A wide range

• High of 60º
• Low of 45º
• 15% chance of rain

• Hottest Christmas: High of 90º recorded in 1955
  
  • Fun fact: Last year’s unusually warm Christmas was the fifth-warmest in ATX history — people were spotted paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake.
• Coldest Christmas: Low of 10º at night (and a high of 25º during the day) recorded in 1983
• Rainiest Christmas: 1.52 inches recorded in 2000 (For context, the wettest day in Austin in 2022 brought down 3.73 inches of rain.)

Graph by ATXtoday, data sourced from Weather Underground.

What to expect this year

• University of Texas Women’s Basketball vs. Houston Christian | Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 2 p.m. | Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $9-$15 | Cheer on the Horns during this Wednesday night game.
• Maywald Holiday Lights Display | Now-Wednesday, Dec. 28 | 6-10 p.m. | Maywald Home, 10505 Twilight Vista, Austin | Free with donation | This 15-year-old, over-the-top holiday light display collects donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

• Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic | Thursday, Dec. 22-Friday, Dec. 23 | Times vary | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, 2100 Ave. of the Stars, Cedar Park | $35-$70 | Meet Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Big Bird at this on-stage show in partnership with education nonprofit Sesame Workshop.
• 2022 Blue Genie Art Bazaar | Now-Saturday, Dec. 24 | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | Blue Genie Art Bazaar, 6100 Airport Blvd., Austin | Free | Pick up some last-minute, locally made gifts.

• Armadillo Christmas Bazaar | Now-Friday, Dec. 23 | 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. | Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd., Austin | $12-$47 | It’s the last day to shop for artisan gifts, dig into food from local vendors, and take in live music at this annual lakeside bazaar.
• Austin Trail of Lights | Wednesday, Dec. 21-Friday, Dec. 23 | 6-10 p.m. | Zilker Park, Barton Springs Rd., Austin | $20-$170 | Austin’s signature holiday event ends this weekend.

• 57º | Partly cloudy | 8% chance of rain

• After almost two years, Travis County is closing its free drive-thru COVID-19 clinics at the end of the year. Since opening, the teams have distributed 430,000+ doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Find vaccines, testing, and other resources on the county website.

• The Northwest Austin Apple campus is getting even bigger. Recent filings indicate the company may add a multi-story, 33,000 sqft building to the property for $22 million. When completed, the campus could be as large as 3 million sqft. 🏗 (Austin Business Journal)

• Austin Pets Alive! is in need of short-term fosters and donated supplies ahead of this week’s freeze, due to the fact that some animal enclosures are exposed to the elements. Find out how to help.

• The grand opening for Lazarus Brewing’s second location at 4803 Airport Blvd. is this weekend, the brewery announced yesterday. The team said “elves are still working furiously” to have the space open by Friday, Dec. 23. 🍻
• The team behind L’Oca d’Oro is planning to open a pizza restaurant called Bambino near Springdale Road and Airport Boulevard. The Northeast-style pizza spot is expected to open in spring or summer 2023. 🍕 (Austin American-Statesman)

• Uncle Nicky’s cafe in East Austin is closing permanently on Friday, Dec. 23 in order to relocate to a new address. The restaurant owners haven’t yet revealed additional details about the new space. (Eater Austin)

• Catch the game — on the really big screen. For the second year, Cinemark will air the Fiesta Bowl and College Football Playoff National Championship in theaters across Texas and the US. Austin’s Southpark Meadows cinema and Pflugerville’s Cinemark 20 and XD locations made the list. 🏈 (CultureMap Austin)

• Hutto-based Covert AutoGroup, a local car dealership operating for 100+ years in Central Texas, is the official tournament sponsor for the inaugural ATX Open. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

• There’s no place like home for the holidays… and we have proof. Austin ranked No. 23 on WalletHub’s “2022’s Best Cities for Christmas” based on criteria including shopping options, events, and the community’s generosity. 🎄 (WalletHub)

• Need to know just enough of what happened during the World Cup for your next holiday party? Get The GIST.*

• Don’t stress over finding last-minute gifts. Make gifting easy by selecting a gift card to our ATXtoday shop, Six & Main. From candles to clothes, there’s something for everyone. Purchase a gift card today. 🎁

• ICYMI, Allure released its 2022 Best of Beauty Awards. Some of our favorite products made the cut, including Caudalie’s Premier Cru The Cream, R+Co’s revolutionary dry shampoo, and this cruelty free eyebrow conditioner with 2,500+ five-star reviews. We’re also adding this brightening under-eye cream to our cart.*

• Hanukkah (ongoing), the Jewish Festival of Lights, which began the evening of Sunday, Dec. 18 and ends on Monday, Dec. 26. (Pro tip: Learn more about local Hanukkah celebrations and traditions from Shalom Austin.)
• Yule (begins Dec. 21, today), an ancient Germanic solstice festival. Celebrants mark the shortest day of the year and balance between light and dark.
• Christmas (Dec. 25), a cultural and religious festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ— if you’ve put off gift shopping until now, there’s still time.
• Kwanzaa (Dec. 26), a week of African American and pan-African celebration culminating in Karamu on Saturday, Dec. 31.
• Lunar Bodhi Day (Dec. 30), celebrating the Buddha’s enlightenment through acts of kindness. “Secular” Bodhi Day was celebrated on Dec. 8.