December is the month of Kringles and jingles, the month of highest hopes -- because if reindeer can fly, then why not pigs?
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Sherlock Holmes solves his first case, "A Study in Scarlet," in Beeton's Christmas Annual magazine, 1887. But not even Holmes can nab the mystery man in red, and Santa gets away.
GLOWING RECOMMENDATION
Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends light show through December at Jefferson County Regional Park, Pine Bluff. Details at pinebluffcvb.org. Call (870) 536-7600.
REINDEER ON THE RUN
Jacksonville Christmas Parade, 6:30 p.m. on Main Street, Jacksonville. Details at cityofjacksonville.net. Call (501) 982-4316.
CAPITOL IDEA
Political comedy Out of Order through December at Murry's Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock. Details at murrysdp.com. Call (501) 562-3131.
KNOTTY AND NICE
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National Tie Month. But if Santa is going to bring every other guy a necktie for Christmas, then Santa should have to wear one, too -- extra long to hang below the beard.
PEPPERMINT TRYST
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Holiday in the Park with the Fun City Chorus and National Park Community College Choir, 7 p.m. at Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs. Details at hotsprings.org. Call (501) 321-2027.
CHRISTMAS COVER-UP
Tie One On auction of artist-designed aprons, 6 p.m. at Pavilion in the Park, Little Rock, benefits Our House. Details at ourhouseshelter.org. Call (501) 374-7383.
DAYS MERRY AND BRIGHT
Royal Players show, White Christmas, through Dec. 6 and Dec. 10-13 at the Royal Theatre, Benton. Details at theroyalplayers.com. Call (501) 315-5483.
PETER'S FAVORITE BREAKFAST: PAN CAKES
TheatreSquared production, Peter and the Starcatcher, through Jan. 3, with cookies and hot cocoa during intermission on Dec. 25, at Walton Art Center's Nadine Baum Studios, Fayetteville. Details at theatre2.org. Call (479) 443-5600.
COOKIE STRUTTER
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The Gingerbread Man through Dec. 20 at Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre. Details at arkansasartscenter.org. Call (501) 372-4000.
ELF AWARENESS
Arkansas Craft Guild Christmas Showcase through Dec. 6 at the Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansascraftguild.org. Call (870) 269-4120.
HEARD ON HIGH
Handel's Messiah, portions including the "Hallelujah" chorus, performed by the Arkansas Choral Society, University of Arkansas at Monticello Concert Choir and members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. at First Pentecostal Church, North Little Rock. Details at lovetosing.org. Call (501) 376-8484.
RUN, RUN, RUDOLPH
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Jingle Bell Run/Walk, 11 a.m. from the Clinton Presidential Center, Little Rock, benefits the Arthritis Foundation. Details at arthritis.org/arkansas. Call (501) 664-4591.
SANTA REIGNS ON PARADE
Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade, 3 p.m., downtown Little Rock to the state Capitol. Details at holidaysinlittlerock.com. Call (501) 835-3399.
ECHO-HO-HO
Caroling in the Caverns through Dec. 20 at Blanchard Springs Caverns near Mountain View. Details at yourplaceinthemountains.com. Call (870) 269-8068.
SURREY ON THE SCURRY
Christmas and Candlelight tours, surrey rides and Christmas buffet Dec. 5 and 12 at Historic Washington State Park near Hope. Details at historicwashingtonstatepark.com. Call (870) 983-2684.
WHO'S WHOO-WHOO
Snow Village and model trains display through Dec. 6, 12-13 and 19-23 at Gaskins Switch Village, Eureka Springs, benefits the Eureka Springs Historical Museum. Details at eurekaspringshistoricalmuseum.org. Call (479) 253-9417.
LOOK AT FROSTY GO
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North Little Rock Sertoma Christmas parade, 2 p.m. downtown. Details at northlittlerock.org. Call (501) 758-1424.
HOT CIDER PROVIDER
Holiday Open House trolley tours of Historic Arkansas Museum for hot cider, 1-4 p.m.; Old State House Museum for Christmas keepsake-making, 1-4:30 p.m.; Mosaic Templars Cultural Center for sweet potato pie, 2-5 p.m.; and the Governor's Mansion for Christmas carols, 2-4 p.m., Little Rock. Details at arkansasheritage.com and friendsofthemansion.org.
CARD-CARRYING MEMBERS
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Bingo Month. But Santa plays it J-I-N-G-O.
WARMEST REGARDS
Hot Springs Christmas Parade, 6:30 p.m. downtown. Details at oaklawnrotary.com.
CAROLING, CAROLING
Sounds of the Season choir performances Dec. 7-11 and 14-18 in the rotunda of the state Capitol, Little Rock. Details at sos.arkansas.gov. Call (501) 682-1010.
ROLLA BOLLA BOLL
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Cotton gin inventor Eli Whitney's birthday, 1825. Thanks to Whitney's invention, Christmas comes again with plenty of cotton-ball snowmen.
JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS
Conway Men's Chorus Christmas concert, 7 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall, University of Central Arkansas, Conway. Details at conwaymenschorus.org. Call (501) 472-8758.
