You weren't the only one lit last night in honor of the Seahawk's 27-9 win over the Rams yesterday, thus clinching the NFC West Division title. A huge tree strung with lights in Seahawks' blue and green lit up the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium plaza entrance at Zoolights. And the tree is topped with a large lighted "12" in honor of the 12th Man, the term representing the team's loyal and exuberant fans - meaning you.

The team colors on the tree are just some of the more than half a million lights decorating the zoo for the holiday season. And the show continues into 2014. Zoolights is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5, except Jan. 1. Tickets are available online at www.pdza.org and at the Customer Service counters in Puget Sound-area Fred Meyer stores for $7.50 per person.

MONDAY, DEC. 30 2013 >>>

1. Our ears perked up and our stomachs flipped a little when we heard the phrase "ultra cool spy themes." It sounds dangerous and sexy. Blues, that most American of musical forms, will receive a dose of spy music, as well as surf tones, at The Swiss' Monday Blues Night at 8 p.m. Seattle guitarist and singer Chris Stevens will fill the downtown Tacoma watering hole with electric blues lines via a big Gibson archtop. Taking their unusual name from a song title by legendary blues guitarist Freddy King, Stevens' back band, the Surf Monkeys, keep a firm footing in the blues while stretching the boundaries with "ultra cool spy themes," reverb drenched surf twang and Chris' own "blues on the edge of jazz" originals.

2. Whether you want to channel your inner Winter Olympics sports nerd, capture the magic of the season in a vibrant urban venue or just have a wintery and sporty adventure, break out the ice skates, people, because the Franciscan Polar Plaza, in partnership with the Tacoma Art Museum, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bring family and friends to Tacoma's holiday ice rink for holiday fun and a good time right in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

3. Make Monday the day you check out Zoolights or Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions. Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offers a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lightsin Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m. 

4. Get out your dancing shoes and join in the whimsy of a country western shuffle dance from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Olympia Elks Lodge, hosted by the Evergreen Country Dancers. What is a shuffle, you say? It's the country western version of polka - the primary difference being that the style of shuffle is less hoppy than the polka. The basic step consists of a triple to the left followed by a triple to the right.  The shuffle is sometimes called double two-step or traveling swing, for it also uses components of two-step and the popular East Coast swing. This makes shuffle a very versatile dance, allowing a mix and match of patterns, which can result in some exciting variations - and there's nothing wrong with that.

5. It's a quiet Monday before New Year's Eve in Tacoma, but inside The New Frontier Lounge, the night is cooking. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. host the city's Monday jazz jam inviting talent to sit in as the house trio explores straight ahead, funk and space beginning at 8 p.m. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that could draw the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd. Ask any working jazz musician, and the hang is what it's all about. Be a part of history.

LINK: Monday, Dec. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, DEC. 29 2013 >>>

1. "The first thing I saw was my drums, although I didn't recognize them," said Tacoma musician Dean Tsapralis, also known as "Dean the Dreamweaver," after he opened his storage unit door in September. Tsapralis' life-long collection of musical instruments from around the world, along with many personal belongings, was below 9 feet of mud and water. "I was devastated," said Tsapralis. For the past three months he has worked hard to salvage what he can. This process and the consequent loss of work have left him both physically and financially drained. As Tacoma does, a benefit concert will be held at Benefit Central, also known as The Swiss, beginning at 3 p.m. featuring Dakota Bob, Tatoosh, Jerry Miller, Tim Hall, Steve Cooley, Spin Cycle and a 9 p.m. open jam.

2. The film Inside Llewyn Davis showcases a week in the life of its titular character. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is a down-and-out folk singer struggling to find fame and fortune, or maybe just earn a living, in 1961 New York. Despite enjoying a small degree of success early in his career, things aren't going well for Llewyn when we meet him. Mike (sung by Marcus Mumford), Llewyn's musical partner, committed suicide some time before the film's opening. Llewyn, unable to find solo success, is reduced to playing sleazy juke joints and couch-surfing amongst a rotating roster of friends and vague acquaintances. Catch the film at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:25, 6:45 and 9:05 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. Make Sunday the day you check out Zoolights or Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions. Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offers a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m.

