SUNDAY, DEC. 9 2012 >>>

1. A brooding, mysterious godfather, a broken-jawed wooden soldier that comes to life and a murderous Mouse King all converge once again to remind us The Nutcracker story may be the most hair-raising Christmas favorite for the whole family the world has ever known. The Tacoma City Ballet is set apart as the sole production in the area to follow the story, scenic design, costuming and choreography as it was originally created by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov accompanied by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's captivating score, thanks to the Northwest Sinfonietta. Whether the Mouse King has seven heads (like the beast of Revelation), three heads (like Cerberus, dog-guardian of Hades) or only one (like a normal mouse king), this dark-edged dream promises to leave kids and sensitive adults as speechless as the bounding, pirouetting athletes on stage. It hits the Pantages Theater's stage at 3 p.m.

2. Conversation Tacoma hosts another, er, conversation today. The Conversation agenda will feature a viewing of the movie Unnatural Causes, followed by a conversation about how one's position in society affects health at noon inside the Urban League of Tacoma.

3. A few days before Halloween Tacoma artist Euphoria Marie Sorensen was struck by a truck while walking on the 200 block of North G Street. She's still in the hospital with severe injuries, with recovery updates posted at gofundme.com. Thousands of you pass through Tacoma and have never had the pleasure of meeting Sorensen, but there's a select several hundred who know this mother well. Many of those folks have put together a benefit concert to help pay for her medical costs. From 4-11 p.m., an benefit auction will be held at The New Frontier Lounge, while A Leaf, Death By Stars, Looking For Lizards, Deborah Page and DJ Melodica entertain.

4. The moths are on to something. Lights are awesome. Especially holiday lights. Make today the day you check out Zoolights and Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions.

5. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club will host a Quentin Tarantino nightvisiting some of his more obviously "inspiring works" at 7 p.m. inside The Acme Grub Cage. The night of free movies, shorts, trailers and wackiness includes a raffle. Just in case there's trivia, the F-bomb gets uttered 252 times in Reservoir Dogs.

PLUS: Let It Snow Community Festival and No God, No Master film in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area