Celebrate the start of winter with a day of shopping, ice-skating, eating and mulled-wine drinking at Evergreen Brick Works Dec. 15.
Dec. 14: Wintersong: Dances For a Sacred Season
From the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, a family-friendly presentation of company favourites and a gospel-inspired premiere from New York choreographer Kevin Wynn. 2 p.m. $22.50 to $38. Fleck Dance Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000 or harbourfrontcentre.com.
Dec. 15: Outdoor Winter Market
It's cold-time, nature in the city, back of our necks are getting scarved and pretty. Celebrate the start of winter with a day of shopping, ice-skating, eating and mulled-wine drinking at Evergreen Brick Works. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. 550 Bayview Ave., ebw.evergreen.ca.
Dec. 16: Stuart McLean's Vinyl Café Christmas Tour
The radio-based raconteur hosts an evening of song and story so homey-like that the aroma of roasted turkey is almost detectable. Three shows here at Sony Centre (Dec. 13 to 15) are followed by one more in Hamilton. 7:30 p.m. $55.75 to $60.75. Hamilton Place, 1-855-872-7669 or ticketmaster.ca.
Dec. 17: Toronto Symphony Orchestra: The Messiah
"Thou art gone up on high." Try a balcony seat this year when the TSO and the 140 voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir perform Handel's affecting oratorio for the first of five concerts (Dec. 17 to 22). 8 p.m. $33 to $109. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255 or roythomson.com.
Dec. 18: A Charlie Brown Christmas with David Benoit
Seize your inner Snoopy and dance with your snout in the air like you just don't care when the Grammy-nominated David Benoit presents the jazzy piano music of Vince Guaraldi. 8 p.m. $54 to $64. Rose Theatre, Brampton, Ont., 905-874-2800 or brampton.ca.
Dec. 19: Black Christmas
Bob Clark's slasher classic from 1974, starring Art Hindle, Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin, will have you screaming of a dark Christmas. 9:30 p.m. $8 to $11. Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave, 416-531-9950.
Dec. 20: Little Match Girl Passion
The contemporary classical community will definitely have its turtlenecks back from the cleaners in time for David Lang's Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen's Christmas-y fairy tale The Little Match Girl, for percussion and vocal quartet. 7 p.m. $15 to $25. Music Gallery, 197 John St., musicgallery.org.
Dec. 21: Christmas by Lamplight
Lanterns, lamps, candles and roaring fires have a Victorian setting aglow and the fire marshals scared stiff. An era-specific program of dance, demonstrations and music (6 to 9:30 p.m.) can be enjoyed with or without a seasonal feast (5:30 and 8:30 p.m., reservations required). $29.95/$34.95 to $55.25/$80.95. Black Creek Pioneer Village, 416-667-6284 or christmasbylamplight.ca.
Dec. 22: Sing-Along Messiah
While the Tafelmusik crew is capable of handling Handel on their own at Koerner Hall (Dec. 18 to 21), when the baroque orchestra and choir moves to the bigger room at Massey Hall they're happy to expand things to include the accompaniment of the grand venue's 2,700 audience members. 2 p.m. $29 to $47. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., 416-872-4255 or masseyhall.com.
Dec. 23: Second City Holiday Spectacular
You'll laugh so hard the eggnog will come right out of your nose when the laugh-rioters at Second City send up the holiday season with a ribbon-wrapped satire that runs to Jan. 1. 4 and 8 p.m. $22. 51 Mercer St., 416-343-0011 or secondcity.com.
Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Service and Celebration
Nothing is stirring at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, because the good people involved with that congregation are presenting a late-evening program of music and yuletide message over at Roy Thomson Hall. 10:30 p.m. $25. 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255 or roythomson.com.
Dec. 25: Disney On Ice: Princesses & Heroes
Magical pixie Tinker Bell leads a cast of artistic and acrobatic skaters in Disney's annual holiday ice-capade (Dec. 20 to 29). 4 p.m. $31.15 to $102.65. Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way, 1-855-985-5000 or ticketmaster.ca.
Brad Wheeler