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Handel's Messiah Presented by the Houston Symphony. Houston events at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. Call 713-224-7575 for tickets. Event ID:12/23

A Wonderful Life. Houston events at the Hobby Center. Call 713-558-TUTS for tickets. Event ID:12/23

Stages Theatre - Altar Boyz.  With a book by Kevin Del Aguila and songs by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker, the off-Broadway hit chronicles a Christian boy band pursuing its big break while saving souls. First seen in 2004 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, then produced in 2005 off-Broadway (and still running), the surprise hit serves up a tongue-in-cheek spoof of the modern merchandising of religion. Houston events at Stages Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway. Call 713-527-0123 for more info. Event ID:1/13/08

The Nutcracker- Presented by the Houston Ballet. Call 713-227-2787 for tickets.

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens.  Houston events at the Alley Theatre. Call 713-220-5700 for tickets. Event ID:12/29

Home for the Holidays. Over 150 shops decorated with thousands of twinkling lights welcome visitors to a season of unique Christmas gift shopping. Location: Old Town Spring, 403 Main Street, Spring, TX. Call 888-U-STOP-IN for more info. Event ID:12/24

Pompeo Batoni: Prince of Painters in Eighteenth Century Rome Exhibition. Houston events at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Sesame Street Presents: The Body. Get to know what’s under your skin at Sesame Street Presents: The Body, an amazing new educational exhibition featuring Elmo, Oscar, Grover and the rest of your Sesame Street friends! Run, jump and play your way through a new interactive exhibition all about the human body. This exhibit will cover everything from fingers and toes to your ishy-squishy insides. Houston events at Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive. Call 713-521-1515 for more info.

Treasures from Shanghai: 5,000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture. Featuring 77 sets of objects from the Neolithic period (circa 3,000 B.C.) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.), this incredible collection includes rare examples of oracle bones that represent the first form of Chinese writing, bronze vessels, polychrome potteries, sculptures, porcelains, paintings, jade/bamboo carvings and lacquer works. Location: Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Event ID:1/6/2008.

Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia. Discover five million years of Ethipia's diverse history and culture. The exhibition will include the original fossilized remains of the 3.2 million-year-old hominid known as Lucy. With 40 percent of her skeleton intact, Lucy remains the oldest and most complete adult human ancestor fully retrieved from African soil. Location: Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Event ID:4/20/08.