YULETIDE I
Just in case you didn’t take the hint from the palm trees, Boston’s geek-rock superstars Piebald have indeed followed their label, Big Wheel Recreation, to the sunnier climes and bigger times of Lost Angeles. But on the heels of a breakout year that saw the regrouped four-eyed foursome tour extensively, get love from college radio, and land a video on MTV’s revived 120 Minutes, they’re shunning fun in the sun for the cold New England winter — at least for one night, when they stage a homecoming Christmas pageant at Old Town Hall, 20 Main Street (Route 28) in Andover, on December 21. Expect a few special holiday surprises — including T-shirts commemorating singer Travis Shettel’s successful throat surgery, which earlier this year forced the band to cancel dates with dreamo heartthrobs Dashboard Confessional — along with local buzzed-about indie-pop kids Apollo Sunshine on the undercard. Tickets are $8; call (978) 623-8241.
YULETIDE II
The monarchy may be dead, but they still throw the best parties. And if you’re fond of lavish, sentimental holiday extravaganzas, it’ll be hard to beat " A Royal Christmas, " which, if it isn’t officially sanctioned by the Crown, comes awful close. Sound of Music co-stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer (she’s been knighted; and he’s a Companion of the Order of Canada, which is about as close as they let Canadians get) reunite as masters of ceremony; " Good " Charlotte Church, the classical realm’s answer to Britney Spears, headlines with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Westminster Concert Choir and Bell Choir; and principal dancers from London’s Royal Ballet, Winnipeg’s Royal Ballet, the Bolshoi, and Ukraine’s Kyiv Ballet team up to do (what else?) The Nutcracker. The whole shebang hits the FleetCenter on December 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $45 to $95. (By way of comparison, that’s much less than Sir Mick Jagger’s group ask for). Call (617) 931-2000.
YULETIDE III
Faith Soloway’s delirious lesbian folk-rock opera cum Nativity pageant Jesus Has Two Mommies is headed back to the Somerville Theatre following last year’s smashing, held-over run, which was filmed for a video release that’ll be out in time for stocking stuffing. This year, Soloway promises " new songs, new characters, new video sequences, and a new narrative structure, " but last year’s all-star cast is back intact, with Soloway, Catie Curtis, Jennifer Kimball, Jim Infantino, Meaghan Toohey, Jabe Beyer, Ry Cavanaugh, Sean Staples as Jesus, and Merle Perkins as God. In case you forgot the plot: a neurotic Jewish lesbian contemplating an artificial-insemination pregnancy with her Catholic girlfriend finds Jesus at the Mystic Mall; He then relates the New Testament as a glam-schlock opera set in a Nazareth gay bar called the Burning Bush. Catch JH2M December 6 at 8 p.m. and December 7 at 4 and 8 p.m. The Somerville Theatre is at 55 Davis Square, and tickets are $19 to $26; call (617) 628-3390.
YULETIDE IV
If Jesus Has Two Mommies leaves you wandering in a daze and looking for something recognizably traditional about the holiday season, there’s always the Handel & Haydn Society’s annual performances of Handel’s Messiah — as tradition goes, the H&H performed the American debut in 1818 and has been performing it annually since before the Civil War. Next year’s the 150th annual, but beat the rush for this year’s 149th edition, with director Grant Llewellyn leading the H&H Chorus and Period Orchestra plus soprano Tonna Miller, countertenor Ryland Angel, tenor John Tessier, and baritone Philip Cutlip at Symphony Hall, 301 Mass Ave in Boston, December 4 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and December 7 and 8 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $27 to $72; call (617) 266-3605.
