THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Today: Partly sunny, cold, hi 46, lo35

Saturday: Chance of rain, hi 42, lo 35

Sunday: Chance of more rain, hi 43, lo 38

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 17: HANDEL'S MESSIAH

Celebrate the coming of the Anointed One. No, not Bobble Tiki. We're talking about Handel's Messiah, returning to Tacoma via the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Friday. With guests like conductor Geoffrey Boers, soprano Denise Lees and the entire Tacoma Symphony Chorus (among others), this seasonal favorite seems sure to hit the mark. A "new slate of soloists" is promised ... only upping the excitement factor.

• St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7:30 p.m., $25, 7112 S. 12th St., Tacoma, 253.564.5185

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 18: RETRO SKATE NIGHT

Go old school in Puyallup Saturday at another Retro Skate Night at Tiffany's Skate Inn. Retro is all the rage these days, from Atari to tube socks, and Retro Skate Nights at Tiffany's - featuring tunes from the '70s, '80s and '90s - are probably better than both of those things. Get funky from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.

• Tiffany's Skate Inn, 7:30 - 10:30 p.m., $7, 113 N Meridian, Puyallup, 253.848.1153
  

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 19: ANNIVERSARY AT THE BROTHERHOOD IN OLY

Boom! It's the coolest bar in town (in a town filled with cool bars), and it's celebrating a birthday this Sunday. Party in style with Western Hymn, Morgan and The Organ Donors. As a way of saying thanks, this will be a free one -- but you've come to expect such things from the Broho and owner Pit Kwiecinski

• The Brotherhood, 9 p.m., free, 119 Capitol Way North, Olympia, 360.352.4153
  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

STEPH DEROSA Features Writer
My house looks like a huge piece of dinosaur shit, so there's a small possibility  I will give my poor, neglected family an early Christmas treat by picking up all my dirty underwear off the bathroom floor by Friday night.  Saturday will be a day of who the hell knows what.  It could consist of any number of things including (but not limited to) making cookies, laying in a hot tub, watching The Jerk for the 745th time, peeling an orange and leaving the skin out to dry because I'm too lazy to throw it away, and/or making a "to do" list that will inevitably take me two months to complete.  Sunday I work at 99 Bottles, and afterward I will be heading out to my other mom's house (Chiara Wood) for a much needed solstice celebration with my PIC Kate.

So, to summarize my weekend will include: race, pedagogy, beef, cheese and bacon.

RON SWARNER Publisher
Every year at this time I promise to act more like the Ebbey Scrooge after the graveyard scene — you know, dancing around in a nightshirt making merry, in keeping with the situation. So, I’ll give that a shot this weekend. I also plan on hitting the mountain with my board, heading to Zoolights, and busting out the Yamaha YRS-20BG Soprano Recorder at the annual family Winter Solstice celebration.

REV. ADAM MCKINNERY Features Writer
Friday, I'm off once again to the New Frontier to catch the Basemint, Shivas, and My Friend Wallis show. I have high hopes for this one, guys! Should be a fun time. Saturday, my mom is hosting an office Christmas party at her house. Thinking of checking that out. Drunk work friends! Fun!

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Beer. Party. Rock show. Dungeons & Dragons. Or, more specifically: impromptu Dogfish Head brewer's night at the Parkway on Thursday; chilling with the best jazz pianist to come out of PLU Friday; playing with the Deborah Page Extended Edition Band at the Stonegate Saturday; D&D with various local businessmen and luminaries Sunday. Probably other stuff, too, but you can't expect me to remember much more.

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent/Features Writer
My friend rented a cabin right outside of Mt. Hood, Oregon. Snowboarding, beers and possible broken body parts for Friday night and Saturday. Saturday night I'll drag my tired butt back up to Olympia to spend a night on the town with my recently back-from-college little brother. Finally, I know it's not the weekend, but: Monday night Rockaroake at Jazzbones.  

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
I'm moving in a new roommate, wishing the Frenchman a happy birthday at the Java Jive and then going to dinner and a dance Friday. Doing yoga Saturday morning followed by absolutely nothing while maxing and relaxing on the couch with the heat on high that evening. Sunday after church I'll attend a beloved friend's annual Solstice Party and then go to bed early in preparation for getting my ever-shrinking you-know-what handed to me at 5 a.m. boot camp at Elev8 Fitness on Monday.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Friday night has something planned but I'm so sleep deprived  I have no idea what it is. Saturday is dedicated to all things Christmas. I'm playing music at Urban Grace on Sunday and enjoying the finest decaf, non-dairy latte that Satellite has to offer. Sunday afternoon will most likely involve wishing for a nap but entertaining a wide-awake 4 month old instead. You know you want my life.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I will be in Vegas with my girlfriend, doing indefensible things of a tawdry and debaucherous nature in the vicinity of buffets.  Or, if her parents are reading this, ministering to the spiritually needy.

MATT DRISCOLL  Editor (the guy to blame)
There's still holiday shopping to do, so the wife and I will no doubt be tackling some of it Saturday. I also need a haircut, meaning a trip to Jay's Hair Den on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma is likely in my future. (That's right, when I need a haircut I go to a goddamn Hair Den!) Sunday will either be a great day or one of the crappiest in a while - and I'll know which way it's going to go early. I'm talking fantasy football playoffs here, it all comes down to this -- and seven of my nine players are involved in morning games. If things go awry, it could be a long day for my family ...

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
 Going to see the new show at Mineral and Harlequin Productions' A Stardust Christmas Carol.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound