THURSDAY, DEC. 19 2013 >>>

1. Other, non-North American English-speaking countries know the play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by an alternate title: The Worst Kids In The World. That should tell you about the quality of the characters in question, and the odds that the title would actually come true. The Herdman clan will be on hand to teach you all about the true spirit of Christmas by lying, cheating, stealing, smoking and other wholesome endeavors at 7 p.m. in the Tacoma Youth Theatre. It's a feel-good season of joy for everyone. Or something.

2. Garfield Book Company is hosting an open holiday party today. From 2-6 p.m., attendees may enjoy refreshments, raffles, door prizes, giveaways and more. Chef/owner John Sundstrom of Lark restaurant in Seattle, as well as an author of Northwest recipes, will host a cooking demonstration from 3-4 p.m. Steve Roberts, author of Wine Trails NW, will host wine tastings accompanied by his book signing. This event is free to attend.

3. Break out the silver bells, South Sounders near and far. It's Christmas time in the city. Of course, downtown Tacoma has had you covered for all your holiday adventures all December long; however, tonight, precious hours before the BIG day, wouldn't it be cool to don your elfish grins and bring your last-minute holiday shopping and wish lists and pop on downtown for a variety of fun, shopping, great eats and drinks and holiday cheer? It's your pick(s) of fun: Art Mingle Thursday (tacomaartgroup.org), where the Tacoma Art Museum and other awesome local art venues open their holiday doors to welcome you from 5-8 p.m. Hop aboard the December Art Bus (tacomaartbus.com) at 6 p.m. for some mobile holiday goodness, treats and guest host Rudolph. Finally, if you are feeling adventurous, join friends for a skate off at Polar Plaza. Holiday perfection, if you ask us.

4. Weekly Volcano music critic Rev. Adam McKinney says there are vocal similarities between Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. The Rev. says, "Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's (though, of course, no one can truly touch Jeff Buckley, vocally), is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. It quivers with feeling, though it might be noted that Lindsay's voice often comes across as more lost, searching, which adds a nice element to what is largely music that errs toward modern rock, with some detours to friendly mixers like R&B and folk." See for yourself over a beer or three at 6 p.m. when Lindsay joins Jorge Olmos, Christopher Ward and Thene Singleton for an 8 p.m. show at Metronome Coffee.

5. Besides being all fancy, the Hotel Murano is dang smart. It knows a good thing when it hears it. The Kareem Kandi Band is back to fill the lobby with jazz from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area