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TOMASEEN FOLEY\u2019S A CELTIC CHRISTMAS <\/strong>It\u2019s not exactly controversial to say that music is an artform best enjoyed live, but it\u2019s doubly true with Irish music. These stirring, whirling, lively tunes played on strings, both strummed and bowed, tin whistle flutes, and made even more rambunctious by the fast footwork of Irish dancers, offset by heartfelt poetic ballads and captivating storytelling makes for a great night of Christmas tradition. Irish storyteller Tom\u00e1seen Foley has put together a top-shelf troupe of musicians and dancers and one needn\u2019t be Irish to enjoy; the spirit of this great music knows no borders. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN<\/strong><\/p>\n TOY TRAINS 2025 <\/strong>All aboard for the annual Toy Train exhibition at The MAH! Members of the Golden State Toy Train Operators will be sharing their wonderful and whimsical collection of toy trains. This is the 20th<\/sup> year of hosting the pop up. It is a completely free event. It will be accessible during The MAH\u2019s regular hours within the Atrium. From model 1920s trains to trains from the 21st-century, be immersed in a fun way to celebrate technological history while also enjoying some seasonal festivity. This display is a great activity for seasoned model train collectors and casual enjoyers alike. Goes until Dec. 29. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE<\/strong><\/p>\n HOD AND THE HELPERS <\/strong>Hod and the Helpers pour out clean, jangly guitar and offer crooning ballads. Songs about life\u2019s simple moments are peppered with humor and social commentary and often blur the lines between fact and fiction. With Hod Hulphers leading the charge, the band storms forward with A.J. Marquez on keys, Greg Braithwaite on drums, Dan Potthast on bass, and Jeff Stultz on guitar. With a touch of psychedelic, the band takes everyday narratives and spins them into alt-folk songs, often with driving basslines and crashing drums, occasionally mixing in dreamy lounge lullabies. SHELLY NOVO<\/strong><\/p>\n THE TROLLEY DROPS <\/strong>There\u2019s one thing most of us can agree on, holiday music needs revamping. Sure, it\u2019s easy to love the classics at first. But by the second week, the songs we\u2019ve all heard a million times before start to wear down the nerves. This year, reignite that love for the musical holiday cheer with The Trolley Drops as they perform their unique \u201cTwistmas Carols.\u201d The jug band takes standards like \u201cRudolph,\u201d then gives them a popular twist with jazz, rock, country and pop classics like Creedence Clearwater Revival\u2019s \u201cBad Moon Rising\u201d for a new holiday tradition, \u201cReindeer on the Rise.\u201d MAT WEIR<\/strong><\/p>\n A JOHN PRINE CHRISTMAS <\/strong>Beloved singer-songwriter John Prine released 18 studio albums, beginning with his self-titled 1971 debut and continuing through his final studio set, 2018\u2019s The Tree of Forgiveness<\/em>. He also released six live albums and a pair of compilations. Midway through his recording career, he wrote, recorded and released 1994\u2019s A John Prine Christmas<\/em>, his 11th<\/sup> studio LP. Featuring two traditional tunes, the record was primarily Prine originals. For this holiday show, the Jenner Fox Band focuses on songs from that overlooked release, showcasing Prine\u2019s wry wit on cuts like \u201cSilent Night All Day Long\u201d and \u201cChristmas in Prison.\u201d BILL KOPP<\/strong><\/p>\n THE NUTCRACKER <\/strong>This enchanting holiday classic dazzles young and old with captivating choreography and Tchaikovsky\u2019s effervescent score. This charming story follows a young Clara, played by Pacific Northwest Ballet\u2019s principal dancer, Lucien Postlewaite, as she undertakes a magical journey. From a battle between tin soldiers and mischievous mice to Sugar Plum Fairy kingdoms, this tale will delight the whole family. This incredible ballet will be directed by Conrad Usseldinger and will feature talented students from Agape Dance Academy. Whether a first or twentieth viewing, this beloved ballet is the perfect show for ringing in the holiday season. Multiple shows on Saturday and Sunday. SN<\/strong><\/p>\n A VERY SHUT-INS CHRISTMAS <\/strong>The string band known as the Shut-Ins continue their holiday tradition of playing their signature bluegrass\/country\/folk\/Americana-ish versions of all everyone\u2019s favorite Christmas sing-along tunes and of course we\u2019re all invited to sing a long, and dance along, and drink along, and otherwise make yuletide cheer. Drums, stand-up bass, guitar, uke and violin along with a whole lot of loose harmonies belting out the \u201cjingle\u201d and \u201cmerry\u201d and \u201cho ho ho\u201d will be on hand. KLJ<\/strong> SISTER NANCY <\/strong>A pioneering figure in Jamaican dancehall, Sister Nancy came to prominence as the first major female artist in that field. She released a long succession of singles in the early 1980s and became even more prolific in the \u201990s and beyond. Primarily a singles artist, Sister Nancy has released comparatively few long players. But her influence is substantial: Her 1982 track \u201cBam Bam\u201d has been sampled in more than 150 songs by other artists including Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lauryn Hill. And \u201cBam Bam\u201d has long since taken on a life of its own, being reissued on 45s at least three times in 2025 alone. BK<\/strong><\/p>\n BEAN CREEK <\/strong>When Bean Creek founding member Peter Hicks passed away in 2022, the future of the local bluegrass outfit seemed uncertain. However, local musicians Henry and Ella Warde\u2014or as locals know them, Hank and Ella\u2014stepped up and helped usher the band into a new era of old-timey tunes. They have won the Best Band Award at the Northern California Bluegrass Awards four times and are consistently voted one of the Bay Area\u2019s bluegrass favorites. This Sunday for the mere price of $10 see the magic Billy Pitrone, Ella and Henry Warde, Rob Horgan and Sarah Eblen bring to the table. MW<\/strong><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.goodtimes.sc \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CELTIC TOMASEEN FOLEY\u2019S A CELTIC CHRISTMAS It\u2019s not exactly controversial to say that music is an artform best enjoyed live, but it\u2019s doubly true with Irish music. These stirring, whirling, lively tunes played on strings, both strummed and bowed, tin whistle flutes, and made even more rambunctious by the fast footwork of Irish dancers, offset […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2202418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[21792,22477],"class_list":["post-2202417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-live-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Music-Holiday-Shows-and-Arts-This-Week.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2202417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2202419,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202417\/revisions\/2202419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2202418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2202417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2202417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2202417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}