4th annual Heights "Mistletoe Madness"

Houston's Historic Heights knows how to throw a good party.
Whether it's "White Linen Night" in August or "Mistletoe Madness" in
December, Heights residents, businesses, artists, musicians and
organizations come together to put on a celebration worthy of the many
accolades they have received over the years. And this December's 4th
annual "Mistletoe Madness" will be no exception.

 

 

Set for Saturday, December 5, from 12-6 p.m., Mistletoe Madness
faithfully showcases the Heights - profiling the people, the shop
owners, the artists and the businesses that make the Heights a classy,
progressive, and ultimate destination not to be missed.

 

 

Art and live entertainment will be on hand throughout the day and
retail shops, restaurants, galleries, and sponsor businesses will be
open for visiting and shopping throughout the many tree-lined,
holiday-decorated thoroughfares that transverse The Heights, including
11th St., White Oak, Studewood, Heights Blvd, Yale St., North Main St.,
and 19th St. 

 

 

Billed by organizers as just the right mix of “Eat, Drink, Shop
& Be Merry,” Heights Mistletoe Madness 2009 is geared up to make
this year's event the best yet.

 

 

“Events work in The Heights because of its artistic, diverse, and
offbeat ways,” says Karen Mann, one of the celebration's organizers.

 

 

And Mann knows what she is talking about. Many “best-of”
establishments call the Heights home, including the best chicken-fried
steak in Houston, the best new restaurant of 2007, the best plants, the
best new store, the best late-night restaurant, the best tacos, best
barbecue, and even the best value. Visitors are encouraged to come
early, browse, eat, and enjoy the sights and shops not found anywhere
else in Houston.

 

 

Organizers invite the public to "Stroll the streets or take a
shuttle. Tour the Victorian homes. Hear live music. See good art. Vote
on the Caroling Contest. Try a new restaurant or funky bar or revisit
an old favorite. Enjoy the chill in the air. Hail a pedi-cab or hop a
shuttle for a different trip to a gallery, shop, restaurant, or home.
Buy really great gifts!"

 

 

And indeed Holiday shoppers can choose from gifts not found
anywhere else – fresh, original art, jewelry, clothing, home
furnishings, antiques, furniture. Lining the streets of The Heights are
shops carrying retro, trendy, high fashion, fine leather goods,
hand-made jewelry, and showy studded accessories as well as some of the
most varied antiques and imports found in Houston.

 

 

The First Saturday Arts Market will also be open, featuring
original art for sale. Known as the launching ground for many of
Houston's most renowned artists, the First Saturday Arts market is
approaching its sixth year of bringing art and artists to Houston on a
monthly basis.

 

 

And art, shopping and entertainment are not the only options for
visitors on this first Saturday of December. The hugely popular
"Heights Holiday Home Tour" is scheduled for the same weekend. The
Heights’ Victorian and Bungalow architecture provides a festive,
nostalgic backdrop for the modern crowds and art gallery scene.

 

 

Making Mistletoe Madness all possible are many generous
underwriters including Spanish Flowers Mexican Restaurant, Buchanan’s
Native Plants, Karen Derr & Associates Realty, Wind Water Gallery,
Sterling Bank, Harolds in the Heights, Eclectic Home, Glass Wall the
Restaurant, The Leader News, Carter & Cooley Deli, First Saturday
Arts Market and more.

 

 

Mistletoe Madness is free of charge and open to the public. There
is ample free parking available as well as free shuttles. Pedi-cabs are
also available on a "for tips" basis.