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Holiday events in Southern Oregon: Dec. 17 By Tempo staff Updated: Dec 16, 2021 10:42 AM A A There will be music, singing and dancing and storytelling when Tomaseen Foley brings his beloved show, "A Celtic Christmas" to town for the 26th season. See listing below. Courtesy image. In Focus: ‘A Celtic Christmas’ Storyteller Tomaseen Foley and his troupe of professional musicians and dancers will present “A Celtic Christmas,” an evening of Celtic music, traditional Christmas carols, Irish dancing and stories from the west of Ireland at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at the Craterian Theater, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford. Tickets are $32, $35 or $38; $22, $25 or $28 for ages 22 and younger, and can be purchased at craterian.org, at the box office, 16 S. Bartlett St., in Medford, or by calling 541-779-3000. Prior to admission, audience members must present a photo ID and proof of full vaccination completed at least 14 days prior to performance date; those not fully vaccinated or children under the age of 12 must present a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the performance time, or a negative rapid antigen test taken within 6 hours. Masks must be worn at all times while inside the Craterian. ‘Holly-Days’: The Holly Theatre, located at 226 W. Sixth St., Medford, will host its second annual “Holly-Days” spectacular from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, with refreshments and live music. The free concert will be held outdoors beneath the Holly’s iconic marquee at Sixth and Holly streets in downtown Medford. On the bill are the Ashland Brass, Rogue Voices (formerly Rogue Valley Harmonizers) and Southern Oregon Sound, an all-women chorus specializing in women’s barbershop and Sweet Adeline harmonies. The event will feature an array of musical holiday standards, hot drinks and cookies from the Cookie Lab. Gather safely on the sidewalks or park across the street to enjoy the entertainment. The concert will coincide with Medford’s Third Friday Art Walk. Studio Roxander’s ‘The Nutcracker Ballet’: Studio Roxander returns to the stage with a newly renovated version of their annual full-length production of “The Nutcracker.” Guest artists from Philadelphia Ballet are Ashton Roxander and Sydney Dolan. Productions are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17-19, at the Crater Performing Arts Center, 655 N. Third St., Central Point. Tickets are $12-$28. For details and tickets , see studioroxander.com or call 541-773-7272. Stillpoint Ballet Company ‘The Nutcracker’: The Stillpoint Ballet Company will present the 30th annual performance of “The Nutcracker Ballet” at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center, on the campus of Grants Pass High School, 830 N.E. Ninth St., Grants Pass. Performances are scheduled for 7: 30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-Dec. 19. Regular tickets for Section A are $15; Section B tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for youth ages 3 to 17, and for seniors 62 and older. Masks are required while in the venue. For further information, see gpnutcracker.org or call 541-476-4641. Pet Selfies with Santa: Southern Oregon Humane Society will host a free photo opportunity to have holiday photos with your pet and Santa and Mrs. Claus from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at the “Winter Globe” (in the north barrel vault common area), at The Village Medford Center, 711 Medford Center, Medford. Use your personal camera, smartphone or selfie-stick to capture photos of loved ones and pets in the holiday scene. SoHumane “elves” will be on hand to help. Christmas collars, bandannas, jingle bells and more for your pets will be available to borrow. For further details, see sohumane.org or call 541-779-3215. Southern Oregon Repertory Singers: Southern Oregon Repertory Singers’ return to live performance will be “The Waiting Sky,” a program of seasonal holiday music at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at the Music Recital Hall, 450 S. Mountain Ave., on the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland. The program will include music from the Renaissance to the present by well-known and emerging composers, including ‘Ave Maria’ by Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski; “The Christ Child’s Lullaby,” by Gwyneth Walker; “Winter,” a piece which includes visual projections, by Alvin Trotman; “Romance of the Angels,” arranged by Howard Goodall, and “My Lord Has Come,” a carol by Will Todd. Also on the program is a variety of seasonal songs from around the world, both ancient and modern; traditional secular carols such as “Wassail Carol,” “Jingle Bells,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”; and a commissioned setting of the Scottish favorite, “Auld Lang Syne,” by SORS accompanist and resident composer Jodi French. Tickets are $25. A livestream option is available for $10. All patrons must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a photo ID at the door; masks must be worn. Unvaccinated persons will not be admitted, including children. For tickets and information, see repsingers.org or call 541-552-0900. Jacksonville Victorian Christmas: The traditional Victorian Christmas celebration returns to Jacksonville after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Take tours inside the Beekman House, have photos with Father Christmas and more. Visitors can take pictures of themselves with Father Christmas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends through Dec. 19, in front of the Beekman Bank at Third and California streets. Masks are required for ages 5 and older. For further information, see jacksonvilleoregon.org/events. Michal Palzewicz Holiday Tea & Cello: Cellist