Take a break from the holiday shopping and the spiked eggnog and see what else is going on in St. Louis this month, as researched by your fearless Delirious Nomad.

Through Dec. 30: U.S. Bank Wild Lights spectacular holiday light displays at St. Louis Zoo (314-781-0900, http://www.stlzoo.org/)

Through Dec.: St. Charles Christmas Traditions, Wed.Sun. on South Main Street in St. Charles with historic characters, international Santas, Christmas carolers, crafts for kids, and shopping (www.stcharleschristmas.com)

Through Jan. 1: St. Louis County Parks Winter Wonderland huge lights display at Tilles Park in Ladue

Dec. 1: Forest Park Percussion Ensemble at St. Louis Community College – Forest Park (314-644-9769)

Dec. 1: Rembrandt: A Moving Portrait, three short films about Rembrandt with brief lecture at St. Louis Art Museum (314-721-0072, http://www.slam.org/)

Dec. 1: St. Louis Community College – Forest Park Percussion Ensemble performance at school's Bastian Theatre (314-644-9769)

Dec. 1: Day With(out) Art AIDS memorial with slide show and extended hours (plus awesome Warhol Silver Clouds exhibition) at MOCRA (www.mocra.slu.edu)

Dec. 1-14: Photo Imaging Education Association Annual Competition Exhibit at Webster University May Photography Gallery (www.webster.edu/maygallery)

Dec. 2: South Grand Cookie Crawl (http://www.southgrand.org/)

Dec. 2: ArtDimensions Holiday Celebration art show with food, cooking demos, art auction, body art & live art-car painting at NOTAA Gallery (314-497-5356, www.artdimensions.org)

Dec. 2: St. Louis Classical Guitar Society presents Kevin Gallagher at Ethical Society ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , 314-567-5566)

Dec. 2: Free in-store concert by Target Market at Vintage Vinyl (www.vintagevinyl.com)

Dec. 2: Sheldon Art Galleries Winter Warming with tasting and sale of wine, spirits, chocolates, cookies and honeys, plus gift market and hors d'oeuvres (314-533-9900)

Dec. 2: Loop Holiday Walk with photos with Ethnic Santa and Frosty, sales at businesses, free cocoa at Melting Pot, snacks at Big Shark, handbell ringers, arts & crafts, bake sale, etc., in U. City Loop (http://www.visittheloop.com/)

Dec. 2: Find Your Inner Santa Holiday Art Sale at Jefferson Underground Gallery (2400 S. Jefferson)

Dec. 2: Donation of five cans of food to charity means a free movie matinee at any Wehrenberg Theatre (www.klou.com)

Dec. 2: Christmas Is for the Birds featuring Santa photos with live raptor bird at World Bird Sanctuary (636-861-3225, www.worldbirdsanctuary.org)

Dec. 2: Elegies for Angels, Punks & Raging Queens 25th anniversary performance of monologues on World AIDS Day at Missouri History Museum (314-361-9017, www.mohistory.org)

Dec. 2-3: Holiday Art Sale with functional ceramics, jewelry, hand-woven baskets, handmade books, paintings, glass, and clothing by area artists plus cash bar and live music at Mad Art (http://www.madart.com/)

Dec. 2-3: Central West End Winterfest with trolley rides, goodie bags, children's events, holiday sales, caroling, gallery walk, restaurant specials, drawings, Santa visit, and pretzel roasting (http://www.cweba.org/)

Dec. 2-3: Soulard Holiday Parlor Tour (www.metrotix.com)

Dec. 3: Clayton Symphony Orchestra performs concert at Clayton High School (http://www.claytonsymphony.org/)

Dec. 3: Historic Shaw Holiday Home Tour (http://www.metrotix.com/)

Dec. 3: Final Classic 99 From the Garden Live concert of season at Missouri Botanical Garden (314-725-0099, www.mobot.org)

Dec. 3-4: Chabad House sponsors working olive-oil press for Hanukkah at JCC (314-725-0400)

Dec. 4: Actress Rain Pryor reads from and signs Jokes My Father Never Taught Me on her life with father Richard Pryor at St. Louis Public Library Headquarters (http://www.slpl.org/)

Dec. 4-30: Chihuly Nights with dramatically lit views of Glass in the Garden exhibition, glass-blowing demos, music, cash bar, and appetizers at Missouri Botanical Garden (www.mobot.org)

Dec. 5: Gabe Gudding & Piotr Gwiazda read their poetry at Observable Readings series at Schlafly Bottleworks (www.observable.org/readings)

Dec. 5: Martin Scorsese quirky comedy After Hours at Webster Films (314-968-7487, www.webster.edu/filmseries.html)

Dec. 5: Author of Goodbye to the Mermaids: A Childhood Lost in Hitler's Berlin Karin Finnell reads from and signs her work at St. Louis County Library Headquarters (http://www.slcl.org/)

Dec. 6: Strange Brew: Cult Films at Schlafly Bottleworks features Andy Kauffman/Bernadette Peters bomb Heartbeeps sponsored by Webster Films (314-968-7487, www.webster.edu/filmseries.html)

