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Season of Wonder

Your guide to getting in the spirit -- from a play about scandalous reindeer to holiday laser shows

by Dan Tobin

Forget the 12 days of Christmas -- there are close to 30 this season. The Boston area has already seen a number of tree lightings, holiday fairs, open houses, and caroling concerts -- events that swung into gear right after Thanksgiving. But if you've missed everything up till now, fear not, because the busiest days have yet to come. Here's a guide to holiday happenings in the area.

Sugarplum fairies

The big-name event of the season, no doubt, is Boston Ballet's famed performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. Performed in Boston since 1965, it's now the most popular rendition in the world, and this year's show features 300 new costumes. It runs through January 4 at the Wang Center, 270 Tremont Street, Boston. Tickets are $12 to $59; call (617) 931-ARTS. Also, after the December 12 performance there's the traditional Nutcracker Ball gala benefit. It's a pricey affair, but there's live music and dancing, a silent auction, a buffet, and a special dance for teens. Plus, the cast will be out and about, making this your best opportunity to hit on a sugarplum fairy or a toy soldier. Tickets including the performance are $150, $95 for children; $100 for the ball only. Call (617) 695-6955.

Going a little farther from home -- much farther -- you can see the Nutcracker in space. Well, almost. The Museum of Science will screen its Holiday Magic laser show in the Hayden Planetarium Friday through Sunday at 5:30 p.m. through December 28. The holiday show used to feature music solely from the Tchaikovsky ballet, but this year traditional carols and other songs of the season will be included. As the music plays, choreographed lasers create seasonal images including snowmen, ice skaters, and everyone's favorite red-nosed reindeer. Tickets are $7.50, $5.50 for children and seniors; call (617) 723-2500.

For a different look at holiday dancing, try the 27th annual Christmas Revels celebration of the winter solstice. With more than 80 performers, the event feature storytelling, traditional and ritual dances, carols, processionals, and drama, this year in the Romany Gypsy tradition. It's at Harvard University's Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge, through December 28. Tickets are $16 to $30, $10 to $25 for children and seniors; call (617) 931-2000 or (617) 496-2222.

If you want to hear Liz Walker hit a high C, check out the Black Nativity, directed by Elma Lewis. Written by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, it's a gospel opera with a different take on the season, featuring a multicultural cast and a changing roster of celebrities in cameo singing roles. It runs through December 28 at Tremont Temple, 88 Tremont Street, Boston. Tickets are $15 to $25; call (617) 723-3486.

The other big Christmas oeuvre is A Christmas Carol, and if the Muppets and Mickey Mouse versions annoy the Dickens out of you, take heart -- you have options. The North Shore Music Theatre's ninth annual production of A Christmas Carol runs through December 21 at 62 Dunham Road, Beverly. Tickets are $27 to $35; call (978) 922-8500. Also, the Boston Children's Theatre presents its version through December 30 at Suffolk University's C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple Street, Boston. Tickets are $5 to $15; call (617) 424-6634. And for a real bare-bones version, there's a dramatic reading of the work, plus folk cello from Gideon Freudmann and carols by the Bristol-Plymouth Community Chorus Carolers, on December 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Black and White Theatre, 250 North Main Street, Middleborough. Tickets are $20; call (508) 947-7833.

Other seasonal stage events: Dylan Thomas's short story "A Child's Christmas in Wales" gets theatrical treatment for the 22nd year at the Lyric Stage, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston. Shows run through December 28. Tickets are $18 to $27; call (617) 536-2768. On December 16 at 8 p.m., the Lyric hosts The Happy Holidays Radio Hour, a 1940s-style "broadcast" of Christmas carols and songs sung by Flashback, plus vintage commercials and jingles. The show also plays at the Arlington Regent Theater, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, on December 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, $12.40 for students and seniors; call (617) 646-4772.

And for an offbeat theater outing, Jeff Goode's The Eight: The Reindeer Monologues is a dark, comedic twist on the holidays. Making its Boston debut at the Actors Workshop, 40 Boylston Street, Boston, the play features eight of Santa's sleigh-pullers ranting about sexual harassment and other little-known scandals rocking the North Pole. It runs through December 20. Tickets are $12; call (617) 887-2336.

