With numerous groups on tour, professional companies and neighborhood troupes, Houston is a hub for the performing arts. Check out these holiday performances happening throughout the city this season. 

'The Nutcracker': Performed by the Houston Ballet, "The Nutcracker" follows classic holiday characters Clara and the Prince, and their fight against the Rat King. The show features hundreds of characters, beautiful set designs and music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

• Dec. 10-28, times vary
• $44-$230 (per ticket)
• Brown Theater, 501 Texas Ave., Houston

'A Christmas Carol': Encounter the true meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge as he visits the past, present and future at Alley Theatre this holiday season. The show lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission, and children under six will not be admitted.  

• Dec. 10-28, times vary
• $36-$138 (per ticket)
• Hubbard Theatre, 615 Texas Ave., Houston

Honest Mary's has opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center, according to a Dec. 4 social media post from the restaurant.

The overview: Originally based out of Austin, the franchise is a healthy, fast-casual concept serving grain bowls, sipping broths and aguas frescas. Signature bowls range from aloha poke to Mediterranean harissa, with each bowl featuring a green or grain base, fresh proteins, freshly cooked vegetables and toppings.

More details: Honest Mary's serves counter-service lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with dine-in, takeaway and online ordering options for pickup or delivery.

• 2047-A W. Gray St., Houston

Germany, Portugal and Saudi Arabia are three of the seven teams that have been flagged to play in Houston for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament in June.

Breaking it down: Seven total matches will be played in Houston, including five group stages and two knockout-round games between June 14 and July 9. The five group stages include:

• June 14: Germany vs. Curaçao
• June 17: Portugal vs. Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia
• June 20: Netherlands vs. Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine
• June 23: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
• June 26: Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia

Texas can use its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 elections, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Dec. 4.

The background: State lawmakers approved the new congressional boundaries this summer, after President Donald Trump asked them to produce a new map in an attempt to help Republicans maintain a narrow majority in the U.S. House, Community Impact previously reported. Texas Republicans have said they hoped the map would help the GOP secure 30 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats, up from 25 Republican-held seats today.

What's happening: The Supreme Court's ruling overturns a Nov. 18 injunction from an El Paso federal court, which deemed Texas’ redistricting plan "racially gerrymandered” and directed officials to use a 2021 congressional map instead.

“The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections,” the Supreme Court said in the unsigned Dec. 4 order.

The order comes just four days before the Dec. 8 deadline for Texas candidates to file to run in the March primary elections.