Compiled by Katrina Langer
Only a few more shopping (local) days left until Christmas!
In between last-minute buying and wrapping, you will find plenty of festive pursuits in Greater Morristown this weekend.
You can hear the Christmas Singers and Messiah, see The Nutcracker and visit Santa on the Green. Or you can buy Santa a drink at the annual Santa Pub Crawl–there will be plenty of Clauses to choose from.
And who can resist a Merry Tuba Christmas? We certainly can’t!
If you’re in a Bah Humbug mood, skip the whole Yuletide thing and try a Winter Solstice celebration. No gifts are exchanged, and any turkeys consumed are free-range, organic and died of natural causes.
Don’t forget to buy your tickets for First Night Morris, a New Year’s Eve second to none. For more holiday treats, check our handy calendar.
To everyone in Morristown Green Land, a very Merry Christmas!
THURSDAY, DEC. 20, 2012:
Music At Noon, the concert series sponsored by Music At Morristown United Methodist Church, continues its 33rd season with a concert featuring The Christmas Singers, featuring June Van Thoen, Patricia Ruggles, Darren O’Neill, and Wayne Walter. The quarter is accompanied by Anita Gordon on the piano. A light lunch will be available for purchase before or after the concert (11:30 am through 1:30 pm); it costs $7 for adults and $6 for seniors and students. December concerts are free as a gift to the community. Free childcare also is available during the show. The church is at 50 Park Place. Call 973-538-2132 for more info.
The New Jersey Ballet’s run of The Nutcracker at the Mayo Performing Arts Center continues with a string of performances through Christmas Eve. For ages 4 and above. Tickets are $25-59. At 100 South St. in Morristown. Call 973-539-8008 or check the Mayo website for show times.
FRIDAY, DEC. 21:
The tuneup for the 2013 First Night Battle of the Bands continues, with four bands lined up for the Morristown Deli at 7 Elm St. The band ELI leads off at 4:45 pm, followed at 5:40 pm by the Angry Politicians. Rachael Clinton & Becca Johnson are next at 6:35 pm, and Room 4 Three rounds out the entertainment at 7:20 pm. Videos of each band will be posted here, and shortly you will be able to vote for your favorites, who will perform at First Night Morris on New Year’s Eve.
It’s just like any other holiday office party–except the office is a garden, and the holiday is the winter solstice. Grow It Green Morristown will hold its third annual Winter Solstice Celebration in the Community Garden on Early Street at 7 pm. All are invited. The idea is to mark the longest night of the year by celebrating the return of the sun–going forward, days will get longer. Toss your regrets (scribbled on paper) into a bonfire to start anew. Learn folklore from solstices of old. Enjoy cider, snacks, and music. Bonus: It’s free.
SATURDAY, DEC. 22:
A Merry Tuba Christmas arrives at the Morristown Green at 2 pm, when the historic square will transform into a festive sea of tubas and euphonia. Tuba Christmas started in Rockefeller Center in 1874 as a tribute from Harvey Phillips to his late tuba teacher, the legendary William J. Bell, and since then has spread to more than 250 places around the world — including Morristown. Performers should plan to register at noon at Morristown High School; a rehearsal will follow. It’s $5 to play, $20 if you require sheet music. Tuba players from middle school through adults are welcome. The sing-along is free to the public on the Green.
It’s the final weekend of the Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green. The itinerary:
- Noon – 3 pm & 4 pm – 7 pm – Santa Visits & Photos
- 1 pm – 7 pm – Electric Train Rides
- 2 pm – Ice Sculpting Demonstration
- 2pm – ‘Tuba Christmas’ Musical Performance
- 2 pm – 4 pm – WDHA/WMTR Radio Activity
Santa-mania comes to town at 6 pm with the seventh annual Santa Pub Crawl. Hundreds–maybe thousands–of revelers dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus will make the rounds, starting at Sona Thirteen. In addition to raising a glass, everyone will be raising money for Hurricane Sandy relief. Call it Claus for a Cause.
The Masterwork Chorus performs Handel’s Messiah for the 249th time at 8 pm at the Concert Hall in the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University in Madison. Andrew Megill conducts the 100-voice chorus, orchestra and soloists. Admission is $52. The chorus also will perform a Sunday matinee at Carnegie Hall.
SUNDAY, DEC. 23:
Hard to believe, but today is the last day for the Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green:
- Noon – 3pm & 4 pm – 7 pm – Santa Visits & Photos
- 1 pm – 7 pm – Electric Train Rides
- 2 pm – Ice Sculpting Demonstration
Morristown’s Sunday Night Portrait Drawing Sessions have returned to ArtSpace at 14 Elm St. Sessions run from 6 pm to 9 pm and feature live models and camaraderie for $10.
Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.
