While our neighbor in colder parts of the country can count on snowstorms and bracing winds as reminder that the winter holidays are approaching, we Angelenos need to work at it a little. Check out these campus events to ramp up your festive spirits:
Lecture: Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as the Education of a Philanthropist Thursday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. | Law School Room 1457
Steven D. Ealy of the Liberty Fund lectures on Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic. Free and open to the public — Scrooges included. Presented by the Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions. Click here for more information.
Debbie Allen’s "Hot Chocolate Nutcracker" Thursday, Dec. 6, 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. | Royce Hall It’s Christmas Eve and the Johnson family, friends and neighbors are having a grand party. The Christmas gifts are shared and young Kara receives a Nutcracker filled with hot chocolate – her favorite. She falls asleep and the magic begins when the Nutcracker comes alive and she follows him to wondrous Candy Cane Lane, Egypt, the Rainforest, Jazzland, Russia and -- the Land of the Kimono Dolls. The story is narrated by three wisecracking mice: Harvey, Schmink and Buckey. For tickets and more information click here.
Annual UCLA Holiday Choral Concert Saturday, Dec. 8, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. | Schoenberg Hall Conductors Donald Neuen and Rebecca Lord, accompanied by instrumentalists, UCLA Chorale, University Chorus and Chamber Singers present their holiday repertoire, including J.S. Bach’s “Magnificat” and John Rutter’s “Gloria” Tickets are $5 for UCLA faculty, staff and students (with ID); $12 general public. Purchase tickets at the UCLA Central Ticket Office in person, by phone at 310-825-2101 or online here.
Los Angeles Ballet: The Nutcracker Saturday, Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 16, 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.| Royce Hall Los Angeles Ballet's original production of the classic ballet returns to Royce Hall for its sixth season. Tickets on sale now through Ticketmaster and the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310.825.2101. Click here for more information.
Hammer Family Flicks Film Series: Babes in Toyland
Sunday, Dec. 16, 11:00 a.m. | UCLA Hammer Museum Beloved comics Laurel & Hardy star in this whimsical fantasy set in a magical land where Tom Thumb, Bo Peep and the Three Little Pigs dance and sing outside Santa’s workshop. When dastardly Silas Barnaby tries to evict the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe, Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee use their wits and a battalion of wooden soldiers to set things right. The program is free and open to the public, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not accepted. Hammer members receive priority seating, subject to availability. Click here for more information.
Rufus and Martha Wainright's "Christmas 101" Friday, Dec. 21 and Saturday, Dec. 22, 8:00 p.m. | Royce Hall Masterminded by Rufus and Martha Wainright’s late mother, Kate McGarrigle, "Christmas 101" began in 2005 and features eclectic carols performed in French and English by the Wainwrights, McGarrigles and many friends – famous and infamous. On Friday, a post-show gala benefits the Kate McGarrigle Foundation, created in by Kate before her death in 2009 to raise money for underfunded sarcoma research. Click here for more information and tickets.