HOLIDAY FUN IN AUSTIN

Find presents for everyone on your holiday gift giving list at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar

Enjoy live music on the streets of Austin during the Downtown Holiday Stroll

Ways to celebrate the holiday season like a true Texan

By Heather Turk

Those visiting Austin for the holidays will find several festive ways to celebrate the spirit of the season.

One of the city’s longest-running holiday traditions is the Austin Trail of Lights. Every Tuesday through Sunday from Dec. 8 through 23, holiday revelers can head to Zilker Park in downtown Austin to see more than 2 million lights illuminating 90 trees and more than 70 other holiday displays and tunnels. Now in its 58th year, the annual event originally started as a small community gathering around a yule log and has since grown to welcome more than 400,000 guests from around the world each year to enjoy its jubilant display of lights and nightly entertainment. austintrailoflights.org

Another hallmark of the Austin holiday season is the Downtown Holiday Stroll. During the month of December, free entertainment and family-friendly activities take place throughout downtown Austin, including curated weekend artisan markets, pop-up carolers and ample photo opportunities at several decorated Austin landmarks. The festivities kick off on Dec. 3 with a Holiday Sing-Along at 6 p.m. that leads into the lighting of the Capitol tree: a 45-foot tree featuring 137,000 LED lights. The tree will then rotate during a programmed light show throughout December that plays holiday songs at the top and bottom of every hour from some of Austin’s favorite musicians, including Willie Nelson. downtownholidaystroll.com Visitors can also finish their holiday shopping during their trip at one of Austin’s longest-running art and music festivals: the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar. Taking place Dec. 17 through 23 at the Palmer Events Center, the festival not only features nearly 200 local and touring artists selling their unique wares, but also live music. Guests can literally dance while they shop as they listen to a diverse lineup of Austin music acts, from newcomers to Grammy Award winners. armadillobazaar.com

A LIFE-CHANGING QUEST

The animated legend faces an existential crisis in ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’

By Heather Turk

Puss in Boots pounces back onto the big screen on Dec. 21 with DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last

Wish.” Nonstoplife caught up with

everyone’s favorite fearless feline hero as well as the movie’s director, Joel Crawford (“The Croods: A New Age”), to talk about the highly anticipated release, which sees Puss in Boots embarking on his most important adventure yet.

It’s been 11 years since audiences have seen Puss in Boots on the big screen. Why did it take so long for this sequel to be released?

Puss: You cannot rush art. Did people rush Michelangelo with the Sistine Chapel? I think not. Trust me, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is worth the wait.

Joel, what was it like working with Puss in Boots?

Crawford: It was a true honor. Puss in Boots is a legend. He performed his own stunts, played his own guitar, died his own deaths — he gives it all for the movie. Though for someone larger than life, if I’m being honest, I thought he’d be taller. Puss, this film deals with you trying to find the Fallen Wishing Star in hopes of using its magic to get back eight of your nine lives. Is it safe to say that the stakes have never been higher for you?

Puss: Of course. For the first time in my many lives, Puss in Boots the legend comes face to face with his own mortality. It was very intense. I am a method actor, so it was very, very draining.

Joel, did Puss have any special requests to help get him through shooting a film as demanding as this?

Crawford: Puss did have very specific requests for his trailer. It always had to be stocked with cat toys, gazpacho, catnip and, weirdly, spray cheese in a can. Puss, in the race to find the Fallen Wishing Star, you have to face Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack Horner and the Wolf. Luckily, you don’t face these adversaries alone. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” sees you reuniting with your former flame, Kitty Softpaws. What was it like working with her again?

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Puss: Well, I cannot divulge any major plot details — Joel would not be happy — but what I can say is that Kitty and I have some issues to work out. Too much sour milk between us — more like curdled milk, actually. But you know what they say: you shouldn’t cry over spilt milk, you should make sure you lap it all up. Very quickly. Fivesecond rule. What was the question again?

You have a new partner along for the ride, too — a tea-cup mutt named Perrito. What can you tell us about him?

Puss: Well, traditionally cats and dogs don’t get along so well, so I initially had my reservations. But he kept showing up and he started to grow on me. Like a rash. But you know, like a good rash. Speaking of which, can you recommend a good dermatologist?

Are there any fairy tale characters you haven’t met yet that you would love to face in your next movie?

Puss: Does Darth Vader count? I think I could take him. I do know which one I’d want to avoid. I once glimpsed the Emperor after he got his “new clothes.” Oof. Not enough catnip to make me unsee that. I have to ask, do you keep in touch with Shrek and Donkey at all? Puss: Yeah, I do my best. I try to text them, but Shrek is behind on technology. He still has a flip phone. He’s a very slow texter. Big thumbs.

Any chance fans will see the three of you reunited for another big screen adventure in the future?

Puss: Ask my agent. Puss, you once told Kitty Softpaws that you are a lover, not a fighter. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, what romantic tips would you give to our readers?

Puss: Well, it’s quite simple really. Just be amazingly handsome and a fantastic dancer. Doesn’t hurt to always be ready with a romantic ballad on the guitar. But if you can’t quite manage all that, just take your date to “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” dreamworks. com/movies/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish