Celebrating the season

Holiday events to keep you going through New Year's

by Rachel O'Malley

Don't let the holiday season pass you by again this year. Though it is important to get your friends and relatives worthwhile treats, don't spend all your time in mobbed shopping malls -- or, rather, driving around in the parking lots of mobbed shopping malls. Here's a list of just some of the festive stuff -- from craft fairs to sing-alongs -- that is going on in and around town.

WHAT FUN IT IS TO LAUGH AND SING

If you're looking to belt out some old-school Christmas tunes, head up to Marblehead's Old North Church (41 Washington Street) for the 18th annual Christmas Concerts. Part of Marblehead's 1998 Christmas Walk, the concerts will take place on Saturday, December 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m. Along with the traditional holiday carols, the evenings' lineup includes John Rutter's Gloria, Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, and Daniel Pinkham's Christmas Cantata. Tickets are $14 at the door or at select Marblehead locations. Call (781) 631-4832. The fifth annual Messiah Sing is also taking place this year at the Church of the Covenant (67 Newbury Street, Boston) on Friday, December 18. The Back Bay Chorale invites the community to join in singing Handel's Christmas classic -- to the beat of a live orchestra.

And of course, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra will keep crowds upbeat throughout the season with 29 concerts. Expect favorites including "Carol of the Bells," "Frosty the Snowman," "Sleigh Ride," "Silver Bells," and some new additions, such as Christmas waltzes, a calypso arrangement, and music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Hector Berlioz, and Georges Bizet. On December 18 at 8:30 p.m., R&B singer Aaron Neville, Late Night host Conan O'Brien, and Broadway star Liz Callaway will make special appearances with the Pops. Tickets for the 1998 Holiday Pops series are $17 to $59. Call (617) 266-1200 or 1-888-266-1200, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or visit the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Web site at http://www.bso.org. For current program info, call (617) CON-CERT or (617) 266-1492.

On December 19, join the Swanhurst Chorus Christmas Carol and Messiah Sing at Emmanuel Church ( corner of Spring and Dearborn Streets, Newport, Rhode Island). Here you can sing out loud to your heart's content, even if you're tone deaf, because the organ music and the boisterous carolers will most likely drown you out. The singing starts at 7 p.m. Call (401) 849-6545 to learn more. On December 22, at 7:30 p.m., you can listen to some singers who really know how to belt it out at "Colors of Christmas" at the Providence Performing Arts Center (220 Weybosset Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 401-421-ARTS). Jeffrey Osborne, Deniece Williams, Philip Bailey, and Sheena Easton will show carolers how it's done, with the help of an orchestra and a full choir.

DASHING TO THE SHOW

The big holiday event, as it is every year, is Boston Ballet's Nutcracker at the Wang Center (270 Tremont Street, Boston). The Nutcracker -- with its 2000 pounds of fake snow, 200 performers, 1200 pairs of point shoes, and Tchaikovsky's moving score -- is a monumental event that hasn't lost any of its allure over the past 32 years. Tickets are available by calling 1-800-447-7400 or by showing up in person at the Wang Theatre box office. The show runs through January 3. If you're up for some wining and dining before the show, don't miss "Nutcracker Magic" on Tuesday, December 1. Clink glasses with children's writer Marc Brown and his aardvark Arthur, WCVB-TV entertainment reporter Dixie Whatley, WHDH-TV weatherman Todd Gross, and Mistral chef Jamie Mammano. Dinner starts at 5 p.m., and the private performance begins at 7:30. The "other" Nutcracker, presented by the Ballet Theater of Boston at the Emerson Majestic Theatre (210 Tremont Street, 617-262-0961), offers a more up-close-and-personal performance, with less expensive seats. And for those south of the border, the Providence Performing Arts Center is also presenting a Nutcracker December 18, 19, and 20. Curtain is Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with weekend matinees at 2:30 p.m. Call (401) 421-ARTS.

A single performance of the dance Before the Snow will be presented at Green Street Studios (185 Green Street, Central Square, Cambridge) on Sunday, December 13, at 7 p.m. The dance features three dancers and three musicians in a completely improvised composition with each member acting on his or her own, but as part of a whole. Kind of like Boston city dwellers freaking out individually before a blizzard but ending up buried under the snow together, right?

If you're looking to do a few holiday steps yourself, head to the First Congregational Church (11 Garden Street, Cambridge, near Harvard Square, 617-776-5767) for Dances of Universal Peace on Friday, December 18, from 8 to 10 p.m. This event, which honors the spiritual traditions of the world, promises that "all dances are taught." Requested donation is $6 to $10.

The Paisley Sisters' Christmas Special returns to the Institute of Contemporary Art (955 Boylston Street, Boston) this year after a two-year hiatus. Hailed by local publications the last time around, this musical comedy is chock-full of singable holiday tunes; wacky, colorful costumes; and madcap good cheer. The story line revolves around an all-girl singing group in the '60s that's trying to revive the glory days of the '50s with a TV Christmas special. Curtain is 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee. Tickets are $26, $21 for seniors and students. Call (617) 931-2000. The show runs through January 2.

If you haven't read David Sedaris's Naked or Barrel Fever, no matter --you'll still laugh out loud this December when his Santaland Diaries comes to life on stage. Taking a less chipper (but still funny) look at the holiday season, Sedaris's slightly autobiographical story is that of an unemployed actor who takes a job as an elf at Macy's. For 90 minutes, guffaw at the silliness the holiday season often entails. Performances will be held at the Boston Center for the Arts Theater, 539 Tremont Street, Boston. For ticket prices and times, call (617) 426-0320.

Other offbeat holiday hits include the BCA's production of How Mrs. Grinchley Swiped Christmas at the Black Box Theatre (538 Tremont Street, 617-426-0320) and It's a Wicked Good Life at the Boston's Playwrights' Theatre (949 Comm Ave, 617-524-5845). In the musical comedy Mrs. Grinchley, drag queen Ryan Landry runs a sketchy department store where prostitutes wrap presents. Raise your eyebrows at this merry Christmas through this month. Tickets are $15. Meanwhile, Marty Barrett gives George Bailey a Boston twang in the Beantown version of It's a Wonderful Life (current Bostonian translation for wonderful -- wicked good; '70s Bostonian translation for wonderful -- wicked pissa). Curtain is December 11 at 8 p.m., and December 12 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Admission is $12.50.

The Christmas Revels return to Sanders Theatre in Harvard Yard for their 28th year. This celebration of the winter solstice takes viewers on a Dickensian jaunt through a Victorian England brimming with, according to a press release, "Carols, Comedy, Melodrama, and Sentiment." Audiences take part by singing and dancing along with the cast. Sixteen performances run December 11 and 12, 17 through 20, 22 and 23, and 26 and 27. Tickets are $33, $24, $16 and $28, $19, and $10. For performance times, call (617) 621-5505, ext. 22, or visit the Revels' Web site at http://www.revels.org. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at (617) 931-2000 or Sanders Theatre at (617) 496-2222.

For the more traditional reveler, the Portland Stage Company
(25-A Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine) presents an adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Watch those ghosts haul Scrooge once again through a past, present, and future holiday. Call (207) 774-0465 for performance times and prices. If Maine is too far north for you, the Hackmatack Playhouse will also be presenting A Christmas Carol December 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. and December 13 at 2 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House in Rochester City Hall (31 Wakefield Street, Rochester, New Hampshire). For ticket information and reservations, call the Rochester Opera box office at (603) 332-2211.

The Hartford Stage (50 Church Street, Hartford, Connecticut) follows suit in presenting (for the first time in its 35 years of dramatics) its own Christmas Carol -- A Ghost Story of Christmas -- but with a slightly different twist. Director Michael Wilson gears this version to be as ghostly as Dickens could have imagined: even before Marley's visit, Scrooge will see apparitions roaming London's foggy streets. The performance will run through December 27. For times and ticket information, call the Hartford Stage's box office at (860) 527-5151. If you'd like some dinner with your Christmas spirits, check out A Christmas Carol at the City Nights Dinner Theatre (27 Exchange Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 401-723-6060). Curtain is at 7 p.m., with 1 p.m. Sunday matinees. Through December 20.

For a taste of a Welsh Christmas, head to the Community Church Center (565 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston) for the 22nd showing of A Child's Christmas in Wales, presented by the Lyric West Theatre Company. Based on the story by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas brings to life a boy's memories of the holidays in a small Welsh fishing village -- complete with eccentric relatives and a medley of English and Welsh Christmas carols. Curtain is Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8 p.m., with 2 and 5 p.m. weekend performances. Tickets $25 and $27, depending on the day (with discounted children's prices). Call (617) 288-7889.

If you're a wee bit tired of holly and eggnog and glad tidings, get caught up in the struggle for power in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, at the Spingold Theater Center at Brandeis University. You might glean some perspective from the soul-searching story -- so much so that you'll be able to fight the urge to pummel your fellow men in a mad dash for last-minute gifts. Call (781) 736-3400. Et tu, fellow shopper?

Another faith-neutral show is The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Friends Meeting House (5 Longfellow Park, Cambridge) on December 14, 15, and 16. Curtain is at 7 p.m. Call (617) 354-2207 to see a play that could remind you to look beyond the glam and the glitter of the holiday season to see what's really important. (Not that Santa doesn't have his place.) Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I will be playing at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre through January 10, 1999. Curtain is Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Enjoy the story of a 19th-century Englishwoman who becomes a teacher for the King of Siam's children (also includes romance, trauma, singing, and dancing). Tickets are $17 and $20, with discounts for children, students, and seniors. Call (603) 433-4472 or 1-800-639-7650.

