Calendar

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CALENDAR

BY RIVERFRONT TIMES STAFF

THURSDAY 12/22

Jazzed Up

Craving a jazzed-up twist on the Christmas classics? Jazz St. Louis has you covered. Celebrate the holidays with a special showcase of Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite performed by the Jazz St. Louis Big Band (3536 Washington Avenue, 314-571-6000). Arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, these jazz interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. The performance will also include Ellington classics like “Take the A Train” and “Cottontail.” Curtains rise at 7:30 p.m., and tickets start at $32. Grab yours at my.jazzstl. org/1350/1353.

Christmas in St. Louis

Yes, you live in St. Louis, but have you ever seen Meet Me in St. Louis? It’s OK, we haven’t either. But no e an a at h the fi in the most St. Louis of ways during the Missouri History Museum’s (5700 Lindell Boulevard, 314-7464599, mohistory.org) Have Yourself a Merry Little Movie Night. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a happy hour and appetizers for ur hase fro u arfire. ou can also make a Sugar Plum ornament, watch Ballet 314 perform excerpts from the Nutcracker and get a tour of the museum. At 6:30 p.m., it’s time for a singalong version of Meet Me in St. Louis. Don’t worry, singing and costumes are not required, but both are encouraged. The event is free.

Last Chance to Get Lit

If you have not been to LIT: A

Christmas Pop-Up Experience

at Molly’s in Soulard (816 Geyer Avenue, 314-241-6200, mollysinsoulard.com/lit), then this is your warning that its last days are this week (through Friday, December 23). So grab some friends and head down the gaudily decorated bar to try the 12 Drinks of Litmas, such as the Griswold Christmas Tree and Lit Reindeer, and small bites including Reindeer Balls (meatballs made with beef and bacon) and deep-fried ornaments (fried mozzarella). The event requires reservations, which are $10 per person. The bar is open till 1:30 a.m., but the kitchen is only open until 9 p.m.

Candy Cane Lane lights up south St. Louis over the holiday season. | REUBEN HEMMER

FRIDAY 12/23

Karaoke Christmas

There is no better time and place for karaoke than two days before

Christmas at the City Museum

(750 North 16th Street). Even if you’re self-conscious about your singing, you’ll be in a total fever dream of a setting so Yoko-Onoesque that off-key wailing will fit in ust fine. so t o days efore Christmas means there will be more than a touch of holiday magic in the air. The only question is what song you’ll sing. Bruce’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is played out. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” but if you’re inclined to go a little off the beaten path, we suggest Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”

We Need to Talk about Kevin!

You have not seen Joe Pesci get his head it on fire or anie tern take an iron to the face until you’ve seen those ne’er-do-well home invaders get their comeuppance as John Williams’ incredible score is performed live. Watch Macaulay Culkin carnage from the comfort of a plush seat at Powell Hall (718 North Grand Boulevard, 314534-1700, slso.org) during Home Alone. The evening begins at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $50.

Plant Life

Sick of all the holiday hullabaloo or just need a last-minute gift idea? Well, get a break from Christmas everything and make something beautiful at Bowood Farms’ (4605 Olive Street, 314-454-6868, bowoodfarms.com) Kusamono Workshop, which teaches the Japanese art of planting in shallow bowls. The arrangements usually onsist of i d rasses or o ers that suggest a particular season. The workshop runs from 2 to 3 p.m. and costs $45.

SATURDAY 12/24 A Christmas Eve for the Rest of Us

There are some poor sods who are sittin in tra at ay of i hts or Candy Cane Lane trying to get some last-minute Christmas cheer into their ungrateful kids. But not you. Instead, you can check out Christmas Eve for Heathens at Earthbound Beer (2724 Cherokee, 314-769-9576, earthboundbeer. com). The small-batch brewery is offering a gathering spot for nonconformists and will have plenty of seasonal releases on hand including the Krampus Gruit for the naughties and Winter Dream for the nice ones. The event is from 4 to 11 p.m. and is free.

All Is Bright

WEEK OF DECEMBER 22-28

Get your downward dogs — er, cats — in at cat yoga. | VIA FLICKR / ABEJORRO34

hood Christmas light display Candy Cane Lane on Christmas Eve? You sick bastard. But we’ve got some tips to make this as enjoyable as possible. For starters, don’t go down Chippewa; get out that Google map and chart a course down the back streets. Dress warmly. Park your car (otherwise, all the lights you’ll see for two hours are tail lights) and then get out and walk. You won’t be alone. Lots of folks abandon their cars. Bring a hot chocolate (schnapps optional) with you as you traipse along the lanes and get to see the lights up close. Candy Cane Lane is on the 6500 block of Murdoch, but the Christmas cheer has spread widely across St. Louis Hills, so it won’t be hard to stumble upon some lights.

