Planet Princeton Weekend Picks, Dec. 15-17

candle girlFriday, December 15

The Nutcracker – The New Jersey Youth Ballet performs an abridged, fully narrated version of the classic Christmas ballet. 7 p.m. Kelsey Theater, Mercer Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $16.

Michael Smith in Concert – The Princeton Folk Music Society presents singer-songwriter Michael Smith. One of the most captivating performers in the folk arena, Michael Peter Smith has toured the United States and Canada for nearly five decades. His song The Dutchman, is considered a classic and has been recorded by numerous other musicians. 8:15 p.m., doors open at 7:30 p.m. Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane, Princeton. $5 – $20 More information

Listen Local Concert – Garry Pearsall and his band “So It Goes” perform at the Princeton Public Library at 7 p.m. Free.

Hopewell Valley Chorus Holiday Concert – The Hopewell Valley Chorus presents its annual holiday concert, “Deck the Halls.”  The program will feature a wide variety of music, sacred and secular, classical and contemporary, unusual and familiar. 7:30 p.m., St. James Church, 115 E. Delaware Ave., Pennington. $15, general admission, $10 seniors and students.

Saturday, December 16

Jammin’ with Santa – Join the Princeton High School Studio Band for a holiday breakfast, holiday jazz, crafts, and games. The Princeton band program is raising funds for the Puerto Rico project to help the students from Escuela Libre de Musica Ernesto Ramos Antonini in San Juan return to the Berklee Music Festival. 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Princeton High School Cafeteria, 151 Moore Street, Princeton. $10 More information

West Windsor Winter Farmers’ Market – The West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market indoor winter market – just in time for the holidays. Winter market hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Food, gifts, live music and more. Windsor Athletic Club, 99 Clarksville Road, West Windsor. More information

Candle Making Workshops at the Watershed – Celebrate the approaching winter solstice and the return of the light by making candles at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association in Pennington. Group will create hand-dipped candles and sand candles. Learn how to shape candles and add embellishments, then go home with your unique handmade art.  $20 for the candle making workshops for kids ages 8 and up. 1 p.m., Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington.  More information  Candle Making Dip and Sip (Adults Only – 21 and older)Everything you need to make candles, plus cheese and snacks, provided. Bring your own wine; the Watershed Association will bring the corkscrew!. 5 p.m. $30 More information

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Holiday POPS! Concert – Songs by John Williams from Home Alone, Franz Waxman’s “1938 Suite” from A Christmas Carol, plus waltzes by Johann Strauss Jr, and a carol sing-along! Rossen Milanov conducts.  7 p.m., Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, Princeton University, Princeton. $25 – $50 More information

Screening: It’s a Wonderful Life – Join the Trenton Film Society and Passage Theatre for a special free screening of the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Frank Capra, starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who is about to give up on life until his guardian angel shows him how things would be different if he had never been born. 7  p.m., Passage Theatre, 16 E. Hanover Street, Trenton. Free More information

Feed Truck Coffee House – Stop by the Feed Truck’s coffee house at the Princeton United Methodist Church at the corner of Nassau Street and Vandevender Avenue for a holiday coffee or tea treat. Relax, study, warm up, chat with friends at this cozy coffee house that is a Planet Princeton favorite. 2 p.m. to midnight.

Sunday, December 17

Christmas Bird Count, Kingston segment – The Kingston segment of this year’s Audubon Christmas Bird Count begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Locktender’s House in Kingston and goes until noon. After a break for lunch at Palace of Asia in Kingston, the count continues in the afternoon. Join the group for morning, afternoon, or both. Experienced birders and novices are equally welcome. Locktender’s House, 4498 Route 27, Kingston. Free More information

Advent Lessons & Carols at All Saints’ Church, Princeton – Uusher in the Christmas season with advent scriptures and musical offerings by the All Saints’ Choir. Selections by Handel, Palestrina, Standford, and more. 10:15 a.m., All Saints’ Church, Princeton, 16 All Saints’ Road, Princeton. Free More information

Holiday Open House at Mountain Lakes House – As you enjoy the miles of wooded trails in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Friends of Princeton Open Space invites you to stop by Mountain Lakes House to warm up with cider and treats. Stop in anytime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Mountain Lakes House, 57 Mountain Avenue, Princeton. Free More information

Messiah Sing Along! – Conductor Amanda Quist, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music at Westminster Choir College. Choral singers welcome.  No auditions, no rehearsal, just the joy of the Messiah with a full orchestra.  Scores will be provided if you need one.Members and students sing for free.  $10 admission 4 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton. More information

Blue Advent Service – For many people, the holidays are a sad time, particularly for those who have lost loved ones or suffered illness over the past year. Many people feel the weight of the world’s ills heavily, and cannot participate easily in the festivities around us. Participants will celebrate the eucharist together, lighting candles and saying prayers. 5 p.m., Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton. Free More information

To have your events considered for our weekend picks, please add them to our community calendar. It’s free and easy with our new format. Click the events link on our home page to submit your events. 

Avatar of Krystal Knapp

Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.