4. Let's be honest. You love The Spar. You love drinking beer. And you love rockin' blues. Do yourself a favor and check out the twangy and bluesy rock of Billy Stoops & the Rectifiers at 7 p.m. in The Spar. You love Stoops in Junkyard Jane. You love him every Thursday at the Stonegate. You just love him.

5. At 8 p.m. the Tacoma Comedy Club hosts Jay Hollingsworth's True Comedy Show. Immediately following each comedian's act, Hollingsworth will probe comics Duane Goad, Rodger Lizaola and Aaron Kirb ywith questions to reveal what's true and what's fiction in their material.

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, DEC. 28 2013 >>>

1. Imagine soulful music of yesterday being forcibly pumped out of Janis Joplin's larynx and then lathered with the silkiest velvet, and you've a pretty good idea of the kind of groove Kim Archer can make. Archer has a strong, emotional voice, a robust musical sense and a willingness to work outside the tightly proscribed boundaries of the genre. Tonight, from 7-9 p.m. you may ice skate to Archer's heavy soul and groove when she performs at the Weekly Volcano's Electric Salchow Stage inside the ice rink at the Franciscan Polar Plaza in downtown Tacoma. Bonus: Archer will play several tunes off her new children's album, Music From Planet Cool. 

2. There are some hobbies better kept quiet. You know, the ones you do alone in your basement late at night. And then there are some truly cool hobbies, like model railroads. These should be celebrated and dragged out in the open for all to admire - which is why the Model Train Festival, downtown Tacoma's biggest model railroad exposition (taking into account, of course, the relatively small size of the subjects at hand because they are, of course, models) has a 10-day run. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy every floor of the Washington State History Museum filled with operating modular layouts. And, remember to look both ways before crossing, and keep your pennies to yourself.

In the weeks leading up to local singer-songwriter Stephanie Anne Johnson's appearance on The Voice, word had spread through the rumor mill that she had auditioned for the show. Instantly, the situation was reminiscent of when Tacoma's own Vicci Martinez had her stint on the singing competition. Johnson, like Martinez, was about to embark on an absurd journey through the twists and turns of reality competition television - a hallowed realm of heightened verisimilitude where people's lives are stories and their voices are sung dialogue. Ultimately, Johnson made it to the top 20, and into the first week of the public voting on who leaves and who stays. It was on her final night that she busted out a fantastic version of "Georgia on my Mind," but it seems as though it was just too late. The following Thursday, Johnson was voted off of The Voice. Before catching her show at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones, read Rev. Adam McKinney's full interview with Stephanie Anne Johnson in the Music & Culture section.

It's the Saturday before New Year's Eve, and conventional thinking has it that you're going to sit home and go out Tuesday to trip the night fantastic. But maybe you're not. Maybe you subscribe to the New-Year's-Eve-as-amateur-night theory. Maybe you're the type who is thinking "Hey, let's do something tonight" and stay in and cuddle Tuesday away from the madding crowds. Tonight would in fact be a good time to take in the "Almost 2014 Masquerade Ball" at 8 p.m. in The Social Bar & Grill. DJ Midnight will supply the beats while you swirl around this modern dining spot, tossing back Latin fusion delights and $4 Svedka vodka drinks all masked up like Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut. Parties are more fun behind a mask.

5. The Acme Tavern hosts the Bronco Buddies Rosie Fanny Day at 9 p.m. OK, we made up the title. It makes sense, though. At the root of the Acme's show is Blanco Bronco's record release - their first full-length release, on 12-inch vinyl. The trio from Hilltop Tacoma incorporates punk, new wave and '90s indie rock into their sound. Also on this bill at the ... Acme Furry Face Cheex Blanco ExtravaKwanzaa? (OK, maybe not) ... at the show will be the Broncos' bandmates from last summer's Music & Art in Wright Park - the Furry Buddies. Finally, two of the Gritty City Sirens burlesque members, Rosie Cheex and Funny Face Fanny, will be performing too. See, our titles make sense.

