Planet Weekend Picks, Nov. 25-27

The Kende Sisters will perform at Nassau Presbyterian Church Sunday as part of the "Nassau at Four" series.

Friday, Nov. 25

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting On Palmer Square Green – Celebrate a favorite local tradition and watch as Santa helps light the 65-foot Norwegian spruce on Palmer Square. The tree is adorned with more than 32,000 lights. Live music from the Princeton High School Choir and the Holiday Brass, and a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas add to the fun. Tree lighting is at 4:45.

– Get to the green early to meet performers from “The Nutcracker” from 3:30-4:30 p.m..

– Strolling musicians will perform in the square from 6-8 p.m.

The Nutcracker at McCarter Theatre – The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without the Nutcracker ballet at McCarter Theatre. Performances Friday and Saturday at 1 and 4:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets $20-$55, www.Mccarter.org.

Saturday, Nov. 26

Second Annual Small Business Saturday – Dedicate a portion of your holiday shopping to local, independently owned businesses! The Princeton Merchants Association and other area local businesses are taking part in this event. Check them out today. Many are offering special holiday sales and deals!

National Novel Writing Month “Write In” at the Princeton Public Library – Write in silence with other writers in the quiet room on the first flow of the library from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. As part of National Novel Writing Month, some writers have pledged to write 50,000 words this month, or an average of 1,667 words a day!

Holiday Music Series at Palmer Square – Visit the green to hear the Olde Time Carolers in concert. Free, noon-2 p.m.

Inaugural Princeton Holiday Trolley Tours –  On Saturdays starting at 11 a.m.,  take a 45-minute trolley ride through town and hear about some history of Princeton while seeing the homes and hangouts of Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, TS Eliot, F Scott Fitzgerald, Albert Einstein and more. Tickets $10 per person. For reservations, visit www.princetontourcompany.com. The Princeton Holiday Trolley Tours are sponsored by McCarter Theatre, Grounds for Sculpture, the Nassau Inn and Princeton Black Squirrel. Tours run Saturdays through Dec. 31. First tour 11 a.m., last tour departs 4 p.m. from 10 Palmer Square East.

Live Music at Small World Coffee – The Bansai Bills will perform starting at 8:30 p.m. Free. At the Witherspoon Street location.

Sunday, Nov. 27

Holiday Music Series at Palmer Square – The Nassau Brass will perform on the green from noon – 2 p.m. Free.

“A Lecture in Song” at the Princeton Public Library – Join pianist, singer, and narrator Fred Miller for a musical profile of Irving Berlin. 3 p.m.

Nassau at Four presents the Kende Sisters – Alexis and Crista Kende will perform works by Piazzolla, Beethoven, Bruch, Massenet, Mozart, Handel, and Halvorsen. Noriko Schneiderman will accompany them on piano. The 4 p.m. concert will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church, located across from Palmer Square at 61 Nassau Street. Nassau at Four concerts are free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be collected, and the concert will be followed by a reception.