Jimmy Stewart, Mary, Joseph, the Little Drummer Boy, Tiny Tim — those guys show up every year. This holiday, why not also try some flamenco guitar … or Wayne Newton?
– The Boys Choir of Harlem sings “The Little Drummer Boy” and Bach’s old hit parader “Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets: $15-$37. 312-294-3000.
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– The Winter Solstice Festival will nuke chestnuts in the microwave — no, of course, they’ll roast them on an open fire — at 7 p.m. Saturday at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. Free. 312-744-5472.
Warning: This item is a spoiler; don’t read on if you want to be surprised. At the end of “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge reforms himself, befriends Bob Cratchit and makes Tiny Tim happy. Paramount Arts Centre retells Charles Dickens’ classic (above) at 3 p.m. Sunday at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. $22.50. 630-896-6666.
– Winter arrives, officially, with the Redmoon Theater’s Winter Pageant, a non-religious puppet, mask and music show running from Friday through Dec. 19 at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Blvd. Showtimes differ. $8. 773-388-9031.
– Mary, Joseph and Jesus show up again — they’re everywhere — for “Bethlehem at the Farm,” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Children’s Farm, the center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park. Donation requested. Also at the Center: Christmas music by the Stagg High School Madrigal Singers at noon Tuesday; $10. 708-361-3650.
– The Salvation Army Norridge Citadel Corps Church restages the birth of Christ and, well, you know that story by now. But what’s this? You can pose for pictures with camels! And other live animals! A pageant and Norridge Citadel Brass Band concert begins at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday at 8354 W. Foster Ave. Free; reservations required. 708-456-6220.
Garlands, garlands, as far as the eye can see, are highlights of the Glessner House Museum’s Victorian Holiday Tours (including a huge Christmas tree and a dining table with fine Minton china). The tours begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Dec. 18 and 19, at the Glessner Coach House, 1800 S. Prairie Ave. $10-$12. 312-326-1480; reservations required.
– It isn’t Christmas until Wayne Newton (right) sings “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast.” He has another big song too. The Las Vegas hero performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Star Plaza Theatre, U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate Highway 65, Merrillville, Ind. $31. 773-734-7266.
You’ve never heard “Amazing Grace” (or the Beatles’ “I’ll Follow the Sun,” for that matter) until you’ve heard it from a steel band. The Elgin Community College Steel Band plays host to an end-of-millennium blowout at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, in Stage 1 of the college’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. $5-$6. 847-622-0300.
– The Marian Singers (and did we mention complimentary cookies?) do madrigals at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Barrington Area Arts Council, 207 Park Ave., Barrington. Free. 847-382-5626.
– “The Christmas Box” (alas, no complimentary cookies), a musical, is at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 22nd Street and Park Boulevard, Glen Ellyn. $23-$24. 630-942-4000.
– The zillionth holiday showing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (above) benefits a great cause — the Clarence Foundation, which links service dogs to physically challenged people. The Jimmy Stewart flick is at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. $5. 630-968-0219.
– This year: The Nutcracker Ballet on Ice. Next year: The Nutcracker Ballet in Molten Lava. (Kidding!) The skating event is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Robert Crown Center, 1701 Main St., Evanston. $8-$9. 847-328-9401.
Guitars duel in “Flamenco Christmas” (at left), the Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater’s performance at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Northeastern Illinois University’s auditorium, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave. $17-$22. 773-794-2787.
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