Mostly Messiah

If the holiday season gets you frazzled and you need to get a Handel on the situation, look no further than the famed Hallelujahs of the holidays' most bombastic tune: Handel's Messiah. The top version is by the Handel & Haydn Society, which has performed it every year since 1854. It's at the Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston, December 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. and December 14 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $61; call (800) 447-7400. But the Society is not the only game in town, of course. The Phillips Academy music department presents Messiah, plus works by Mozart, Pinkham, and others, on December 12 at 7 p.m. at Cochran Chapel, Phillips Academy, Chapel Avenue, Andover. Proceeds benefit Neighbors in Need and Habitat for Humanity. Tickets are $5; call (978) 749-4265.

To get personally involved in the music, there's a Messiah sing-along December 18 at 12:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont Street, Boston. The Cathedral Choir will do much of the singing -- and provide soloists -- but the real stars here are the audience. The church hands out copies of the lyrics and everyone sings along. Louise Mundinger plays the organ while Mark Engelhardt conducts. Free; call (617) 482-4826, ext. 103. The Cathedral Choir also hosts Christmas Lessons and Carols on December 14 at 3 p.m. Along with members of the Boston Recorder Society, the choir performs traditional and contemporary music of the season. Keep in mind that this isn't a workshop; lesson is the term for a traditional English scripture reading. Free.

The Masterworks Chorale and Beacon Brass Quintet perform a Christmas concert titled "Sing We Joyous All Together" on December 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Cary Hall, 1605 Mass Ave, Lexington. And the Chorale gets in on the Messiah action, too, with its 36th annual Messiah sing December 19 and 20 at 8 p.m., also at Cary Hall. Tickets for "Sing We Joyous" are $10, $5 for children, and the Messiah is free; call (617) 246-3847. The final entrant in the Messiah race is the Cambridge Community Chorus and Orchestra, which perform December 14 at 4 p.m. at MIT's Kresge Auditorium, 84 Mass Ave, Cambridge. Tickets are $5; call (617) 491-7907.

Other seasonal songs

You don't have to be a Handel enthusiast or a door-to-door caroler to get your fill of holiday music. The Handel & Haydn Society is branching out to other composers, performing Bach's Christmas Oratorio December 18 at 3 p.m. and December 21 at 3 p.m. at Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston. Tickets are $15 to $25; call (617) 266-3605. For a serialized version of the same piece, the Emmanuel Music Bach Cantata Series presents the Christmas Oratorio in parts every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury Street, Boston. You can still catch the last three installments: part three will be performed on December 14, part four on December 21, and part five on January 4. All performances are free; call (617) 536-3356.

If you have trouble separating politics from fun, head on over to the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra's Holiday Pops Concert, where US Representative John Tierney reads the classic "'Twas the Night before Christmas." Of course, the real attraction here is the orchestra, which performs traditional carols, plus modern and classical selections, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. at North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road, Beverly. Tickets are $26 to $35; call (978) 922-8500.

The Boston Gay Men's Chorus performs its annual holiday concert, "In the Spirit," December 13 at 8 p.m. and December 14 at 3 and 8 p.m. at Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston. The featured guests this year are Lavender Light, a New York City gay and lesbian gospel choir. Much of the show will feature the two choruses collaborating on Christmas gospels, with the Gay Men's Chorus performing traditional carols and choral music alone. Tickets are $12 to $25; call (617) 424-8900. Also at Jordan Hall, everyone's favorite chorus, the Vienna Boys Choir, performs holiday music
December 12 at 8 p.m. and December 13 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $36 to $43; call (617) 482-6661.

All 125 voices of the Dedham Choral Society will perform festive works from the Renaissance and 20th century, plus traditional carols. It's December 12 at 8 p.m. at Old South Church, Copley Square, Boston, and December 14 at 3 p.m. at St. Mary's Church, High Street, Dedham. Tickets are $25, $12 for students and seniors; call (781) 326-1520. And the Quincy Choral Society presents "Voices of the Season," featuring works by Bach, Charpentier, and Yarrow, December 14 at 3 p.m. at Church of the Presidents, 1306 Hancock Street, Quincy. Tickets are $10; call (617) 696-3941.

