Jennifer Mulson

Make a memory of this year's holidays by attending a festive concert, performance or improv show, or indulging in a sweet treat as you unfurl your list of Christmas wishes to the man with the great white beard.

of 7 You'd swear these carved birds are about to take off.

Churches around Colorado Springs often offer a Blue Christmas service as an alternative to the traditional Christmas Eve service. Blue Christmas offers a quieter, contemplative space where people can feel more comfortable grieving losses and escaping from the festivities of the holiday season. Courtesy Metro Creative Connection

'Tis the season to watch one of the world's most prestigious classical ballet companies do its version of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." And if you can't transport yourself to London to see them at the Royal Opera House, the next best way is to travel to a Cinemark theater for a silver screen viewing at 3 p.m. Sunday or 7 p.m. Dec. 23. Shows are at Cinemark Tinseltown XD and Regal Interquest & RPX. Tickets are $21.05;

"Monopoly Lifesized: Travel Edition" is a new immersive and interactive experience based on the popular Parker Brothers board game. During the 70-minute game players roll dice, move around the board

The LGBTQIA-friendly Out Loud Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus will do five performances of its annual holiday concert around the Pikes Peak region and Pueblo. This year's theme, "Postcards from the North Pole," will feature traditional and new tunes from several holiday celebrations, such as Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

I love a good neurotransmitter. Glutamate, GABA, serotonin, endorphins.

Sara Vaas started Dizzy Charlie's Jazz Pop-Ups about 18 months ago and now books multiple weekly shows in five to 10 venues throughout Colorado Springs. The musicians are mostly local and shows are mostly free.

Puppeteer David Simpich will bring back his marionette show, "The Puppet Maker: A Story of Christmas," Sunday through Dec. 27 at Louisa Performing Arts Center at The Colorado Springs School. It's the first time he's done the show since 2019. Simpich closed his Simpich Showcase in Old Colorado City in 2021 due to the pandemic. He now hopes to do a spring production and tour some of his 22 productions to various venues.

Al and Karen Shain are the modern stone age family thanks to The Rock House, the Larkspur property they bought in 2021 that earned them national attention. A 35-foot tall sandstone rock, similar to those in Garden of the Gods, juts through all three levels of their home.