Written by Byron Kerman Friday, 08 December 2006 02:31

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 e-mail address is being protected from spambots. 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 e-mail address is being protected from spambots. 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)