STRING AND BLINGS
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Village Strings Holiday Concert, 6:30 p.m. at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs. Details at garvangardens.org. Call (501) 262-9300.
YAZOO YOO-HOO
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Mississippi admission day, 1817. Mississippi admits the best way to win in Tunica is to bet on the buffet.
FAH-LA-LA HOO-RAH
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Arkansas Chamber Singers Holiday Concert 7 p.m. Dec. 11 and 12, and 3 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Old State House Museum, Little Rock. Details at ar-chambersingers.org. Call (501) 377-1121.
SING-ALIKE AT THE MIC
Christmas Celebrity Karaoke, 7 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock, benefits Youth Home. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
TOUR DE PROMENADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS
Ballet Arkansas and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, The Nutcracker, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and 12, 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at Maumelle Performing Arts Center, Maumelle. Details at arkansassymphony.org. Call (501) 666-1761.
NOEL CARTEL
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Gaither Christmas Homecoming, 6 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com.
MICE THAT GO ON TIPPY-TOE
Western Arkansas Ballet's Nutcracker Ballet through Dec. 13 at ArcBest Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith. Details at waballet.org. Call (479) 785-0152.
BOLDLY FORETOLD
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French sooth-sayer Nostradamus predicts his birthday will be Dec. 14.
PREDICTION COMES TRUE!
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Nostradamus' birthday, 1501. Amazing! Also, he foretold that people will learn to talk to animals, maybe just in time for Santa to speak to the livestock:
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
GREAT CAESAR'S ROAST
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Roman festival of Saturnalia.
The toga party celebrated: (A) Saturn, the planet, for being the first to hang a wreath; (B) Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, for another year's bountiful harvest of pfeffernuse, or (C) the deity of agriculture, supposedly. But people got so caught up in the merry-making, they forgot why.
Answer at Dec. 28.
SOCIAL SPLASH
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Boston Tea Party, 1773. Tax protesters fling black tea into Boston Harbor with milk, orange peel and exotic spices to make the world's largest Christmas chai latte.
BAND ON THE RUN
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Trans-Siberia Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
HEARD THE BELLS
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Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Pops Live! holiday concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19, and 3 p.m. Dec. 20 at Connor Performing Arts Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansassymphony.org. Call (501) 666-1761.
FOUR CALLING BIRDS, THREE FRENCH HENS
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Christmas Bird Count at Village Creek State Park near Wynne. Details at naturalheritage.com. Call (870) 238-9406.
PEN PALPITATIONS
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Write a Friend Month starts with, "Dear Santa."
SANTA SALUTE
Holiday Music at the Arsenal by the Margaret Wyatt Vocal and Piano Studios, 2-4 p.m. at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock. Details at arkmilitaryheritage.com. Call (501) 376-4602.
ROCK ON
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Pilgrims land at Plymouth, Mass., 1620. They missed Thanksgiving, so they had to be home for Christmas or else never hear the end of it.
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED GOAT
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Is today your birthday? If so, you're the ram-that-am, a goateed go-getter with a feta fetish, too good to haul somebody else's sleigh. Head for the greener grass with fellow grazers Jimmy Buffett, 69, Dec. 25, and Marvel Comics maven Stan Lee, 93, Dec. 28.
SANTA'S BELLY SHAKES LIKE JELLY
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Jimmy Buffett's lost shaker of salt turns up just in time for Mexico's Feast of the Radishes.
NOT JUST REINDEER HAVE RED NOSES
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Dec. 23 and 26-27 at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
MERRY LADLE CHRISTMAS
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Egg Nog Day, and no use crying over spilled egg nog. The cat's on it.
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Christmas Day. And may it be so bright that Santa wears sunglasses.
HOO-RAH FOR THE --
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Pumpkin Pie Day, when the punky punkin is the gourd that soared.
STALE TALE
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Fruitcake Day the same as last year.
SATURN TURN-AROUND
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Roamin' Romans quiz answer: (C) Party on, and who cares why. They pretty much invented seasonal shopping, besides -- the Roman shopping binge of Blackus Fridaius, when all Gaul is 30 percent off, and even Caligula has to say, "Please, people. Can't we control ourselves?"
LONE STAR ON THE TREE
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Texas admission day, 1845. Texas admits if Scrooge had been a Texan, he would have been visited by the ghosts of the Alamo.
PUTTER THERE, PAL
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If Tiger Woods' 40th birthday is above par, is that a good thing?
WHEN EVEN HOGS DROP THE BALL
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New Year's Eve.
AULD LANG SIGN-OUT
Last Night Fayetteville New Year's celebration downtown. Details at lastnightfayetteville.com.
Coming next month: January! Call (501) 399-3633, write to Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email
rwolfe@arkansasonline.com
by Dec. 15 to suggest January calendar entries or how to celebrate January as International Creativity Month, such as: Create an umbrella for brainstorms. Each event requires a phone number that is answered during business hours or by an answering machine that identifies the event or its sponsor.
Style on 12/01/2015