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AUSTIN

Phoning the Prez

Telephones placed around the newly renovated L.B.J. Presidential Library give visitors an unfiltered account of all the challenges President Lyndon B. Johnson faced during his time in office. Visitors can listen in on a conversation Johnson had with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about the importance of passing the Voting Rights Act; on another phone, they can hear Johnson talk with J. Edgar Hoover about the three missing civil rights workers in Mississippi.

“These conversations illustrate how effective L.B.J. was at getting things done,” said Mark Updegrove, the director of the L.B.J. Library and author of “Indomitable Will: L.B.J. in the Presidency.” “It is particularly germane for these conversations to appear on exhibit today because visitors can hear how he reached across the aisle.”

The L.B.J. Library will reopen on Saturday with a ribbon-cutting and open house, after a year of technology-based improvements to the core exhibit. (The 1970s-era animatronic Johnson is still there.) Various displays are informed by the work of historians, like the Johnson biographers Robert Caro and Doris Kearns Goodwin, showing how Johnson’s Great Society shaped our nation.

In the “impact” gallery, visitors can leave their own reactions to Johnson’s signature bills. “L.B.J. would want to know what Americans think about his legislation today,” Mr. Updegrove said.

L.B.J. Presidential Library, Dec. 22, 9 a.m., lbjlibrary.org

SAN ANTONIO

Give Peace a Chance

Peace on Earth requires many, but peace of mind needs only one. Strive for personal tranquillity at Shantikar, a yoga-based meditation ceremony that takes its name from Shanti, the Sanskrit word for peace.

Equilibrium is achieved through kirtan, the call-and-response chanting honoring the winter solstice. “By repeating positive concepts and ideas, you create energy for ecstatic meditation, where the body is energized and the mind is open,” said Rick Henderson, the organizer.

Others may achieve harmony with the rhythms that Mr. Henderson, a classically trained sarodist (the sarod is a lutelike instrument), conjures with Buffalo Thunder Frank Del Toro, a “shamanistic drummer.”

Most will practice on a cushion or mat, but the chanting is expected to last a couple of hours, so it is also fine to sit in the Quaker Meetinghouse pews.

Quaker Meetinghouse, Dec 21, 7:30 p.m., ragavatar.com

HOUSTON

Win-Win Situation

The Texans’ lopsided loss to the New England Patriots in Week 14 crushed the hopes of many fans who now realize that their team may not be ready for the Super Bowl. Quarterback Matt Schaub made poor decisions on third down, running back Arian Foster could not break tackles, and defensive end J. J. Watt was missing in action.

The Texans must gain some momentum if they are to live up to many football analysts’ playoff expectations. Fans can root for the Texans at their final home game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings; a win could solidify home-field advantage in the playoffs. But some fans may have split allegiances: Adrian Peterson, the Vikings running back from Palestine, Tex., is vying for the single-season rushing record only a year after tearing his A.C.L.

Reliant Stadium, Dec. 23, 12 p.m., houstontexans.com

DALLAS

Shooting Stars

Bryan Adams, the Canadian musician whose hit songs include “Summer of ’69” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” has been moonlighting for the last decade as a photographer, but now his second artistic pursuit is his focus. Mr. Adams has a new book, “Exposed,” a retrospective featuring many never-before-published photographs from assignments for British Vogue and other magazines.

Forty-six images from the book are part of a three-city exhibition of Mr. Adams’s work, starting in Dallas and ending in Marfa. Some may think the promotional photograph of the musician Pink baring her breast portends the imagery of “Exposed,” but the title actually comes from Mr. Adams’s use of lighting to render his subjects, including Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger and Queen Elizabeth II.

The Goss-Michael Foundation, Dec. 21-Feb. 8, gossmichael foundation.org

AUSTIN

Twisted Carols

Carolyn Wonderland, a blues singer who plays a wicked guitar, and Guy Forsyth, a folkie who can turn nearly anything into an instrument, are Austin musicians who refuse to buy into the earnest holiday spirit and will transform traditional songs and carols to suit their humor at their Holiday Roast show.

The Long Center, Dec. 21-22, 8 p.m., thelongcenter.org

HOUSTON

Holiday Cheers

People who embrace the dysfunction that can come with holiday family gatherings may want to attend Robert Earl Keen’s hometown Christmas show, which is likely to include “Merry Christmas From the Family,” a comical singalong number involving Champagne punch, margaritas and bloody marys.

House of Blues, Dec. 27, 8 p.m., robertearlkeen.com