LINK: Saturday, Dec. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, DEC. 26 2013 >>>

1. Nine fortnights and four days ago the Karpeles Manuscript Library brought forth in this city documents, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men (and women) should come see them. We are now engaged in a great holiday war, testing whether we, or anyone, can endure long enough through this holiday to visit the Karpeles before "The Final Days of the American Civil War" exhibit closes. We have come to dedicate a portion of the Karpeles Manuscript Library as a final resting place (at least until Dec. 30) for these Civil War documents about those who gave their lives that this museum might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot duplicate, we cannot regurgitate, we cannot own these documents. They are collected here, far above our poor power to add or detract. Or do any other kind of math to. The world will little note, nor remember what we said here - unless they go to the Internet version, which'll be around forever. But these documents won't. They're gone Saturday. So go forth and view them from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Karpeles Manuscript Library.

2. Tonight marks the 200th running of the Tacoma Runners. The group will depart from the Harmon Tap Room at 6:30 p.m. The routine is the same every Thursday - run 3 easy miles on simple-ish routes with a sprinkling of hills and stairs (sometimes), followed by good times back at the bar after the run. This group has been running and growing like crazy over the last nearly four years. Join them for a run and the celebration.

3. Sated? Maybe it's time to dig out from under the spent wrapping paper, tinsel and ham to spend a few moments in reflection. In the meantime, here's Christian Doyle doing Frank Sinatra and a beat poet. Here's Amy Shephard in a clown suit and roller skates, like ya do. Maggie Lofquist has a lovely alto singing voice, which sounds great with Shephard's. Mark Alford pulls off a fabulous Elvis but overacts manically throughout the show. The music's executed with polish and conviction. It's The Stardust Christmas Blizzard at 8 p.m. at Harlequin Productions. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of The Stardust Christmas Blizzard in the Music & Culture section.

4. Christmas might be over, but good ol' Saint Nick's got one more present for all you country music fans. Steel Creek in downtown Tacoma presents "Saint Nick's Last Gift" featuring free line dance lessons starting at 8 p.m. plus free cover and free bull rides all night long. And to make the party a little merrier, Steel Creek's little country elves will be pouring $3 Fireball Whiskeys starting at 9 p.m. Yeehaw! 

5. Every Thursday night at 9 p.m. in Puget Sound Pizza, the Volcano's music critic Rev. Adam McKinney hosts a karaoke session showcasing a Tarantino-like mix of downtown denizens seriously singing Bill Withers and glasses-wearing gals squawking out punk rawk, plus appearances by local rock stars. 

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25 2013 >>>

1. There's nothing worse than awakening from a long winter's nap, rolling out of bed and discovering it's Christmas morning - and not a creature is stirring his coffee, not even your favorite coffee house. But you'd better not cry, and you don't need to pout, because Spanaway Park has zapped 12 million watts of power to its lights. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood.

2. Whether you want to channel your inner Winter Olympics sports nerd, capture the magic of the season in a vibrant urban venue or just have a wintery and sporty adventure, break out the ice skates, people, because the Franciscan Polar Plaza, in partnership with the Tacoma Art Museum, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bring family and friends to Tacoma's holiday ice rink for holiday fun and a good time right in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

3. Have your kids - ham-stoked and spinning amok with sugarplums, Barbie dolls and Yu-Gi-Oh! action figures - drilled a hole through the roof yet? There's a reason they switch on the holiday light exhibits Christmas night, so why not take advantage of the thoughtful gesture? Lights on from 5-9 p.m. at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. 

