Four special holiday shows

Special performances by local arts groups also mark the holidays. Some are staged every year and watching “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol” onstage becomes a holiday tradition for some Atlanta families. Here are four classic holiday shows being staged this year by long-established Atlanta arts groups.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s holiday concerts

The orchestra plans a series of holiday concerts. They range

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2100 Clairmont Lake, Decatur, GA www.assistedlivingatMontclair.com from family shows to a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”

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“Christmas with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra”

■ Dec. 8 and 9, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

■ Atlanta Symphony Hall, Memorial Arts Building, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta 30309

■ Tickets: $20 to $79.

“Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert at North Avenue Presbyterian Church”

■ Dec. 13, 11:45 a.m.

■ North Avenue Presbyterian Church, 607 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta

■ Admission: free.

“Messiah with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus”

■ Dec. 13 and 14, 8 p.m.

■ Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta 30309

■ Tickets: $20 to $69.

“A Festive Family Holiday”

■ Dec. 16, 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

■ Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta 30309

■ Tickets: $15 to $20.

“A Very Merry Holiday”

■ Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, 8 p.m.

■ Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta 30309

■ Tickets: $20 to $69.

For more: aso.org/holidays

Atlanta Ballet’s “Nutcracker”

The Atlanta Ballet, founded in 1929, is offering its first new production of the classic Christmas ballet in 20 years. The show keeps the classic Tchaikovsky score, but features new choreography and elaborate sets, lighting and costumes. The ballet company calls this version a “‘Nutcracker’ for the Next Generation.”

When: Dec. 8 through 24

Where: Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta 30308

Cost: $31.25 to $136.25 for adults; $31.25 to $108.25 for students

For more: atlantaballet.com

Alliance Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol”

The Alliance presents its 29th annual staging of the holiday show based on Charles Dickens’ tale of a haunted miser who learns it’s never too late to change his ways. This year, the show is again being staged at Cobb’s performing arts center, as the Alliance performs its shows at various locations around the metro area while its home theater in Midtown is being renovated.

When: Dec. 12 through Dec. 24

Where: Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta 30339

Cost: Tickets cost $20 to $80 adults, $14 to $56 for younger than 17; parking costs $10. For more: alliancetheatre.org

Center for Puppetry Arts’ “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Rudolph flies back to the puppetry arts center’s Mainstage Theatre for the annual retelling of the story of how a reindeer’s glowing nose saved Christmas celebrations. The center recreates the 1964 animated television production of the story, complete with Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster and narrator Sam the Snowman.

When: Most days through Dec. 30, except Mondays and Christmas Day. Performance times vary daily, so check the website for specific shows.

Where: Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring Street NW, Atlanta 30309

Cost: Ticket prices vary but start at $12.50 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Ticket price includes admission to the museum and to the center’s Create-A-Puppet Workshop. For more: puppet.org

►Out & about

Holiday Music and Shows

A Nice Family Christmas

Runs through Dec. 16. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees, 2:30 p.m. On Christmas Eve, a young newspaper reporter on the brink of being fired has been assigned a last-chance story about a typical family Christmas —his family’s Christmas. He goes home to his recently widowed mother, his crazy uncle, his eccentric grandmother and his battling siblings and their neurotic spouses, who provide no shortage of material. Tickets: seniors, $30; adults, $33; students, $22. Stage Door Players, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody 30338. Call the box office at 770-396-1726 for tickets and visit stagedoorplayers.net for more info.

Holiday Shows at Cumming Playhouse

Cumming Playhouse brightens the season with music.

■ “Christmas in Dixie The Musical” is presented through Dec. 16. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, at 8 p.m. on all three days, and Sundays, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 for seniors, veterans and ages 18 and under; $27.50 for adults.

■ The North Georgia Barbershop Singers perform their Christmas show on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for seniors, veterans and ages 18 and under; $20 for adults.

■ The Cumming Playhouse Singers appear on Thursday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for seniors, veterans and ages 18 and under; $20 for adults.

■ Sounds of Suwanee Christmas Concert on Friday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for seniors, veterans and ages 18 and under; $20 for adults.

The Cumming Playhouse, 101 School Street, Cumming 30041. Get tickets and more info at playhousecumming.com or call 770-781-9178.

Waffle Palace Christmas

Runs through Dec. 30. Wednesdays-Sundays, 8 p.m.; matinee performances on Dec.

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