Alternalights

As Christmas approaches, the trees of Lost Hill Lake (2300 Mill Hill Road, St Clair; losthilllakeevents.com) will be transformed into a sea of holiday lights. Located 45 minutes from St. Louis, tucked away in the woods of Franklin County, Lost Hill Lake will show off thousands of lights during its second annual Grove of Lights event. There are plenty of activities for visitors to enjoy while they’re exploring. The event i feature onfires hot o oa s’mores, kids games, a local vendor market and photo opportunities. There’s even a private heated igloo that you can reserve. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $7 for kids.

MONDAY 12/26

It Ain’t Over Yet!

Some people think Christmas ends at 11:59 p.m. on December 25. Those people are wrong. You can still scrounge up some Christmas cheer for the rest of the week. It’s not too late! For some post-Christmas-ham merriment, why not check out WonderLight’s Christ-

mas at the World Wide Technol-

ogy Raceway (700 Raceway Boulevard, Madison, Illinois)? It runs now through Sunday, January 1, from 5 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $30 to $100 depending on the size of your party.

TUESDAY 12/27

Flowers Everywhere

It’s your last chance to catch the Holiday Floral Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard, 314-577-5100, missouribotanicalgarden.org), which closes Sunday, January 1. So head over any day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. before then and check out the festive installation of poinsettias, rosemary and other seasonal plants. There’s even a model train. It’s located in the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center inside the Emerson Conservatory. This event is included with paid admission.

Icy Matchup

Post-holidays, nothing is better than taking in a sporting event. You haven’t moved off of the couch in four days, but watching the eet skates of the St. Louis Blues as the team takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs (not leaves, dammit) will be just the thing to inspire you to use your limbs again. The matchup is at 7 p.m. at the Enterprise Center (1401 Clark Avenue, 314-622-5400, enterprisecenter.com). Tickets start at $89.

WEDNESDAY 12/28

All Aboard

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would take you on trolley rides at Grant’s Farm? Or when you rode the train at the City Museum for a slow but gloriously fun loop? There’s still a chance for you to enjoy the same experiences as an adult. Like most events tailored to indulge your childhood nostalgia while simultaneously being fun for your grown self, there’s alcohol involved. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, St. Louis Union Station (1820 Market Street, 314-923-3900, stlouisunionstation.com) will host a North Pole Night Cap. Eager passengers will roll out on real trains from Union Station while sipping beer, wine and spiked hot chocolate. Once aboard decorated train cars, guests will travel to the “North Pole” as onboard bars serve beverages and holiday characters prance around. The train ride is 45 minutes long. It starts and ends at the depot at Union Station. Guests are encouraged to wear pajamas, ugly holiday sweaters or whatever festive wear they’re comfortable in. Seating is sold in groups of four and starts at $65.

Downward Meow

At some point during your Wednesday night Whisker Station stretch sesh you find yourse f ith a tail between your legs. Or in your ear. Or brushing your nose as you hang out in downward dog while a very curious upward cat cruises across your mat. That’s both the hazard and the joy that happens when Sweet Peace Yoga descends upon the Kirkwood neighborhood cat cafe and lounge for its weekly Cat Yoga class. This purrfectly peaceful time combines stretching, breath work, standing and balance poses while the adoptable cats of Whisker Station (212 North Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-3941071, whiskerstation.com) work the room. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Some prior yoga experience is required.

One Last Holiday Pop-Up

If you missed out on holiday popup bars this year, don’t fret, you can still catch a few stragglers. Today is the last day for A Very Tipsy Christmas at FORM Skybar on the rooftop at Hotel Saint Louis (705 Olive Street). The $20 ticket gets you a two-hour time slot to enjoy holiday-themed cocktails, appetizers and festive holiday decor. The time slots begin at 5 or 7:30 p.m.

Get Bowling

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to start doing more handicrafts so you’re not completely useless when the inevitable apocalypse hits, then get a jump on things with Wooden Bowl Turning with Carbide Tools at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware (11977 St. Charles Rock Road, Suite 110A, Bridgeton; 314-2091116). In this two-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to make a wooden bowl with easy-to-use carbide turning tools. Participants will end the day with a beautiful bowl to take home. The workshop runs from 4 to 6 p.m. and costs $85. n

Have an event you’d like considered for our calendar? Email calendar@riverfronttimes.com.