FAMILY FUN
Santa in the Seaport
Santa knows where it’s classy, so it’s hardly a shock that he’ll be in the Seaport District Saturday to meet with his “clients,” i.e. your kids. Kids can also color on the walls, decorate cookies, get some hot cocoa and the nearby café Brew and restaurant Gather will be open, offering stronger stuff for parents—because you’ve been good too this year.
Dec. 9, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., District Hall, 75 Northern Ave., Boston, free, dhsantabrunch.eventbrite.com
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
It’s hard to believe “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired 52 years ago. Aside from a couple outdated references (bubblegum cards?), it just feels timeless. If you’ve passed it on to your kids, you all might enjoy this live theatrical version from Boston Children’s Theatre. Note: they’re also performing it at the Boston Center for the Arts—see the website for details.
Dec. 7-24, Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington, $15-$25, bostonchildrenstheatre.org
BURLESQUE
‘The Slutcracker’
It seems fitting that Boston, home to one of country’s most prestigious and reverent annual productions of “The Nutcracker” should also have given birth to the very naughty, demon-child reimagining, “The Slutcracker.” If your idea of holiday cheer involves leather and whips, pole-dancing, pasties and a character called the Dildo Prince, this is right up your alley (wink). Rejoice!
Through Dec. 31, Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville, $30, 18+, theslutcracker.com
MOVIES
Harry Dean Stanton: Say Something True
The recently deceased actor Harry Dean Stanton showed up in the funniest places. Just take a look at the hodgepodge that is this series of films, including “Escape from New York,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Christine,” “Cockfighter,” “Alien,” “Wise Blood,” and Stanton’s most iconic role, “Paris, TX.”
Through Dec. 31, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, $11, mfa.org
‘Jack Frost’
The Brattle screens this 1997 comic horror film about a serial killer who comes back from the dead as a snowman—not to be confused with the 1998 family comedy of the same name. The screening includes a talk from publisher Kier-la Janisse whose press Spectacular Optical recently released a book on the Christmas Horror genre entitled “Yuletide Terror.”
Dec. 9, 9:30 p.m., Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, $12, brattlefilm.org
BOOKS
Kevin Young
With his latest book, “Bunk,” poet and critic Kevin Young he traces the history of the American hoax, from the phony mermaids of the 19th century to the fake news of today. Our lies, Young argues, reveal truths about our cultural aspirations, fears and obsessions, from the fake “savages” of P.T. Barnum to the bizarre blackface of Rachel Dolezal.
Dec. 7, 7 p.m., Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, free, harvard.com
MUSIC
Morrissey
Morrissey’s gotten flack for controversial comments recently, but his fans are used to Moz’s big mouth: sometimes it says ridiculous, arrogant things, but more often it says very clever, heartfelt things. For better or worse, the former Smiths frontman remains one of a kind, with a trademark mix of cynicism and romanticism that’s proved both inimitable and endlessly influential.
Dec. 7, 8:30 p.m., Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Pl., Boston, $225-$235, ticketmaster.com
Boston Music Awards
Each year, the Boston Music Awards determine which Boston band is finally ready to move to New York. Sike! Actually, NYC can save its $1000/month closets for someone else, because these artists are doing just fine here. The ten slated to perform live also attest to the vibrancy of the present scene, especially its hip-hop acts, in a town better known for its indie rock products.
Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m., House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston, $30-$40, bostonmusicawards.com
COMEDY
Michelle Wolf
You may not know Michelle Wolf’s name, but you’ve probably laughed at jokes she’s written for “The Daily Show” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” She’s also got her own Comedy Central TV series in the works, following up on her pair of digital series for the network, “Now Hiring” and “Used People.”
Dec. 8-9, Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston, $29, laughboston.com
SHOPPING
Harvard Square Holiday Fair
Like the other holiday markets we’ve been featuring in these pages lately, the one in Harvard Square is a chance to buy unique hand-made gifts straight from the hands that made them. It’s one of the oldest of its kind in town, dating back to 1986, when the Square was a more hippy-ish place, as attested by the Fair’s motto: “Peace, Love, and Holiday Shopping.”
Dec. 9-23, 50 Church St., 4th Floor, Cambridge, free, harvardsquareholidayfair.com
FESTIVALS
Holiday on Ice
Community Ice Skating at Kendall Square offers free skating all day for their annual Holiday on Ice—heads up though, you’ll still have to pay to rent skates if you need to. At 2 p.m. you can take in a show from professional figure skaters, some of them international contenders. It’s a great chance to take in an art form that, unless the Winter Olympics are on, tends to be ignored.
Dec. 9, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Community Ice Skating, 300 Athenaeum St., Cambridge, free, paddleboston.com/skating
GOING OUT
Flamenco at Aeronaut Brewing Company
Flamenco Boston provides classical Spanish entertainment at Aeronaut Brewing this Friday night, allowing you to fantasize that you’re in some raucous Andalusian café sometime in the 1800s, without having to actually travel through time or space, or defend to the death your honor against some mustachioed scoundrel’s accusations—hold up, we just got an idea for the next big “prestige television” series.
Dec. 8, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Aeronaut Brewing Company, 14 Tyler St., Somerville, no cover, 21+, aeronautbrewing.com
