Buy Nothing Day Why any man, woman or child would choose this day, of all days, to enter the stampeding crowds of holiday-shopping sheep, we cannot say. But here's the terrible fact: The day after Thanksgiving confounds all common sense and continues to be the biggest shopping day of the year. "Please stop!" cry the folks from Houston Greens and the Greater Houston Alliance for Democracy. Contain yourself, and instead spend the day reflecting on where all this out-of-control American consumerism leads us. Celebrate your self-control with other "irreverent unshoppers" in the Shopping Free Zone. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Shopping Free Zone near the corner of Rice and Kelvin in the University Village. For information, call 669-0838. Totally free, of course.
saturday
november 29
Nutcracker Tea Can't you just see her? Your little sweetpea is dressed in her frilliest flowered dress -- her shiny hair in ribbons and curls, cookie crumbs on her cheeks and eyes dazzled by the beauty of the Sugar Plum Fairy, who's standing within reach, in the very same room. Today, Houston children can take tea, oh, so seriously, with principal characters from The Nutcracker. And afterward, they'll be whisked off to the Wortham Theater for the ballet. Tea, noon-1 p.m., today (see Thrills for other dates). Four Seasons Hotel, 1300 Lamar. $54; $46.50, kids under 12; $15, adult ballet season-ticket holders; $7.50, kids under 12 of season-ticket holders. Reservations required. To make them, call 652-6210.
sunday
november 30
Red Ribbon Toy Drive Okay, so you did it. You just couldn't help yourself, and there you were, going hog-wild, up one side the Galleria and down the other, packages going every which way, ribbons and bows, boxes and cards, and all with the Christmas spirit deep in your heart. And with that giving spirit, you made it over to F.A.O. Schwarz or some other toy store and bought a shiny new toy for some little HIV-infected child who's facing this holiday with a brave face and a troubled future. Today is a great day to take that gift (don't wrap it) over to the Alley box office and exchange it for a 20-percent discount on a ticket to A Christmas Carol, for any performance Dec. 112. If you forgot the gift: Shame, shame. But don't worry. You've still got time to make it to the store one last time before the weekend's over, and gifts will be accepted thru Dec. 12. Today, bring a toy between noon and 7:30 p.m. to the Alley Theatre box office, 625 Texas. Other locations accepting gifts: AIDS Foundation Houston (3202 Weslayan Annex); Evin Thayer Studios (2643 Colquitt); Giovanni (4444 Montrose), 228-8421, 629-9255.
Gulf Coast Poetry Prize Ranked number two in the country in a poll conducted by U.S. News and World Report, the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program has become almost as famous as the Cougars were during the heady days of Phi Slamma Jamma. Now, the UH literary journal Gulf Coast is sponsoring its first-ever poetry prize, and while the editors can't guarantee the winner will attain the same heights of fame as Dream and Drexler, they do offer 500 bucks and publication. Think of it as your chance to turn pro. Send up to five poems; no more than ten pages, total. All submissions must be postmarked by Dec. 1. Send to Gulf Coast Poetry Prize, English Department, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-3012, 743-3223 for information. $15 reading fee; includes a one-year subscription to Gulf Coast.
monday
december 1
Day Without Art Elegiac and quietly moving are the images of canvases draped in black, in homage to those who have lost their lives to AIDS. And today, across the city, you will find that art has been covered. Henry Moore's sculpture "Large Spindle Piece," located on Allen Parkway, will be draped. The Transco Tower will be turned off. And 15 arts organizations will display panels from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. This morning, Stephen Stein, Houston Symphony Conductor-in-residence, and gossip columnist Maxine Mesinger will headline a "Ceremony of Remembrance" that will include music and, yes, art, at the Alley Theatre. Tonight, at the "Tree of Remembrance" ceremony, Houstonians can hang an ornament on a Christmas tree in memory of someone lost to AIDS. Ceremony of Remembrance, 10:30 a.m., Alley Theatre, Neuhaus Arena Stage, 615 Texas; Tree of Remembrance ceremony, 6:30 p.m., Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, 1475 West Gray. Call 524-AIDS for information.