For college music fans, the Harvard University Choir performs Brahms's Marienlieder and other seasonal music for its 88th annual Carol Service December 15 at 8 p.m. at Harvard University's Memorial Church, Harvard Yard, Cambridge. Free; call (617) 495-5508. The next day, the Harvard University Morning Choir performs holiday music at 12:15 p.m. at King's Chapel, 58 Tremont Street, Boston. Tickets are $2; call (617) 227-2155. And the Wheaton College Chamber Orchestra performs December 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Cole Chapel, Wheaton College, Norton. Tickets are $5, $3 for students and children; call (508) 286-3589.

The 22nd annual "Nowell Sing We Clear" is a concert in the British and North American folk traditions. It will include a mummers play, Irish step dancing, and lots of caroling courtesy of the four main performers -- John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig, and Andy Davis -- and the audience. It's December 14 at 7 p.m. at Paine Hall, Harvard University. Tickets are $15; call (617) 623-1806. Covering a similar time period, the Boston Cecilia presents "Hear the Angels Singing," featuring music from England, France, Germany, and colonial America. It's December 12 at 8 p.m. at the Church of the Advent, 30 Brimmer Street, Boston, and December 14 at 3 p.m. at All Saints Church, 1773 Beacon Street, Brookline. Tickets are $11 to $33; call (617) 232-4540.

Digging even deeper into the past, the Musicians of the Old Post Road present "Baroque Christmas from Paris," featuring works by Charpentier and Delalande on December 14 at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, Route 140, Shrewsbury. Tickets are $12.50, $8 for students and seniors; call (781) 648-4824.

Other seasonal music: the Youth Pro Musica Chorus, featuring singers in grades three through twelve, performs holiday music from around the world, plus highlights from Vivaldi's Gloria on December 14 at 4 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society, 1326 Washington Street, West Newton. Tickets are $12, $5 for students; call (617) 666-6087. The Plymouth Philharmonic, featuring soprano Andrea DelGiudice, performs "Home for the Holidays" December 13 at 8 p.m. and December 14 at 2 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 83 Court Street, Route 3A, Plymouth. Tickets are $11 to $22, $8 to $19 for seniors and children; call (508) 746-8008. The Cantata Singers Recitalists perform holiday music December 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 the Fenway, Boston. Free; call (617) 566-1401.

Classical hunk Keith Lockhart leads the Boston Pops in a holiday show at the Worcester Centrum on December 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $19 to $27; call (508) 755-6800. Celtic tenor John McDermott performs "Christmas Memories," a program of traditional carols and Irish folk songs, December 23 at 8 p.m. at the Boston Park Plaza Ballroom, 64 Arlington Street, Boston. Tickets are $20 to $50; call (617) 931-2000. And the Donn Carr Jazz Band performs jazzy Christmas tunes December 17 at 7 p.m. at the Village Green Barn, Route 1 North, Danvers. Tickets are $7; call (978) 531-9262.

Decking the museum halls

Opening our eyes to holidays beyond Christmas, the Children's Museum (Museum Wharf, 300 Congress Street, Boston) presents a program exploring the traditions of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, and Nikkomo (a Native American gift-giving holiday). The programs run on various afternoons through January. Also, on December 12 at 6:15 p.m. and December 13 at 2:15 p.m., the Children's Museum hosts "Holiday Dessert Specialties," a celebration and tasting of treats from many cultures. Admission is $7, $6 for children and seniors. Call (617) 426-8855.

For an authentically historic Christmas celebration, Old Sturbridge Village (1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge) presents "The Beginnings of a New England Christmas." On December 14 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the village shows us how the deeply religious Puritans in Massachusetts would have taken to the idea of the relatively pagan holiday. It may sound Grinchy, with frequent reference to why the villagers aren't celebrating in the modern sense, but it's sure to be one of the more original holiday events.

