SATURDAY, DEC. 11, 2010 >>>

1. Does prolonged exposure to tinsel in public spaces make you want to go postal?  Stop, take a deep breath, and put down the candy cane you've just sharpened into a vampire-slaying stake. You are not alone.  When the holiday bears down on us like a giant sack of toys, we turn to The Nutcracker. Tacoma City Ballet, in concert with The Northwest Sinfonietta, presents the story of Clara and The Nutcracker at 1 and 5 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater.

2. Make no mistake, we love Christmas music. Heck, our Partridge Family Christmas album practically has holes in it from excessive repeated playing. Trust us when we tell you that you don't know the true meaning of Christmas until you've heard Shirley Jones and David Cassidy's duet on "Winter Wonderland." That's why we'll hang out at the Museum of Glass, check out the Glimmering Gone exhibit, and enjoy the sounds of the season performed by the piano students of Paul Twedt at 1 and 3 p.m.

3. Zak Morgan will bring his kids-centric shtick to the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts' Theatre on the Square at 3 p.m. today and tomorrow. Morgan's work is Grammy-nominated and described as sophisticated, heavy on the witty wordplay and full of lessons. That's exactly what kids today need ... so they don't end up like us.

4. Take a step back in time to see how soldiers and ladies celebrated the holidays when Washington state was young and the land was wild. Lakewood's Historic Fort Steilacoom will host its annual Christmas at the Fort from 4-7:30 p.m. as a way to show families how people danced, talked and celebrated the holidays more than 100 years ago.

5. The Firwood Rock Lounge in downtown Tacoma will host a Toy and Clothing Drive Show with Restruct, Under Sin, From The Sea, Red Abbey, Corson Swift beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Wine tastings today

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound