund and Tim McClure, co-founder of Austin-based advertising agency GSDM. • Dec. 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 21, 22 (7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 4, 11, 17, 18, 23 (2 p.m.) • $$-$$$ • 701 W. Riverside Drive (at the corner of South First Street) • 476-2163 • www.balletaustin.org

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