Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Be reminded that these dark days will brighten and the rains will subside as the Vancouver Symphony, led by concertmaster Dale Barltrop, performs Vivaldi's timeless work, The Four Seasons. At the Chan in Vancouver on Saturday and the Bell Performing Arts Centre on Monday (vancouversymphony.ca).
Winter Harp
If you'd like to step every further back on the composerly continuum, surround yourself with candlelight and hear medieval carols, stories and poems performed on Celtic harps and rare 12th-century instruments at Winter Harp. At St. Andrew's Wesley Church in Vancouver on Saturday, and The ACT in Maple Ridge on Sunday (winterharp.com).
A Dylan Thomas Christmas
Take a breather from the holiday fray and hear the famed Welsh poet's tale A Child's Christmas in Wales performed by Bard on the Beach actor Russell Roberts, alongside treasured carols including God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and Silent Night at the favourite Vancouver Chamber Choir event, A Dylan Thomas Christmas. At Ryerson United Church on Saturday and Sunday (vancouverchamberchoir.com).
Unsilent Night
Bundle up and grab an audio playing device – any MP3 player, portable CD player or tape machine with speakers will do – and head for Unsilent Night, a procession that has participants playing different parts of a sparkling Phil Kline composition as they wind their way along the West End Vancouver streets to Robson Square. Meet at the Tree of Lights on English Bay on Sunday at 6:45 p.m. (unsilentnight.com).
Chor Leoni
Treat yourself to music ranging from Gregorian chants to contemporary arrangements of holiday classics as treasured Vancouver men's choir Chor Leoni performs its annual Yuletide Fires. At St. Mary's Kerrisdale Anglican Church in Vancouver and at West Vancouver United Church on Saturday (chorleoni.org). And don't miss the Vancouver Catata Singers' Christmas Reprise – a perennial favourite (at the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, vancouvercantatasingers.com).
Blues for Christmas
Shake off those holiday blues at the 25th anniversary of Blues For Christmas, a fundraiser featuring musical veterans Jim Byrnes, Jerry Doucette, Billy Dixon and his Solid Gold Sisters of Soul, Johnny Ferreira and the Swing Machine and many more. Proceeds to Our Music Family Society and the Downtown Eastside Centre for the Arts (bluesforchristmas.com). And while you've got that heart and wallet open, go online and make a donation to B.C. food banks, many of which are experiencing record high demand and record low supplies (foodbanksbc.ca).
Skate With Santa
Lace up your skates – or rent a pair – and hit the ice alongside St. Nick and his elves at Christmas skates with Santa around the Lower Mainland, including the West Vancouver Arena (Saturday, westvancouver.ca), the Bill Copeland Sports Centre in Burnaby (Saturday, burnaby.ca), and at a free skate at the Kerrisdale Arena, which also comes with free rentals, refreshments and fresh-baked holiday cookies from Moore's (Sunday, vancouver.ca).
Jewel Box of Lights
Step out of the cold and into a tropical paradise at the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, which is decked out with thousands of lights and open until 9 p.m. on Saturday. Rumour has it that Santa also plans on popping by around 4:30 (until Jan. 2, vancouver.ca). Want more activities to keep the kids from scaling the walls? Head for Christmas at Canada Place, a holiday tradition that includes a breakfast buffet, performances by Bobs and Lolo and Music with Marnie, and visits with Santa – a fundraiser for the Strathcona Community Centre's Food Security for Children (Saturday and Sunday, christmas.canadaplace.ca).
We Three Queens
Want holiday tunes for the hepcats? Catch We Three Queens, featuring jazz divas Karin Plato, Jennifer Scott and Kate Hammett-Vaughan on Sunday and Monday, then the B3 Kings with Denzal Sinclaire, Cory Weeds, Chris Gestrin and Bill Coon on Tuesday and Wednesday, at The Cellar in Vancouver (cellarjazz.com). Or go for the gusto at Christmas with The Canadian Tenors in Victoria on Saturday (with the Victoria Symphony, victoriasymphony.ca) and at the Orpheum in Vancouver on Sunday (ticketmaster.ca). More Yuletide music with a twist? Check out Accordion Victoria's annual Christmas concert – featuring international award-winner Jelena Milojevic and Canadian champion Ivan Preanicov (Saturday, bcaccordion.ca).
Tricky
Banish Jingle Bells from your mind and take in a show by Tricky – the English musician who helped blaze the trip-hop trail in the mid-1990s with his lush, sensual album Maxinquaye. With Vinyl Ritchie at Venue on Saturday (ticketmaster.ca).
Kings of Pastry
Finally mastered that holiday shortbread? It may not seem like quite as much of an accomplishment when you see Kings of Pastry, a film that follows some of the world's finest French pastry chefs as they vie for top honours at Meilleurs Ouvriers de France – known as "The Olympics of Pastry" (through Sunday, cinematheque.bc.ca).
Holiday Markets
Skip the crammed mall parking lots and insane lineups, and find gifts and foods with heart at local markets around the province including the Artsy Fartsy Market on Granville Island – a fundraiser for Carousel Theatre (granvilleisland.com), at the Sun Peaks Christmas Market (sunpeaksresort.com) and at the outdoor Victoria Winter Market (Saturday, victoriapublicmarket.com).
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