Champions Village Holiday Open House
The third annual Champions Village Holiday Open House is scheduled for Thursday, November 29, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Stop by for continuous entertainment, including Santa playing the sax, a barbershop quartet, choral performances from local schools and complimentary horse-drawn carriage rides. Participating stores will offer in-store savings as well as holiday goodies and refreshments. Champions Village Shopping Center is located at FM 1960, Champion Forest Drive.

Danny O'Flaherty's Celtic Christmas
The holiday season will begin on an Irish note at the Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston. Danny O'Flaherty's Celtic Christmas performance will include rarely heard traditional songs performed with a blend of vocal and musical talents. Performances coincide with the annual Dickens on the Strand festival, November 30 and December 1. For ticket prices and show times, visit www.thegrand.com or call 1-800-821-1894.

Share Your Warmth
Donate a warm clothing item to any Sun & Ski Sports location and receive $10 off of every $79 spent that day. All warm clothing donations will be sent to Star of Hope. Sun & Ski Sports has five area locations: Katy Mills Mall (281-644-6040), 6100 Westheimer (713-783-8180), Memorial City Mall (713-464-6363), 5503 FM 1960 (281-537-0928) and 1355 Bay Area Boulevard (281-316-1365).

Holocaust Museum Houston
Take advantage of a rare chance to see surviving diaries written by children in the Holocaust in the "Private Writings - Public Records" exhibit. Also on display: "Cover Them," a quilt installation by Rachel Brumer featuring ten art quilts made in memory of lost children of the Holocaust. Both exhibits continue through January 27. Admission is free. The Holo-caust Museum is located at 5401 Caroline Street. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 713-942-8000.

A Christmas to Remember with Amy Grant
In an evening of your favorite holiday music, sing-alongs and "Tender Tenne-ssee Christmas" stories, Amy Grant will perform at the Compaq Center with special guest appearances by Vince Gill, Rachael Lampa and Nickel Creek. Friday, November 30, 7 p.m. Tickets range from $30.50 to $80.50 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations.

A Christmas Carol
Presented by the Alley Theatre, this is a family holiday classic, on the large stage at 615 Texas Avenue. Opens November 23 and continues until December 31. Call 713-228-8421 for show times and ticket reservations, or call any Ticketmaster locations. www.alleytheatre.org

The Nutcracker by Houston Ballet
The company revives its dazzling production of The Nutcracker, choreographed by artistic director Ben Stevenson to Peter Tchaikovsky's beloved score. Hous-ton Ballet will give 32 performances of The Nutcracker at Wortham Theater Center from November 23 to December 30. For tickets, call 713-227-ARTS. www.houstonballet.org

The Festival of Trees
Moody Mansion invites you to view the decorating talents of local Galveston schoolchildren. Fifteen twinkling Christ-mas trees, each decorated by a different school from the Galveston Independent School District, will be displayed throughout the mansion through January 6. Pro-ceeds benefit Galveston ISD. Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for children age six to 18. Moody Mansion is located at 2618 Broadway in Galveston. For more information, call 409-762-7668.

Dickens on the Strand
Galveston's Stand National Historic Landmark District will come alive with the sights and sound of Victorian London December 1 and 2. The highlight of the event, the Queen's Parade, takes place at 2 p.m. both days of the festival and will be led by a bagpipe band and the Queen's Guard of Beefeaters. Saturday evening the Pickwick Lantern Light Parade strolls through the streets. Admission is free for those dressed in Victorian costume and for all children 11 and under. Advance tickets are $8, $10 at the gate. Call 409-765-7834 for more details and to purchase advance tickets.

Pascal Robinson Galleries
An invitation-only reception will be held for Dorman David on Saturday, Decem-ber 1, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For those without an invitation, Dorman David's exhibition will be open to the public from December 4 through January 5. Pascal Robinson Galleries is located at 2307 West Alabama, between Kirby and Shepherd. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 713-521-2215.

The Woodlands Dance Company
Boni's Dance and Performing Arts Studio presents The Woodlands Dance Com-pany's 15th annual The Nutcracker at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Per-formances are at 7 p.m. on December 1 and 2. Tickets are $10. Proceeds from the show benefit the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children's Benefit Fund and the Montgomery County Children's Safe Harbor. To purchase tickets, call 281-292-6121 or visit www.bonisdance.com.