With the holidays quickly approaching, residents of The Austonian enjoy numerous holiday gatherings, without ever having to leave the building. The Austonian is designed to foster relationships and shared experiences year-round, but during the holiday season there are even more opportunities for residents to get to know and enjoy each other – with music, decorations, and plenty of cookies at these resident-only holiday events.
Holiday Tree Decorating in the Lone Star Bar- The 10th floor Lone Star Bar is home to The Austonian Christmas tree, which serves as a holiday gathering space for residents throughout the month of December. During this event, residents are invited to bring an ornament or two to add to the collection on the tree, and to enjoy festive cheer and Christmas music from the McNeil High School Chamber Orchestra.
Cookies with Santa- For the third year, a group of grandmothers within the building have gotten together to bake up an impressive batch of cookies for The Austonian’s “Cookies with Santa” event. At this annual event, residents, staff and their families are invited to eat home-baked cookies, take pictures with Santa, and get a balloon animal from Santa’s Balloon Elf in the Lone Star Bar.
Book Club White Elephant Gift Exchange- Because The Austonian fosters resident relationships and engagement, a number building-wide groups and organizations have cropped up during the building’s history. One of these is The Austonian Book Club, which is hosting a white elephant gift exchange for residents to bring a gift to swap with their book-loving neighbors.
Holiday Hoedown- The largest holiday event is the Holiday Hoedown, which will take place in The Austonian Club. Residents will enjoy an evening of bluegrass music from local band The Lost Pines and spirits from Treaty Oak Distillery. The band is donating their time for the Holiday Hoedown to raise awareness about their spring bluegrass festival, which will raise funds for farmers facing financial distress.
In addition to events within the building, there are countless events taking place within walking distance from The Austonian, such as the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, the Trail of Lights and the Zilker Holiday Tree.
Cookies photo courtesy flickr user bubolinkata