Dec. 7: Studio Gallery inaugural show featuring photographer Shaun Wright and sculptor Amy Lee Ball (704 Hanley Industrial Court, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )

Dec. 7: Shootout prep basketball featuring a whole mess of games at Scottrade Center (www.savviscenter.net, 314-241-1888)

Dec. 7-16: Holiday Cabaret with sketch, dancing & live music at Black Cat Theatre (314-963-8800, http://www.blackcattheatre.org/)

Dec. 7-17: Off Center's Slightly Askew Theatre Co. presents Jose Riviera drama on the afterlife Sonnets for an Old Centuryat former Panda Paint factor, 2500 Ohio at Sydney (www.slightlyoff.org, 314-835-7415)

Dec. 8: Wishful Thinking, show by Rebecca Bodicky, opens at Fort Gondo, plus opening at across st. at Beverly (314-651-9125)

Dec. 8: Rush tribute-band Thunderhead at Stratford Bar in Fenton (www.stratfordbar.com)

Dec. 8: ACLU benefit with Helen Thomas and Second City at Roberts Orpheum Theatre (www.robertsorpheum.com)

Dec. 8: Screening of The Matrix at Washington University's Kemper Art Museum (www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu)

Dec. 8-10: Independent Art Market at Shaw Gallery, featuring 52nd City litmag variety show (www.independentartmarket.org)

Dec. 8-Feb. 11: Works on paper by regional artists under 35 at COCA (314-725-6555, http://www.cocastl.org/)

Dec. 8-17: Tin Ceiling presents Will Eno experimental drama Flu Season (http://www.tinceiling.org/)

Dec. 9: Hurricane on the Bayou wide-screen-format film on new Orleans disaster opens at St. Louis Science Center Omnimax Theatre (www.slscl.org)

Dec. 9: Midwest Fight Fest no-holds-barred fighting at Stratford Inn in Fenton (http://www.stratfordbar.com/)

Dec. 9: Merry Tuba Christmas with holiday tunes performed by more than 100 tubas at St. Louis Galleria (www.saintlouisgalleria.com, 314-863-5500)

Dec. 9: West End Arts Council Wintermarkt with crafts, kids' activities, cider, baked goods, live music, carriage rides, and blacksmithing demos at Kingsbury & Des Peres Avenues (314-862-5122)

Dec. 9: Santarchy wilding in Santa suits (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stlouis_santarchy/)

Dec. 9 & 16: Gingerbread House Workshops at Eckert's of Belleville (www.eckerts.com)

Dec. 10: Hanukkah Celebration with menorah-lighting, dancing, Israeli songs, and merchandise at Missouri Botanical Garden (http://www.mobot.org/)

Dec. 10: Biggest ToyMan Toy Convention of year at Machinist Hall (636-332-0807)

Dec. 10: Gingerbread House Tour of Tower Grove South area (www.metrotix.com)

Dec. 12: Screening of Steve Martin's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid at St. Louis County Library – Indian Trails Branch (www.slcl.org)

Dec. 14: Movie Night at University City Library features Chungking Express (314-727-3150, www.ucpl.lib.mo.us)

Dec. 14: Zappa Plays Zappa concert featuring Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai, and Napoleon Murphy Brock at the Pageant (http://www.ticketmaster.com/)

Dec. 15-16: Gateway Men's Chorus concert "Fruitcakes" at Grandel Theatre (http://www.metrotix.com/)

Dec. 15-17: "The Wonderfully Strange Animation of Suzan Pitt" at Webster Films (314-968-7487, www.webster.edu/filmseries.html)

Dec. 16: Artica freeform art festival outdoors near Mississippi River and Laclede's Landing

Dec. 17: Hanukkah on Ice with "skating dreidel," games, crafts, and latke buffet at Brentwood Ice Arena (314-725-0400)

Dec. 17-March 3: Prairie Skyscraper: Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower exhibition at St. Louis Artists' Guild (http://www.stlouisartistsguild.com/)

Dec. 19: Mizzou v. Illinois basketball at Scottrade Center (http://www.ticketmaster.com/)

Dec. 25: International Free Food & Watch Movies on TV Day

Dec. 27: Kwanzaa: Festival of the First Fruits with storytelling, craft & jewelry displays, African drumming, and musical performances at Missouri Botanical Garden (www.mobot.org)

Dec. 29: Kwanzaa celebration with stories, music, dance, and kids' crafts at St. Louis Art Museum (314-721-0072, http://www.slam.org/)

Dec. 29-30: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performs live accompaniment to screening of Charlie Chaplin silents at Powell Hall (www.slso.org)

Dec. 31: First Night in Grand Center (www.firstnightstl.org)

Dec. 31: Black Velvet & Bluegrass NYE Party at Schlafly Tap Room (http://www.schlafly.com/)

Dec. 31: One-Night Only High Weirdness and Wild Art Party "Kim Humphries New Year's Eve Hot Tub Party" at White Flag Projects Gallery (http://www.whiteflagprojects.org/)

Dec. 31: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra "Dance Card" night with surprise program at Powell Hall (www.slso.org)