FRIDAY, DEC. 16, 2011 >>>

1. You can hate on the holidays all you want, but there's no denying they bring a wealth of artful yearly traditions. Tacoma Symphony Chorus' take on "Messiah" in St. Charles Borromeo Church fits this bill. As pre-event hype of tonight's event acknowledges, "Chorus Director Geoffrey Boers always brings a fresh take to Handel's beloved work," and there's no reason to expect this year to be any different. Four vocal soloists - soprano Denise Lees, mezzo-soprano Melissa Plagemann, tenor James Brown and Benjamin Harris - will join Tacoma Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, creating an event that's almost to put the whole family in the spirit. Find more info here.

2. Check out the 'Tis The Season Holiday Benefit Show this afternoon at the Mandolin Café in Tacoma, featuring an awesome collection of musical talent: James Coates, Gina Belliveau, Kurt Lindsay, Nick Sandy, Denny Foreman and Megan Biegalski. The fun is all ages and kicks off at 6 p.m.

3. Have you been to the Crystal Saloon in Enumclaw yet? To be honest, neither have we. But, if anything is going to intrigue us into going it might be DJ Dirty White, who - according to hype - will be spinning rock, hip-hop, top 40 and dance hits all night long. We repeat: DJ Dirty White is in Enumclaw tonight at the Crystal Saloon. That is all.

4. It's a good night for comedy in Tacoma as comedian Andy Woodhull is at the Tacoma Comedy Club and Harold Gomez is at the Grit City Comedy Club.

5. Throw up your devil horns and pound a few beers with I Defy tonight at Hell's Kitchen.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight