LITTLE ROCK — December is the heavyweight champion of months. Nothing stops December, not even a sock on the fireplace. Santa’s bank balance might be down for the count, but he always did say the best things are free: jingles and twinkles, harks and heralds — and fruitcake, the gift that keeps on re-re-re-gifting.
SLIP GLOSS
1. River Market on Ice, ice skating through Jan. 9 at the River Market, downtown Little Rock. Call (501) 375-2552.
BETTER B.B. GOOD, KID
A Christmas Story, the stage version through Dec. 26 at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock. Call (501) 378-0405.
NUDGE-NUDGE, TWINK-TWINK
Holiday Lights in Burns Park drive through displays, 6-10 p.m. through Dec. 30, North Little Rock. Call (501) 753-7307. Enchanted Forest light display, 6-9:30 p.m. through Dec. 30 at Sherwood Forest. Call (501) 835-8909.
RUDOLPH AND OTHER RED NOSES
2. CARTI Festival of Trees through Dec. 4 at the Statehouse Convention Center. Events include Festival After Dark on Dec. 3; Tux ’n’ Trees gala, Dec. 4. Details at carti.com. Call (501) 660-7634. Sherwood Festival of Lights silent auction through Dec. 4 at The Greens at North Hills, Sherwood. Call (501) 833-3790. Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus: Illuscination through Dec. 5 at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Call (800) 745-3000.
PIANO AND STRINGS
Royal Players’ musical Once Upon a Mattress through Dec. 5 and Dec. 9-12, at the Royal Theatre, Benton. Call (501) 315-5483. Tie One On auction of aprons designed by artists and celebrities, 6:30 p.m. at Pavilion in the Park, Little Rock, benefits Our House Shelter. Call (501) 374-7383. University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble concert features Little rock native Steven Bryant’s composition, “Radiant Joy,” 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall, Conway. Call (501) 450-5764.
Hanukkah
WEE TREE THINGS
3. Arkansas Craft Guild Christmas Showcase
through Dec. 5 at the Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansascraftguild.org. Call (870) 269-4120.
Evening in Watercolor art show, 4-7 p.m. at Maumelle Senior Wellness Center, Maumelle. Call (501) 851-4344.
NO WAITING TO OPEN
Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells through Dec. 19 at the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre, Little Rock. Call (501) 372-4000. The Controversy of Valladolid, weekends through Dec. 18 at The Weekend Theater, downtown Little Rock. Call (501) 374-3761.
A TWIST ON THE USUAL
Eureka Springs Christmas Parade of Lights, 6 p.m. round-and-round-round downtown. Call (479) 253-7333.
REINDEER REIGN
4. Craig’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk, 11 a.m. from the River Market, downtown Little Rock, benefits the Arthritis Foundation. Details at arkansasjinglebell run.org. Call (501) 664-7242. Big Jingle Jubilee Parade, 3 p.m. through downtown Little Rock to the state Capitol. Details at holidaysinlittlerock.com. Call (501) 835-3399. State Capitol Lighting Ceremony; activities starting at 4 p.m., lighting at sundown. Call (501) 683-3702. Capitol Event, Christmas carols and auction to benefit the Arkansas Chamber Singers, 5 p.m., Little Rock Club. Call (501) 377-1121.
MARCH OF THE SUGARPLUM MERRIES
Jacksonville Christmas Parade, 1 p.m. on Main Street. Call (501) 982-1511.
BOW-WOWS OF HOLLY
Pet Photos with Santa, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; also noon-5 p.m. Dec. 5 at Cammack Village City Hall, benefits Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals. Call (501) 603-2273.
HOMES FOR CHRISTMAS
5. Christmas in the Quarter home tours in Little Rock’s historic Quapaw Quarter, 2-6 p.m. Details at qqumc.org. Call (501) 375-1600. Holiday Open House, 1-4:30 p.m. at the Old State House Museum, Little Rock. Call (501) 324-9685.
MARCHING FETE
North Little Rock Christmas Parade, 2 p.m. on Main Street. Call (501) 758-1424.
FIR BALL
6. “Trees” poet Joyce Kilmer’s birthday, 1886.
I think that I shall Never see A cat that won’t Knock down the tree: Up, up he climbs, That Christmas cat, And down it goes — Fa-la-la-flat!
BUBLE LIGHTS
7. Michael Buble, 8 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Call (800) 745-3000.
MORE THAN JUST AN ACT
Festival of One-Act Plays
through Dec. 9 at Bridges-Larson Theatre, University of Central Arkansas, Conway. Call (501) 450-3265.
8. How to celebrate National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month: With somebody else’s family.
MATTEA HEAD QUARTERS
9. Kathy Mattea and “Songs and the Season,” 7 p.m. at Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Call (479) 443-5600.
HARK! — THE HERALDS
10. Arkansas Chamber Singers concert, “Bach to Christmas,” 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Little Rock; also 3 p.m. Dec. 12 at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, Little Rock. Call (501) 377-1121.
HOUSE CALLS
Wildwood Park’s Holiday Tour of Homes preview 7-10 p.m., tours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 11 of five houses in west Little Rock. Call (501) 821-7275.
ELF, ETC.
Theatre Squared production, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some), through Dec. 26 at the Nadine Baum Studios, Fayetteville. Call (479) 571-2728.
TU-TU TO-DO
11. Ballet Arkansas production of The Nutcracker, 7 p.m. at Robinson Center Music Hall, Little Rock; also 3 p.m. Dec. 12. Nutcracker Tea, 1 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Peabody Little Rock hotel. Call (501) 223-5150.
SUGAR SHACK
Jingles and Gingerbread and gingerbread house-making contest, noon-5 p.m. at the Peabody Little Rock hotel, benefits the Children’s Protection Center. Call (501) 324-2572.
