Don’t let the lack of gifts fool you. The holiday season is still in full swing (for about 48 more hours, giver or take).

This display in Austin, Texas reminds us that we should keep Christmas and/or the holiday of your choice in our hearts, always. Or at least until the credit card bills arrive. Then you can pack it until next year.

How long do you keep your holiday decorations up?

This post is part of UpTake’s Family Friday Series. This month the emphasis is on holiday lighting. If you see a display worth mentioning send us a photo via the contact link in the sidebar.

Photo: el_eduardo via Flickr

Austin, Texas has long been a favorite destination of mine for many years. Having lived there for a few years, and now living in San Antonio, I’ve had ample opportunity to enjoy all it has to offer. It has great restaurants, plenty of places for outdoor recreation, and a laid back vibe. However for many years the craft beer industry was small, with only a few bright spots.

Black Star Co-op

The scene has changed a lot in the last ten years with breweries and brewpubs, like Uncle Billy’s, NXNW, 512 and Independence Brewing. It’s great to see this renaissance unfold. One of these recent additions to the brewing scene is Black Star Coop. I had been wanting to head over and check them out and on a recent day trip, finally got the chance.

Black Star sits just off North Lamar and Airport Boulevard in Central Austin in a mixed-use building known as the Midtown Commons, which seems right off the bat to be in line with their business approach. As the name suggests, they operate on a co-op model. A co-op usually means that they, the patrons and members of the community, either own or have the opportunity to own membership shares in the business. Since all who work at Black Star are member owners, they have a vested interest in its success.

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This post is a contribution from the UpTake Getaway Crew Austin. Visit them today and get a local spin on the great city of Austin!

Lake Travis behind the tasting room at Stone House Vineyards in Spicewood. Photo courtesy of Stone House Vineyards

It’s true: the Texas wine industry is growing by leaps and bounds, and the Hill Country region is one of the fastest growing wine tourism areas in the nation.  Recently, the New York Times picked the region as the #1 place to go this summer.

With rolling hills that see warm days and cool nights, the Hill Country is prime terroir for growing a variety of grapes, and many wineries are taking advantage by producing fine estate wines out of Tempranillo, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and even Pinot Grigio, to name a few. There are now 27 wineries in the Hill Country appellation, scattered among a number of routes known locally as Wine Trails. They are easy to navigate and explore by car on day trips; most of them include tasting rooms, and Flat Creek Estate even has an on-site bistro.  Read More »

Formula One Racer Timo Glock

My husband and I are avid race fans. Tied for first place on our list of favorites is MotoGP (which we enjoyed in person for the first time this past season) and Formula 1. We thought, if we wanted to see Formula 1 in person, we’d have to plan a trip to Montreal Canada, the nearest that Formula 1 has recently come to the U.S. But then earlier this year, the race organizers announced their plans for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, to be held in Austin Texas in 2012.

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