Le Black Kat, Boston's newest alternative theater, kicks off its premier season at the Works Theatre in Davis Square (225 Elm Street, Somerville) with Bertolt Brecht's classic The Threepenny Opera. Get swept away by the moving music of Kurt Weill and the story of Polly Peachum's unfortunate marriage to the villainous Macheath. Directed by Anne Thomas, The Threepenny Opera draws parallels between Macheath's corrupt London and present-day Boston -- see where you fit in the social landscape. Tickets $15. Call (617) 705-7228.

If you're in no mood to go dashing through the snow to any show, tune in to WGBH's Channel 2 on December 21 for a 30-minute special called December's Dilemma: The Crèche, the Dreidel, and the Star, which airs at 10:30 p.m. Produced, written, and directed by John Michalczyk, chair of the department of fine arts at Boston College, this program focuses on the tensions Jews face around the Christmas season.

When all the holidays are said and done, hey -- you'll probably need some inspiring tunes to get through the winter. Fear not, snowbound Bostonians: the Boston Early Music Festival Concerts presents Musicians of the Old Post Road with soprano Ellen Hargis on Saturday, February 6, at 8 p.m. at the Church of St. John the Evangelist (35 Bowdoin Street, Beacon Hill). Directors Daniel Ryan and Suzanne Stumpf's program, Dramatic Cantatas and Instrumental Works of G.F. Handel, is sure to kick the post-holiday blahs. Call Boston Early Music Festival at 661-1812 or 262-0650 for tickets ($38, $27, $16 -- discounts for students and seniors).

OVER THE FIELDS WE GO, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY

If it's festive lights and decorations you want, you won't have to look far. As part of a holiday house tour on Saturday, December 12, in Washington, Connecticut, you can view five homes worthy of a Better Homes and Gardens spread. The tour will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. For advance tickets ($20), call (860) 567-4162; on the day of the tour pay $25 at Tulip Tree Collection in Washington Depot. A catered lunch will also be available at the Washington Club Hall on the day of the tour. For a peek at some even bigger (well, huge) homes, take a tour of the mansions on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The Marble House, the Elms, and Chateau-sur-Mer are open through January 3, 1999, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are trimmed to the teeth. Entrance fees vary -- call (401) 847-1000 or visit http://www.NewportMansions.org.

On Saturday, December 12, from 5 to 8 p.m., attend one of the "Evenings of Splendor" at the Marble House to enjoy musical performances by the Proper Ladies, a cappella Victorian singers the Lois Vaughan Duo, and the Newport Navy Choristers -- as well as a few cups of eggnog.

An exhibit of tabletop trees decorated by schoolchildren will set the scene for Santa's visit (between noon and 3 p.m.) to the "Fête de Noel" at the Elms on Sunday, December 20. Maybe now you're old enough to take a picture with the red-clad man without that childhood look of terror on your face.

If you thought Halloween in Salem was spooky, well, "Christmas in Salem," is even, ah, merrier? This walking tour, hosted by Historic Salem, Inc., will bring merrymakers past 10 historic sites in Salem that have been decorated by a team of designers, decorators, and volunteers. Call (978) 745-0799. The tours take place on Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, from noon to 4 p.m.

When was the last time you were at Santa's Village (Route 2, Jefferson, New Hampshire, 603-586-4445)? Mid-July on a family vacation? Get your seasons in order and head up to this New Hampshire North Pole to get in the holiday mode. Enjoy magic shows like "The Magic of Christmas," "Mr. Greensleeves," and "Fire & Ice"; stuff yourself with fudge and gingerbread; and go on some rides (perhaps not in that order) in the midst of Christmas lights and decorations. A trip to Santa's Village could also make you the star of "Christmas Carol-Okey." What more need we say?

Back in Beantown, that 50-foot white spruce from Nova Scotia was rerooted in the South Garden of the Prudential Center (along Huntington Avenue) on November 5. On December 5, after an estimated 3200 hours of preparation, 4.5 miles of wire, and 17,000 multicolored lights, this baby was plugged in. If you missed the tree-lighting ceremony, take a stroll by some night after work. Warning: your tree at home could seem a bit lackluster thereafter. Not to start a competition or anything, but the biggest holiday tree in the nation is standing 100 feet tall in Brickstone Square in Andover, at the intersection of Route 28 and Interstate 495, if you want a peek.