PANELS DISCUSSION
Little Rock author William B. Jones Jr. signs the Classics Illustrated comic-book versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickleby, for which he wrote the introductions, 1 p.m. at WordsWorth Books & Co., Little Rock. Call (501) 663-9198.
RUN, RUN RUDOLPH
Dashin’ Through the Lights run and walk through the Christmas lights in Burns Park, 5-6 p.m., North Little Rock. Call (501) 753-7307.
FEY BELLS DING
12. Ozark Bronze handbell ensemble, 3 p.m. at the Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville. Call (479) 856-7250.
13. Santa Lucia Day. Swedish tradition calls for a beautiful girl in a flowing white gown to bring sweet rolls, but Arkansas has its own version: She lobs a breakfast burrito through the car window.
The Four Reps — Charlie Askew, Jack Dowden, Henry Melhorn and Matthew Morley — in concert with The Little Rock Company, 7 p.m. at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock. The Four Reps are from last year’s Young Artists show. Call (501) 378-0405.
SEER DECREER
14. Nostradamus’ birthday,
1503, and three predictions sure to come true just in time for Christmas: Anything you buy will go on sale the next day. The only visits that aren’t too short will be too long. Repeated shampooings will leave but two words to cover the wine stain: throw rug.
MONSTER HIT
Broadway musical Young Frankenstein through Dec. 19 at Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Call (479) 443-5600.
15. Halcyon Days through Dec. 28 — a season of calm in ancient times, but long since given way to the master of suspense: Santa Claus.
“I like everything around me to be ... completely calm.” — Alfred Hitchcock
TABLE FOR TOOT
Lionels at Laman model train exhibit through December at Laman Public Library, North Little Rock. Call (501) 758-1720.
TROUBLE BREWING
16. Boston Tea Party, 1773. Colonists threw shiploads of British tea into Boston Harbor, disguising themselves as: (A) A snit of French rioters, (B) Indians, or (C) coffee drinkers.
Answer at Dec. 30.
EYE CONTACTS
17. Toys Designed by Artists
show through Feb. 20 at the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Call (501) 372-4000. Delta Exhibition through Feb. 20 at the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Call (501) 372-4000.
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra pops concert, “Home for the Holidays,” 8 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18 and 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at Robinson Center Music Hall, Little Rock. Call (501) 666-1761.
OVER THE RIVER, THROUGH THE WOODS
18. Caroling in the Forest, 7-8:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. Call (501) 868-5806.
Winter in the Park contest for best-decorated tents and RVs, through Dec. 19 at Lake Catherine State Park near Hot Springs. Call (501) 844-4176.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, 3 and 8 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Call (800) 745-3000.
19. Safe Toys and Gifts Month,
and three unsafe toys to avoid: Monopoly: The Resumed Foreclosure Edition Cougar Barbie Helmet-to-Helmet Hit Me Elmo
The Art Porter Singers perform Handel’s Messiah, 5 p.m. at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Little Rock. Call (501) 374-2891.
NO TWO BLOBS ALIKE
20. The world would be a different place if not for the premiere of the Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life on Dec. 20, 1946. The movie won a special effects award from the Motion Picture Academy for the crew’s invention of better fake snow. Jimmy Stewart runs through swirling white particles made of soap and other chemical ingredients, replacing corn flakes.
Merry Christmas, you wonderful old building and loan!
Psst! — and thanks for the spray snow.
KING OF THE CHILL
21. First Day of Winter
22. How to celebrate National Egg Nog Day: egged on.
23. National Tie Month — when the tie is between those two things Dad is most apt to receive for Christmas: a necktie with a picture of a duck on it, or something else with a picture of a duck on it.
TALKING STOCKING
24. Christmas Eve, and stockings are hung by the chimney with care — thanks to these tips from the North Pole Coalition for the Cautious Deployment of Socks:
Socks hung by the chimney don’t have to be all the same, but take care. Many a lifetime’s bad habit of socks that don’t match started on Christmas Eve.
If the candy falls out through a hole in the toe, just blame that darned sock.
OH, HO! — HO-HO!
25. Christmas. Santa’s not the only one left holding the sack in this economy, but even the Grinch learned how to make the best of things:
“It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.” — Dr. Seuss
THERE GOES SANTA CLAUS
26. Day after Christmas, and it’s beginning to feel a lot like tomorrow’s Monday.
JUST BAW!-FUL
National Whiners’ Day — for people who didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas.
27. National Fruitcake Day. Life is like a fruitcake — sweet parts, crummy parts, and watch out for the nuts.
OH, FUDGE!
28. National Chocolate Day
Mike Beebe’s 64th birthday,
and birthday shoppers face a quandary — what to get for the Arkansas governor who already has re-election?
29. Bingo’s Birthday Month. The 81-year-old game is nearly as old as the roof on the bingo hall.
30. Take tea and see quiz answer: (B) Colonists disguised as Indians partied oolong into the night.
RESOLUTION ROOTY-TOOTIN’
31.
New Year’s Eve
Zoo Year’s Eve, 8 p.m. at the Little Rock Zoo. Call (501) 666-2406.
Coming next month: January! Call (501) 399-3633, write to Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail
rwolfe@arkansasonline.com
by Dec. 15 to suggest January calendar entries or resolutions for New Year 2011 that somebody might actually keep, such as: Lose 25 pounds! — which can by done by taking off a cold rain-soaked stocking cap. Live each day to the fullest! — every minute of daylight we get these dark months, about 17 minutes. Each event requires a phone number that is answered during business hours in the dark, or by an answering machine that identifies the event or its sponsor in the dark.
Style, Pages 29 on 11/30/2010