4. If "attending more cultural events" is on your list of 2014 resolutions, why not kick it off a bit early. Temple Beth Hatfiloh and the Olympia Film Society present Hava Nagila (The Movie), a documentary about the song played at millions of Jewish weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs every year. (We trust the filmmakers delve into hard-hitting statistics about how many injuries occur during the chair-hoisting hora dance.) So quit kvetching and get to it at 7 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

5. Olympia drummer Jerry Zeigler will be playing his annual Merry Fitz-mas show at McCoy's with Fitz of Depression raging two sets beginning at 10 p.m. Never seen Fitz play? Well, expect to get ripped a new one. The band seriously tears into the nether-regions and squiggle their reverb around, getting all deep and fast and punk rock. Also, this is a good time to see Zeigler turn into a full-fledged octopus on the drums. Enjoy.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Wednesday, Dec. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Over the course of his trilogy of books filled with fake trivia (The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All), John Hodgman posited a theory that the world is made up of jock culture and nerd culture, and that everything more or less fell within those boundaries. If this is true, then it must be said that New Year's Eve is the jockiest of all holidays, and therefore difficult on which to base a nerd column.

Longtime readers may be aware of my general disdain for New Year's Eve, but I've only recently begun to think of it as a jock holiday. This is to say, New Year's Eve is essentially a sparklier St. Patrick's Day. It is a night given over to amateurish drinking and buffoonery, couched in some faux-melancholy hogwash about the shedding of the old year and the birth of a new one. Is it any wonder that most New Year's resolutions tend toward the athletic (running marathons, losing weight, quitting smoking or drinking [get off my back!], etc.)?

Do celebrate your jockiest of holidays. But, as you do, raise a glass for the nerdiest of holidays: Groundhog Day.

Saturday, Dec. 28: The Bobs 2013 Holiday Concert

If you're seeking something profoundly nerdy to enjoy over the holidays, you may now cease your seeking! The Bobs have spent 30 years as the blessed pinnacle of nerd-dom. Combining a capella, comedy music, and pop cultural and historical references, the Bobs cover all four quadrants of nerd culture. Their press release describes them as "a musical equivalent of a Gary Larsen drawing," which I know just made several nerds' hearts flutter.

The Bobs' most recent release is called Biographies and, just like the name suggests, it features songs about historical figures both real and not quite real. Their Andy Kaufman ode ("Andy Always Dreamed of Wrestling") is silly and heartfelt in equal measure. Elsewhere, "Clarence Birdseye Flash Frozen Fish" is half commercial/half exploration of why flash freezing makes fish taste so darn good. It's eccentric writing that calls to mind They Might Be Giants and the Dead Milkmen, with harmonies and inventive vocals to make them stand out from the rabble. Their holiday show is not one to miss.

THE BOBS HOLIDAY CONCERT, 8 p.m., Morso Wine Bar, 9014 Peacock Hill Ave, Gig Harbor, $25, 253.530.3463

See Also

Judging by the Trailer

TUESDAY, DEC. 24 2013 >>>

1. Christmas in Las Vegas. It has a nice ring to it - the most unholy city in the world on the holiest holiday. What's a Vegas kinda Xmas all about? There will be a long line for $1.59 pork sandwiches. I'm sure you could expect ringing jackpots and clanking coins as the sounds of Xmas. It's also hella expensive. If you'd still like to get your Christmas on with a tub of nickels in hand, shrimp cocktails and cheap Heinekens, may we suggest the Red Wind Casino. Crooner Chris Anderson will be in the house. Expect to hear many great holiday standards by singers from Frank Sinatra to Bobby Darin. Anderson hails from Eatonville, and is in his 20s, but has a voice and style that come straight out of another era. And there isn't a cover charge.

2. Whether you want to channel your inner Winter Olympics sports nerd, capture the magic of the season in a vibrant urban venue or just have a wintery and sporty adventure, break out the ice skates, people, because the Franciscan Polar Plaza, in partnership with the Tacoma Art Museum, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bring family and friends to Tacoma's holiday ice rink for holiday fun and a good time right in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

3. See the ultimate sad sack Charlie Brown and his sad sack little Christmas tree find the holiday spirit in the Christmas classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, at a dreamy locally renowned theater. Break out the "peanuts" to take in this charming Tacoma Musical Playhouse production, and watch young and aspiring local actors from the theater's innovative and premiere education program show their stuff in this quaint and heartfelt little show, which begins at 2 p.m. 