If it's too chilly to stroll around the Public Garden during the winter wonderland season, head for the "Twelve Days of Christmas" at Boston's Festival of Trees at the Bayside Expo Center on December 12 and 13. Meander through a forest of 50 evergreens, trimmed with everything from Beanie Babies to Godiva chocolate truffles. It's designed to resemble a wintry Public Garden, with a dusting of snow, thousands of Christmas decorations and lights, and scenes from the traditional carol favorite. After strolling, try shopping for holiday goodies at any one of the 600-plus tables full of gifts and crafts at the Holiday Marketplace (photos with Santa here, too). The festival, a fundraising event for the National Kidney Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $6 a person, $2 for children 6 to 12, and free for children under 6. For more info or to sponsor a tree, call (781) 326-7225.

On December 10, you can rub holiday elbows with Boston's elite on the Beacon Hill Holiday Stroll. Between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., enjoy caroling, Christmas lights, ice sculptures, buggy rides, and, of course, Santa in one of the oldest and quaintest nooks of the city. A few days later, on Sunday, December 13, pick up the pace and join the 2.5-mile 22nd annual Bill Rodgers Jingle Bell Run through Back Bay. Slap on a festive costume and join the masses of dashing snowflakes, elves, and angels -- call 723-5612 to learn more. If physical activity is not your strong suit, head over to Boston Common tonight and watch the lighting of the nine-branched candelabrum in honor of Hanukkah. And a few blocks away, at the Old South Meeting House, Bostonians will be celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party -- complete with costumed colonial patriots and Tories debating British taxation. What happens? We think you know. Call 482-6439 for info on how to join the fray.

It's the day after Christmas. You're afraid to approach the mall, and you've eaten enough goodies to feed four starving families. What to do? Take a Holiday Seal Cruise, of course. Passengers aboard the Patriot Too can ogle harbor seals, sea birds, and wildlife out on the open deck or from the comfort of a heated cabin. The tours last for one and a half hours and depart from Woods Hole at 10 a.m. on December 26. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and children. To register, call the Massachusetts Audubon Society at (508) 563-6390.

MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT

If your holiday decorations are starting to sag this year, head over to Secrets, a cooperative crafts store at 1350 Beacon Street, in Brookline (617-566-5945). Up until December 24, this gallery will be featuring the work of artists from Gateway Crafts. Hours are Monday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. If that's not enough, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education is hosting its annual Holly Fair in Harvard Square (42 and 56 Brattle Street, 617-547-6789, ext. 1). On Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, from noon to 5 p.m., pick up ornaments, cards, clothing, jewelry, and other trinkets for your home or to use as stocking stuffers. The Harvard Square Holiday Craft Fair will also be held December 11, 12, and 13 and December 18 through 24 in the First Parish Unitarian Church, on the corner of Church Street and Mass Ave. Call (413) 625-9779.

The International Poster Gallery is hosting its fifth Holiday Poster Show throughout December at 205 Newbury Street (376-0076). Pick up a classy vintage poster (subject matter includes food, drink, sports, travel, fashion, and the arts) for that certain someone you never know what to buy. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. (open till 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday). Check out the gallery's Web page at http://www.internationalposter.com. For more treat options, check out Signature Fine Arts and Crafts' annual Christmas Ornament and Hanukkah Menorah Exhibition, which will be held this year at the Chestnut Hill Mall (61-332-7749) and near Faneuil Hall in Dock Square (24 North Street, Boston, 617-227-4885). More than 125 American craftspeople and their wares are taking part in the exhibition, dubbed "Memories '98," which runs through December 31. Handmade ornaments including hand-blown glass balls, mixed-media collages, glass mermaids, and an array of menorahs made from colored glass, metal, and porcelain are available for purchase. The Chestnut Hill location is open from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., and the Dock Square store is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

If you're in need of gift ideas or holiday style, swing by the GlamourFest at the Bayside Expo Center on Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13. Open both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the show will feature TV and movie star Edie Adams and her collection of Hollywood fashions, with outfits designed for her by Christian Dior, Zandra Rhodes, Halston, and other famous designers. GlamourFest will also include daily fashion shows and four other exhibits: "Dolls and Their Fashions," "A Celebration of Barbie," "Artifacts of Style," and "The Art of the Female Image." Included in the $10 ticket price is admission to the 12th annual Northeast Collectibles Extravaganza, where you'll find more than 500 tables of sale items, plus the original Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, Jon Provost (Timmy from Lassie), Brandon Cruz (Eddie from The Courtship of Eddie's Father), and cast members from Planet of the Apes. Not your typical holiday excursion, but an interesting excursion nonetheless. Jolly Jim's Holiday Marketplace is also at the Bayside Expo Center December 12 and 13. Browse tables full of Star Wars action figures, Barbies, comic books, and trading cards to unearth the perfect gift for the collector in your life. The Bayside Expo Center is in Dorchester, at 200 Mount Vernon Street -- call 1-800-759-SHOW to learn more.