ATE DAY8 of Holiday Foodie Fun

New Year’s resolution time will be here soon enough. Meanwhile, the holidays are now, and with them comes ample opportunity to enjoy great food and booze. To that end, here are our Top 8 ways to increase your caloric intake and pump up that Clausometer with a smile.

1.) Now thru Mon, Dec 25, Flix Brewhouse (416 N Hwy 287, Mansfield, 682-977-8001) would like to reward you for your gift-giving efforts with a complimentary 2024 movie ticket for every $25 gift card purchased. Along with the screening of first-run and classic movies, this new theater serves up excellent food, cocktails, and craft beer brewed in-house. Check things out for yourself during 25 Days of Flixmas, when the film tavern shows a different classic holiday movie every day in December. With admission to each Flixmas show, you’ll receive a scratch-off ticket for a chance to win special prizes, including free movies for a year. Reserve seats at FlixBrewhouse.com/Events/Flix-Picks.

2.) From noon to 3pm Sun, it’s the annual Holiday Tea at The Londoner (5120 Hwy 121, Colleyville, 817-684-8810). Along with a pot of tea — or cup of milk or hot chocolate for the kids — you’ll enjoy a scone with clotted cream, plus assorted sandwiches, macarons, shortbread, orange cake or mince pie, and chocolate mousse or trifle. The cost is $37.50 per adult and $25 per child. RSVP is requested at TheLondonerColleyville.com/Tea.

3.) Going beyond a basic cookie exchange, Tanstaafl Pub (409 N Bowen Rd, Arlington, 817-460-9506) hosts its first Sweets Swap 4pm Sun, and you can bring any sweet treats you like, including brownies, candies, cookies, cupcakes, and more. Treats must be homemade. Along with three dozen or more treats, also bring printouts of the recipe to share. Christmas attire is encouraged.

4.) Enjoy the Mexican Christmas Beer Dinner at Funky Picnic Brewery & Cafe (401 Bryan Av, Ste 117, Fort Worth, 817-708-2739), with five courses of food, each with beer pairings, at 7pm Mon, Dec 11. The menu includes il pozole rojo (pork stew), tamales, bacaloa a la Vizcaina (cod stew), mixiote de pollo (chicken and rice), and pumpkin empanadas served with champurrado. Tickets are $83 at TicketTailor.com and already include gratuity.

5.) At McFly’s Pub (6104 LTJG Barnett Rd, Fort Worth, 817-744-8272), the Adult Cookie Decorating Contest is 8pm-11pm Wed, Dec 13. The entry fee is $1 per person, but the winner will receive the whole entry-fee pot as the prize at 10:30pm. All supplies will be provided, including the cookies. Use your winnings on drink specials, including $5 Crown-and-downs.

6.) Here are my three favorite ways to get your hands on some tamales. 1.) You can wait for your favorite #TamaleLady to magically appear at the bar right before closing time. 2.) You can buy some from Ibarra Tortilleria (1109 NW 25th St, Fort Worth, 817-625-6391), which serves up some of the best in town. Or 3.) you can learn to make them yourself. On Fri, Dec 15, at 6:30pm, head to Indulge FW inside 3rd Street Market (425 W 3rd St, Fort Worth, 817-585-1931) for Tamale 101. At this class, Jorge Alberto Coronado of Coronado Commissary will teach you how to assemble, fill, and cook Peruvian-inspired chicken-and-olive tamales with aji amarillo cream sauce from scratch. Registration is $89 at IndulgeFW.com.

7.) We’re not the only ones who love Christmas Vacation, the classic holiday film that inspired this week’s cover. You know, the one where Chevy Chase’s hapless Clark Griswold strives for the perfect family Christmas, but bad things keep happening, including the unexpected arrival of Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) with his wife and kids (and dog and RV) and a less than optimal holiday “bonus” check. If you’re 21+ and have yet to see it this season, it screens 6pm Fri, Dec 15, at Whiskey Ranch (2601 Whiskey Ranch Rd, Fort Worth, 817-840-9140). Tickets are $10 at FRDistilling.com and include your first cocktail. You are welcome to bring a chair and blanket. It might get chilly! (Elf screens at Whiskey Ranch Sat, Dec 16.)

8.) On Sat, Dec 16, don your worst holiday jumper and head to West 7th for the annual Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl. The folks at party company Downtown Crawlers invite you to “enjoy complimentary welcome shots and jolly good drink specials, dance to merry tunes, and compete in our costume contest for a chance to win wicked prizes.” Check-in is 3pm-6pm at the Backyard (1000 Foch St, 682-207-1186), then the party moves to Reservoir (1001 Foch St, 817-334-0560) and Pour Decisions (2800 Bledsoe St, Ste 200, 682-203-0726), with an after-party at Kung Fu Saloon (2818 Morton St, 817-873-8900) thru 11:30pm. Tickets start at $13 on Eventbrite.com.

Whip up some holiday hooch sure to warm the hearts of even the Grinchiest guests with our Ho-Ho-Homemade Cocktail Recipes.