The Society of Arts and Crafts (175 Newbury Street, Boston) features its "Christmas Ornaments and Holiday Objects" show -- a window display of stockings, tree ornaments, and serving pieces decorated in holiday themes -- through January 6. Inside, the fourth annual Judaica Show features Hanukkah candles, menorahs, and other items related to Jewish holidays and customs through December 31. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Call (617) 266-1810.

There are more ornaments on display at Signature Fine Art and Crafts through December 31. "Memories '97: A Christmas Ornament and Hannukah Menorah Exhibition" features a Christmas tree decked out with ornaments made by American artists, as well as ornately designed menorahs. Most items are handmade from glass, wood, or metal, and the prices run from about $15 to $100. The exhibition is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m., at both locations: Dock Square, 24 North Street, Boston, (617) 227-4885, and the Mall at Chestnut Hill, (617) 332-7749.

The International Poster Gallery (205 Newbury Street, Boston) will host "All the Best," an exhibition featuring the holiday-themed work of vintage poster artists including Jules Cheret, Alphonse Mucah, and Leonetto Cappiello. The exhibition runs through January 14 and is free. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Call (617) 375-0076.

The House of the Seven Gables (54 Turner Street, Salem, 978-744-0991) hosts evening candlelight tours of garden clubs around the North Shore on December 26, 27, and 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. The house is also a featured site on Salem's historic house tour on December 13 and 14. Admission is $7, $4 for children; call (978) 745-0799. Orchard House (399 Lexington Road, Concord), home of author Louisa May Alcott, features "Cheerfully Within," a re-creation of an Alcott family gathering complete with period music and special items from the Orchard House collection, on December 13 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on December 14 and 21 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $6, $5 for students and seniors, $4 for children; call (978) 369-4118.

Gore Place (52 Gore Street, Waltham, 781-894-2798), an 1805 mansion with Federal-period furnishings, hosts "The Scents and Sounds of a 19th-Century Christmas," an open house featuring a special exhibit of figurines and period holiday furnishings, decorations, music, and refreshments, December 12 through 14 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $6, $3 for children. On December 12 and 13 from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Gore Place also hosts a Candlelight and Holly Celebration, with period seasonal music and light hors d'oeuvres. Admission is $18 (reservations required).

Silver bells and magic shows

There are plenty of ways to get crafty for Christmas. Many New England artisans come out for the 13th annual Harvard Square Holiday Craft Fair, featuring local and world crafts from 35 exhibitors, plus open-mic musical performances. The fair takes place December 12, 13, and 14 and from December 18 to 24, beginning each day at 10 a.m. It's at the First Parish Church, 3 Church Street, Cambridge. Free; call (617) 522-5502.

In the same neighborhood, the 47th annual Holly Fair, with crafts, food, and holiday entertainment, happens on December 13 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on December 14 from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 42 and 56 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free; call (617) 547-6789. More crafts are on display at the Holiday Open House and Craft Fair December 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and December 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, Boston. Free; call (617) 482-6439. And if you've been to all the fairs but still haven't decorated properly, sign up for the Holiday Centerpiece Workshop on December 19 at 10 a.m. at Heritage Plantation, corner of Pine and Grove Streets, Sandwich. Admission is $20; call (508) 888-3300.

The fishing schooner Adventure hosts its Seaside Holiday Open House December 13 and 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. The event features food, crafts, wandering minstrels singing carols, and an appearance by Santa and his elves. It's at the Fitz Hugh Lane House, Harbor Loop, Gloucester. Free; call (978) 281-8079.

We're not sure if he's going to make Christmas trees disappear or pull Santa out of a chimney, but we do know that David Copperfield will perform a holiday magic show on December 16 at 6 and 9 p.m. He'll cast his seasonal spells at the Worcester Centrum. Tickets are $29.50 to $37.50; call (508) 755-6800.

Finally, for some low-key seasonal cheer, there's Frank Capra's classic 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart. The Brattle Theatre screens the original black-and-white version December 19, 20, and 21, at 4:45, 7:15, and 9:45 p.m., with a weekend matinee at 2:15 p.m. Tickets are $6.75, $4 for seniors and children; call (617) 876-6837.