Welcome to December! The month is packed with fun, so let’s get to it. Here’s your guide to December in Austin:
📅 Become an Early Planner.
With approximately 1 million fun holiday events to choose from this month, you’ll need to become a very good and early planner. Start looking at tickets for events like Trail of Lights, Peppermint Parkway, Mozart’s Lake Austin Festival of Lights, Miracle on 5th Street, and the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar sooner rather than later. You don’t want them to sell out!
💰 Celebrating Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive.
Of course, you don’t have to spend money to have fun this month. Mark your calendar for free events like the 25th annual Downtown Holiday Stroll and KUT / KUTX Holiday Sing-Along, Kitty Cohen’s’ “Get Lit” Hanukkah pop-up, the 37th Street Lights, and the Zilker Holiday Tree. Trail of Lights also has lots of free days!
🎁 Try Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping This Year.
You probably have plenty of gift wrap in your house right now and don’t know it, so why not opt for an environmentally friendly version this year? Martha Stewart suggests wrapping gifts in fabric, which can be reused, wrapping paper made out of recycled material, or reusable totes. I’m sure you have tons of reusable totes just waiting to be made into gift wrap.
🎄 Recycle Your Christmas Tree.
Starting Dec. 26, Austin curbside customers can leave their trees on the curb during regular collection, the city says. And, whether you’re a curbside customer or not, you can drop your trees off at Zilker Park on Dec. 28 and Jan. 4-5 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
🫶 Don’t Forget To Give Back.
Giving back to your community is an essential part of the holidays. Carry gloves and socks in your car to hand out to our unhoused neighbors. Make a monetary donation to your favorite organization, on Giving Tuesday or any day. Find a spot to volunteer!
Let’s have a great December, y’all!