Michal Palzewicz will perform a holiday cello concert with afternoon tea service at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at Lovejoy’s Tea Room, 96 N. Main St., #201, Ashland. The afternoon tea service will include delicate tea sandwiches, a warm scone served with clotted cream and raspberry preserves, petit fours and chocolate truffles, and a bottomless pot of tea. Tickets are $60, and advance reservations are required. Limited seating available. See lovejoystearoom-ashland.com or call 541-708-6718. Ugly Sweater Contest & Holiday Party: Teens 13 and older can join in a wacky ugly holiday sweater contest and virtual party at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20. A week before the program starts, pick up a kit with some holiday treats, a sweater, some decorations, and one special object that no one else has that you’ll need to incorporate with your sweater decorations. You’ll have from the time you pick up your kit to the time of the Zoom party to decorate. Then show off your sweaters at the holiday party on Zoom. The teen who uses their decorations most creatively, as decided by a vote, will win a gift card. For further details or to register, see jcls.org and click on Programs & Events and then JCLS Calendar or call 541-774-8679. Meeting details will be emailed to you when you register. Magical Christmas Murals: Downtown Grants Pass will sparkle with the fiber-optic dazzle of 20 musical Christmas murals and giant nutcrackers through New Year’s Day. The murals weigh 400 pounds each and include sound systems that play the old-fashioned Christmas music. The murals, created by local artisans, are 12 inches thick, 10 feet tall, 5 feet wide and are wired with miles of fiber optic cable and thousands of points of lights. A map of mural locations is available in the downtown welcome center. Beekman House Christmas Tour: See how Christmas was celebrated in the late 1800s and learn about holiday tradition origins during guided tours from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 19, at the historic Beekman House, 470 E. California St., Jacksonville. One-hour tours will begin every 15 minutes. Learn the Victorian origins of popular Christmas traditions, find the good luck German pickle on the Christmas tree, hear how Clement Moore and Charles Dickens reinvented the holiday, and sample one of Mrs. Beekman’s sugar cookies. Also look for “Mrs. Beekman’s Christmas Bazaar,”which has antiques, collectibles, old-fashioned toys, hand-crafts, holiday items, and more available for purchase. Admission is $5, paid at the door. Tours are not recommended for children under 6 years, and groups are limited to six people at a time. Masks are required. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made at historicjacksonville.org/victorian-christmas. You do not need to go on a tour to attend “Mrs. Beekman’s Christmas Bazaar.” Proceeds from both the tours and the bazaar go toward maintenance of Jacksonville’s historic buildings, programs and events. Call 541-245-3650 or email [email protected]. Ashland Festival of Light: The Ashland Chamber of Commerce launched its annual Festival of Light celebration Thursday, Nov. 18. The chamber has planned several activities, including prizes for shoppers, children’s scavenger hunt and a soundwalk. The Winter Soundwalk, a curated audio track featuring music from cultures around the world, will guide listeners through the festive downtown Ashland cityscape along a set path of visual installations through Jan. 3. The map for the soundwalk, with each installation point marked, is available for download and printing, and viewing online. Participation is free. For further information, including the soundwalk map and audio streaming or download instructions see rogueworldmusic.org/soundwalk. To participate in the scavenger hunt, follow the clues found at Ashlandchamber.com/fol to find all eight magical elves hidden around Ashland at eight different locations and fill out your card. Once your card is full, turn it back into the Ashland Chamber (drop into mail slot if office is closed or email to [email protected]) to win a prize. You will also be entered into a drawing for the grand prize. For details about other chamber activities, see ashlandchamber.com. Siskiyou Singers: Listen to a free online holiday concert, “The Most Wonderful Time,” performed by The Siskiyou Singers, now in their 39th year, on the choir’s website, siskiyousingers.org. The concert can be viewed at any time. The program includes a collection of pieces in a wide range of styles, ranging from traditional to contemporary and from spirituals to jazz. The choir will present a version of ‘Silent Night,’” by Mark Hayes; John Rutter’s arrangement of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas;” the German carol “When Mary Walked Through Woods of Thorn;” “Lullay My Liking,” based on a 15th century Middle English lyric poem and composed by Gustav Holst; “Here’s a Pretty Little Baby,” an energetic Christmas spiritual; “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a jazz waltz arrangement of the holiday standard; and a jazz interpretation of the classic “Winter Wonderland.” Holiday Open House at Hanley Farm: Take a step back in time as costumed docents guide you through the Hanley home and bring history to life with holiday tales and stories about Southern Oregon Historical Society’s Hanley family and farm. The historic farmhouse will be decorated and open for tours from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, at 1053 Hanley Road, Central Point. The first tour begins at 10:10 a.m. and the last tour will be given at 2:45 p.m. Admission is $5, limit six people per tour. Masks and reservations are required. For reservations and further information see sohs.org, call 541-773-6536 or email at [email protected].