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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Clear and cold, hi 45, lo 30

Saturday: Mostly sunny, hi 43, lo 34

Sunday: Partly cloudy, hi 43, lo 32

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 2: TUSH! Burlesque Holiday Soiree & Calendar Release Party

The performers of the Olympia-based TUSH! burlesque troupe are simply dazzling. And they also know how to put on one hell of an event. For these reasons and plenty of others Friday's TUSH! Burlesque Holiday Soiree and Calendar Release Party will almost certainly be nothing short of spectacular. Pre-event hype promises, "[a] glitzy, glittering, glamorous evening of delight awaits you; let TUSH! enchant you as only they can!" It's also your first chance to buy the 2012 TUSH! calendar, an opportunity to dine on the provided appetizers and sweets and an opening for you to get your dance on with DJ Ira Coyne. Hell yes.

• The Washington Center-Black Box Theatre, 8 p.m., 18+, cash bar with ID, $10 plus $3 service fee, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8585

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 3: RAVENNA WOODS

According to the hype, on Saturday night "The Space is going to be filled with so much fun and excitement you will be unable to contain it. You might even dance!" How's that for a promise? And there's good reason to believe it, with a bill that includes local favorites Not From Brooklyn, Moonjuice and headliner Ravenna Woods. Celebrated in indie circles for a percussion driven approach to the hipster folky shit that's considerably more gray and foreboding than the overpopulated genre usually allows, Ravenna Woods - while orbiting many contemporary indie clichés - offers the kind of creativity and originality that keeps live music interesting. Saturday's show at the Space is the first in a string of fundraising events for the non-profit all-ages venue, according proprietor Athena Hitson. Don't miss this show. 

• The Space, with Not From Brooklyn, Moonjuice, 8:30 p.m., all ages, $8, 729 Court C, Tacoma, thespace729@gmail.com

>>> SUNDAY, DEC.4: SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

Fight as you may, it's officially "the season." Kids are already sitting on various Santa laps at malls across the country, and A Christmas Story is probably already re-running on TBS. The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra will spend Sunday at the Pantages Theater with the Tacoma Youth Chorus, jaw-dropping vocalist Stephanie Porter and singer and trumpeter Jake Bergevin and doling out beloved seasonal music, probably a few familiar classics and a maxed-out credit card full of sing-along enjoyment for the whole family.

• Pantages Theater, 2:30 p.m., $24-$77, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 4: FRIENDS OF THE HOLIDAYS

They're still going strong, and still swarming The Swiss to do good, get loaded, auction and raffle stuff off, and enjoy the spirit of the season in Tacoma. The Friends of the Holidays benefit is Sunday at The Swiss, and the T-Town institution shouldn't disappoint: Linda Meyers Band, Kathi McDonald, Fingertips, Mojo Overload, Junkyard Jane and James King & the Southsiders will all be doing their part to help provide meal support for low-income families during the December holiday season.

• The Swiss, 3-10:30 p.m., $10 donation, 1904 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 4: A FIRE FOR WINTER'S EVE - LIVE PAINTING WORKSHOP FOR FAMILIES

Despite what you've been told by Joe Capitalism, the holidays are really about spending time with your family and loved ones. We promise. Start Sunday, with the little ones, as the Tacoma Main Library hosts "A Fire for Winter's Eve" - described as a live painting workshop for families. Designed for children 3-8 years old and their families, Sunday's event will be heavy on the storytelling and the art, promising a chance for kids and their families to, "circle around our fire as snowflakes fall and stories are shared of adventures taking place deep in the winter's snow." The hype also says, "[c]hildren will create an art project based on our wintry theme that are perfect to give as a gift to someone they love. Children will also be invited to create cards that will be given to residents in an adult living facility." This is what it's all about.

• Tacoma Main Library - Olympic Room, 2 p.m., free, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253.591.5666

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO 

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
Saturday I'm going to meet the wonderful and sexy Josh Anderson and the sexy and wonderful Christina Collins and pick their brains about Saul Tannenbaum's "Claus for Celebration," and Sunday I'm going to the SAGE Olympia monthly brunch.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This is going to be the best weekend ever! My biggest little one is turning six, it's the Brotherhood Christmas party - which means a private restaurant, lots of vino and hilarious Secret Santa exchanges. And in the midst of all these festivities, I'm buffing up my word play skills in preparation for my final audition for the Wheel of Fortune on Wednesday! Yay!

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
After a loooong week at work I plan on resting and hanging with my husband and little son. We may go pick out our Christmas tree from 25Trees, but taking the tree on the light rail and then dragging it up Mckinley hill (on a sled) has been vetoed by my husband (who I may or may not have called a Scrooge for nixing my awesome plan).

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Well, my birthday party benefit concert at Jazzbones on Friday will take up much of my weekend energy, but I will likely be working in the yard at St. Mary's Church and School Saturday morning and then go to A Christmas Carol at Tacoma Little Theatre that night. Sunday will bring church and the Tacoma Youth Chorus concert with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra at the Pantages.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food & Lifestyle Writer
Friday evening at Jazzbones for birthday bash of Steve Dunkelberger, Tacoma’s very own Ladies’ Wing Man. Saturday morning hot yoga, homework, holiday choral concert in Olympia. Sunday church service, potluck dinner, Festival of the Nativity.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I have the honor of playing The Old Man in Olympia Family Theater's production of A Christmas Story, opening Friday night with matinees Saturday and Sunday. Nottafinga!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: The weekend's freebies