It’s that time of year again, you’re stuffing stockings to hang by the chimney with care, the chimney is actually smoking from all the money you just burned stuffing the stockings. You’ve just ate your thirty-seventh cookie, and you’re on your last bottle of wine. So why don’t you just get out of the house.

This city takes two things very seriously, its love of music, and its love of Christmas. So it’s no wonder that there are a plethora of Christmas shows in every genre that might interest you. Here’s a selection that Santa told me are on his Nice List this year.

  1. DECEMBER 10-12. On the first night of Christmas MightyPop gave to us, Fortunate Ones at Cochrane Street United Church. Tickets are still available for the night of December 12th – while the 10th and 11th are filled like your stomach will be after the Christmas turkey dinner your mom is making. Fortunate Ones are bringing us some sweet pop-folk tunes, and I’m sure a scattered Christmas song may be sung.
  2. DECEMBER 12. The second night of Christmas you won’t just be rocking around the Christmas tree, you’ll be at Rocket, where you can sip hot chocolate and listen to Rough Hands, Meghan Waterman, and Ryan Caines. Rough Hands, aka Luke Tremblett, is an up-and-comer indie, alt-rock artist not to be missed.
  3. DECEMBER 16-18. Can you hear those sleigh bells ringing and thousands singing along to every word of every Hey Rosetta! song? This year the traditional Hey Rosetta! Christmas show has made a move back to (oh) Holy (night) Heart Theatre. Tickets are still available for the December 16th show. Kat McLevey is opening.
  4. DECEMBER 19.This year the frankincense and myrrh are getting a little Green with their Gold. Green and Gold, along with Allie Duff and The Happy Campers, and Steve Maloney and The Wandering Kind will be at The Rockhouse on December 19th. This is the biggest treat you’ll get not wrapped in a bow!
  5. DECEMBER 21. Get down to Deck the Hall because Matthew Byrne will at the LSPU on December 21st. He’ll be fa la la la la-ing with Stage to Stage’s Dave Paddon, Harry Ingram, Dave Penny and Hubert Furey.
  6. DECEMBER 23. A special treat on Tibbs Eve: Santa made an early delivery, in the form of two Borealis Music Prize shortlistees, Kat McLevey and Fog Lake, who will be performing with AE Bridger at the George Street United Church (they’d like you to bring a non-perishable food item). Later on, you can jingle all the way over toThe Fat Cat for The Long Distance Runners and City on the Coast.
  7. DECEMEBER 26. Boxing Night, many of you already know what to do, because it’s a long standing tradition. Mark Bragg will be playing The Ship, get up and get out and dance off all that turkey you’ve been stuffing yourself with for the last two days. And if you want to dance, but Mark isn’t your vibe, Yung Dumb will be more fun than staring at your Christmas Tree on LSD, featuring Adam Harding, Taner Churchill, Denver Drake, Zach Nash, Potemtole, and Worker.
  8. DECEMBER 27. Lean your ear this way, because Jolly ol’ Slick Nixon will be home to play, and joined by Gramercy Riffs who will be hanging in their hometown for the holidays. They left in 2010 for Toronto. You can catch both of these relocated local bands on December 27th at The Ship.
  9. DECEMBER 27 & 28. It’s our ninth night of Christmas and Mightypop are bringing us ten lords-a-leaping – well not really but the jig you’re going to do to The Dardanelles is not unlike that. You can catch The Dards at The Bellavista December 28th, with Kat McLevey.
  10. December 30th. If last Christmas you gave someone your heart you might be looking for some bridesmaids this year, I hear AE Bridger has them. AE Bridger + Bridesmaids, Pet Vet, and Kujo will be at The Rockhouse on December 30th.
  11. DECEMBER 31. They might not have made it home for Christmas, but they made it here for New Year’s Night: The Burning Hell will be in town to ring in the new year, joined by the Wobbly Pops at The Ship. Is there really a better way to start the year?
  12. JANUARY 2-3. And one last Christmas treat from Mightypop to start your year off right: The Once will be at Gower Street United Church, two of the three shows on January 2nd and 3rd are sold out, but there are still some seats available for the matinee on the 3rd.