4. 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 3 p.m. in the Tacoma Youth Theatre. It's a feel-good season of joy for everyone. Or something.

5. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m. 

Somebody put a Santa hat on Olympia drummer Jerry Zeigler, cause no other mutherfucker out there besides St. Nick himself would rage Christmas Eve and Day to bring joy to all the anxious boys and girls.

Tuesday, Christmas Eve, Zeigler will be playing with his space/classic/punk rock band Mosquito Hawk, whose lead singer, Olivia Love, has been known to bust into lounge-singing and share her favorite Christmas songs. This show will be in Le Voyeur's swanky little back room, which is always festive. And it's free, so you can save that cash to gift yourself, perhaps with a nice cocktail while you enjoy the rock.

And Wednesday, Christmas Day, Zeigler will be playing his annual Merry Fitz-mas show at McCoy's with Fitz of Depression raging two sets. Never seen Fitz play? Well, expect to get ripped a new one. The band seriously tears into the nether-regions and squiggle their reverb around, getting all deep and fast and punk rock. Also, this is a good time to see Zeigler turn into a full-fledged octopus on the drums. Enjoy.

Oh, a fond farewell to the five-year tradition of Swampy Draws playing a Christmas show at the Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe. A quote from Swampy Draws on their Facebook: "We had a good 5-year run and I'm forever thankful for the fine folks at the Top of Tacoma who let me make an ass of myself year after year!"

What other Christmas rock should we know about? Comment below.

Mosquito Hawk, 10 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 24, Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave., Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710

Fitz of Depression, 10 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 25, McCoy's, 418 Fourth Ave., Olympia, $5, 360.352.0696

MONDAY, DEC. 23 2013 >>>

1. In the same way that sharks must keep swimming to keep breathing, it seems Melanie Owen andJoseph Barton must spread their talents across various musical projects in order to stay alive. Owen travels between Denver and Seattle with her band, The Groovetramps, fronts Cedar Avenue Blues Band in Denver and does duo work with other blues players. She guest fronts with The Thommy Knoxvilles in Denver, the Armed & Dangerous Blues Review in Seattle and plays bass for the Joseph Barton Trio - yes, her musical partner. Barton has played for numerous Denver bands such as The Clam Daddies, The Train Wreckers and Tempa & the Tamtrums. Currently, in addition to The Groovetramps and his trio, Barton and plays bass with Armed & Dangerous Blues Review and other Seattle and Denver bands. These frequent flyer points freaks will showcase their old school blues and Americana at 8 p.m. in The Swiss - if they don't collapse first.

2. Whether you want to channel your inner Winter Olympics sports nerd, capture the magic of the season in a vibrant urban venue or just have a wintery and sporty adventure, break out the ice skates, people, because the Franciscan Polar Plaza, in partnership with the Tacoma Art Museum, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bring family and friends to Tacoma's holiday ice rink for holiday fun and a good time right in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

3. Make Monday the day you check out Zoolights or Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions. Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offers a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m. 

4. See the ultimate sad sack Charlie Brown and his sad sack little Christmas tree find the holiday spirit in the Christmas classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, at a dreamy locally renowned theater. Break out the "peanuts" to take in this charming Tacoma Musical Playhouse production, and watch young and aspiring local actors from the theater's innovative and premiere education program show their stuff in this quaint and heartfelt little show, which begins at 7 p.m. 

5. We all love to sing. Singing is fun; singing is cool. However, life is cruel, and as much as we all love to sing, well, we can't.  We suck.  Or, to put this in a positive manner, there are those who can sing solo and there are those who should always, always, sing in groups. The larger the better. For those of you who fall into the second category, head to Olympia. The Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia present a "Messiah Sing-Along" so you can sing to your tone-deaf little heart's content at 7 p.m. in the Washington Center.          

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Monday, Dec. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area