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    Winter Wonderland

    Allen's Watters Creek ushers in holiday season with music and merriment

    CultureMap Create
    Nov 30, 2021 | 11:40 am

    It's beginning to look — and sound — a lot like the holidays at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm in Allen.

    The open-air shopping and dining destination is getting all decked out for the season, with everything from Santa visits to holiday craft projects to a menorah lighting ceremony.

    Santa Claus is coming to town
    Visit Santa daily in his magical Bavarian Village at 959 Garden Park Dr. for photos and wishes through December 24. Precautionary measures have been made to enhance the safety of your Santa experience. Reservations are recommended, though walk-in visits are offered as space allows.

    Before your annual visit with Santa, enjoy sweet treats (while supplies last), a balloon elf, a free goodie bag, and more at the PJ Party, December 8 from 6-8 pm. Parents are invited to bring children to this free event in their favorite pajamas.

    Four-legged friends will have their own special time for photos with Santa Paws, December 6 and 13 from 4 pm-close. Five dollars from the sale of each photo package will be donated to Animal Rescue Crusaders of Texas (ARC).

    Santa knows that some children need extra patience and quiet time when visiting, so Santa's sensory-friendly morning on December 5 from 9-11 am is exclusively for families with special needs children and their siblings.

    Merry music
    As you're browsing for everyone on your list, enjoy Sounds of the Season from local schools, churches, and professional musicians through December 21.

    Likewise, Eddie Crocetti Jazz performs jazzy holiday favorites on Fridays and Saturdays through December 19 on the plaza outside Frogg Coffee Bar & Creperie.

    Watch an assortment of tuba players when they congregate on The Green for Merry Tuba Christmas, playing Christmas carols and other crowd favorites on December 11 at 2:30 pm. If you play tuba or euphonium, head to 968 Village Green Dr. at noon for registration and the 1 pm rehearsal, then join in on this joyful celebration. Visit www.allenphilharmonic.org for more details.

    Santa's little helpers
    On Thursdays and Fridays, December 2-17 from 11 am-7 pm, kids can create their very own unique holiday craft project at home and receive a special treat. Elves, Inc. To-Go offers fun, free, holiday craft projects for pick-up, with projects geared toward children from pre-school through elementary, while supplies last. Pick up at the Concierge+ Lounge on Garden Park Drive.

    To make the holidays memorable for the men and women serving America, Watters Creek donates Christmas trees to the Trees for Troops program on behalf of the Allen Community. Help share the spirit by stopping by the Trees for Troops tent on December 3 from 2-5 pm, at the plaza in front of Frogg Coffee Bar, to write a note of appreciation attached to a Christmas tree and received by a service member or family.

    Cheerful celebrations
    Gather on The Green at Watters Creek for the Grand Menorah Lighting on December 2, beginning at 4:30 pm. To-go Chanukah bags for everyone include dreidels, donuts, chocolate coins, arts and crafts, and more.

    Each year on December 24, Tangible Grace Fellowship Church brings Christmas Eve on The Green to Watters Creek, and everyone is invited. The music starts at 5:30 pm and is over at about 6:15 pm. Enjoy a joyful family experience singing Christmas carols by candlelight.

    Gifts for you
    Visit during Festive Fridays, December 3-24 from 2-8 pm, and receive a complimentary glass of wine (21-and-up only) at the Concierge+ lounge. Present $75 in same-day Watters Creek receipts (exclusive of groceries and gift cards) at the Concierge+ lounge and receive a four-piece holiday gift box of Godiva chocolates.

    From December 1-24, purchase three or more Watters Creek gift cards and receive an extra $10 gift card for yourself. Gift cards are available at the Watters Creek Concierge+ Guest Center, located at 909 Garden Park Dr. between J. Jill and Anthropologie. One per person, per day, while supplies last.

    Watters Creek offers free valet to all customers Friday and Saturday from 5-11 pm throughout the year. Valet is located on Village Green Drive in front of Menchie's Frozen Yogurt and on Garden Park Drive across from The Blue Fish.

    Shop the finest in food, fashion, and more with safe, convenient, and contact-free pick-up:

    1. Place your orders with your favorite shops and restaurants.
    2. Park in a designated pick-up spot and let them know you've arrived.
    3. Click here to view a printable map that highlights each pick-up area.

    Parking spaces are branded with signage, and each sign is numbered to identify the location. Don't hesitate to get in touch with each store or restaurant directly for more information.

    All are welcome at Christmas Eve on The Green.

    Christmas Eve on the Green
    Photo courtesy of Watters Creek
    All are welcome at Christmas Eve on The Green.
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    Movie Review

    Film sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash is a technical and visual feast

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 18, 2025 | 3:15 pm
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash
    Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

    For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

    The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

    Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

    Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

    The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

    Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

    A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

    There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

    ---

    Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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