Thursday 12/21
Let's Get Crackin'
In one of St. Louis' most enduring traditions, the St. Louis Ballet is mounting a full roster of performances of Tchaikovsky's 1892 two-act ballet The Nutcracker through December 23, with numerous options to accommodate the younger ballet lover in your life (think: 2 p.m. matinees, 7 p.m. evening performances). Wisely, the ballet is also a briskly paced two hours including intermission — so even the non-ballet lovers roped into joining you at the Touhill (1 Touhill Circle, Bellerive; 866-516-4949) for the Sugar Plum Fairy can manage their annoyance. Not into driving to UMSL? On Friday, December 22, you can also catch a traveling production making a two-show stop at the Fabulous Fox (527 North Grand Boulevard, 314-534-1111). Find details for the former at stlouisballet.org/thenutcracker and for the latter at nutcracker.com.
Off the Hook
Looking for something to do to get your visiting relatives out of the house but afraid that taking the family to a film is just going to offend Grandma and Grandpa due to overt sexual content? Or worried that even the most banal of museum exhibits might somehow trigger that MAGA uncle of yours? Well, the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum (12 Hancock Avenue, 314-416-8004) feels your pain, and they have you and the whole extended family covered this holiday season. Take the fam back to a pre-hellscape time, before the invention of the smartphone, and learn about how people used to communicate with each other in a manner that did not decimate mental health. On display you'll find a special Candlestick Telephone Exhibit, which for the uninitiated is basically every phone in any black-and-white movie ever. They are much more intricately designed and fun to look at than the smooth black rectangles we all carry around in our pockets today. The exhibit is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., through January 31. Tickets vary by age, but the priciest pass is only $5. More info at jbtelmuseum.org.
Hair of the Dog
St. Louis nonprofit Frizzy by Nature puts on an annual festival, Frizz Fest, which celebrates natural beauty and creates safe spaces for Black women, in Tower Grove Park. There are stars — Mýa performed this year, for example — great food from Black business owners, an expo with lots of goods for sale, live music and dance, and even the fanciest selfie station you've ever seen. In other words, it's a really great event and clearly one that cannot and should not be contained to a single weekend. Thankfully, it's not the only shindig that Frizzy by Nature puts on. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 21, St. Louisans can attend another: FrizzMas Happy Hour at Anita Cafe and Bar (2704 Locust Street, 314-669-7700). There will be special FrizzMas cocktails on offer as well as a host of local Black-owned vendors, so you can pick up those last-minute gifts on site and skip the big-box store run. There will also be a hat and glove drive to support the Little Bit Foundation, which benefits students at under-resourced schools — consider donating while you're at it so that you can do good while also having a good time. The whole affair is free to attend, though obviously drinks, food and goods are not. Learn more at frizzybynature.com.
Friday 12/22
Welcome to the Party, Pal
When you think Christmas, you think candy canes, jingle bells, Christmas trees and holly, but Bruce Willis' forehead sweat as he battles terrorists in Die Hard is just as much of a holiday symbol. Whether John McTiernan's 1988 action classic is a Christmas movie has long been hotly contested — there'd be no plot without the holiday party at the beginning ... just sayin' — but regardless, if you're just in the mood to rewatch hero John McClane go head to head with the dastardly Hans Gruber or experience those thrills for the first time, you can now do so on the big screen on the last weekend before Christmas. Catch Die Hard at the Hi-Pointe Theatre (1005 McCausland Ave, 314-644-1100) at 10 p.m. on Friday, December 22, or Saturday, December 23. Those of you who really have the Christmas spirit will attend both days, of course. Tickets are just $8 and can be purchased at cinemastlouis.org/die-hard.
Saturday 12/23
Here Is Your King
Celebrate the holy birth of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (or something like that, who knows) in King of Pop style this year with The MJ Experience: A Christmas Thriller. Prepare to moonwalk your way through the holiday season as Allusion Entertainment hosts a top-notch Michael Jackson tribute at the Ambassador (9800 Halls Ferry Road, 314-869-9090) on Saturday, December 23. Bask in the Gloved One's magical aura by way of Las Vegas-based MJ impersonator Santana Jackson and a wonderland experience filled with gifts, candy canes and cocoa. And of course, make sure you don't leave without first taking a photo with Santa — he's the reason for the season, after all. All the family-friendly fun kicks off at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at thenewambassadorstl.com, with prices starting at $18.
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