Friday, Dec. 15

Cambridge Art Association Holiday Small Works Sale from noon to 4 p.m. at the CAA@Canal Gallery, 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (also Dec. 20, 21 and 22). Free. Support the association’s mission by browsing the more than 250 artworks for sale, priced for $500 and under, all by local artists. Information is here.

Harvard Square Holiday Fairs from noon to 7 p.m. at 1 Brattle Place (at Brattle and Mount Auburn streets), Harvard Square, Cambridge (also Dec. 16, 17, 21, 22 and 23). Free. This juried fair is one of the oldest and most popular in the area, with a mix of craftspeople from the region and world-traveling importers. Information is here.

2023 Holiday Open House from 4 to 8 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free and all ages. Stroll through Longfellow House, decorated in period style with seasonal objects from the museum and featuring live harp music. Outdoors, follow the festive front path to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy President’s House at 115 Brattle St. to enjoy carolers and puppet shows, in addition to parlor games, a festive tree, “take-and-make” crafts and treats. Cookies and hot beverages will be served. Information is here.

Solstice: “Reflections on the Winter Light” experience from 5 to 8:30 p.m. during timed entries every half-hour at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge (and most days through Dec. 21). $5 to $30. Boston’s Masary Studios’ installation at the cemetery features an outdoor journey through large-scale light and sound artworks and an indoor experience with live music and candle lighting. It’s selling out quickly. Information is here.

“The View from Mars” opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridgeport. Free. A group exhibition featuring the work of 11 New England–based artists who make a sci-fi exploration into surveillance as an extraterrestrial gaze. Information is here.

A Christmas Concert with Lea Peterson from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Somerville Music Spaces, 1060 Broadway, Suite C101B, Somerville. $20. The Boston singer, music director, vocal arranger and voice teacher sings her favorite musical theatre, pop/folk and Christmas songs after a mini performance of solos by several of her students. Information is here.

The Midwinter Revels: A Solstice Celebration at 7:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square (and continuing through Dec. 28). $20 to $105. The 53rd annual celebration of this moment in the calendar, this year focusing on the colorful medieval Feast of Fools with vibrant processionals, lively carols, delicate harmonies, vigorous dances and a full ritual of the wild and the holy. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Jan. 21). $90 to $150. An award-winning team of Latine artists created this American Repertory Theater stage production of the 2002 film that still resonates with its empowering story of the immigrant experience, friendship and big dreams. Information is here.

“Christmas in Medieval England” at 8 p.m. at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square (and also Saturday). $10 (low-income tickets) to $40 (general) and $87 (reserved). The vocal ensemble Blue Heron has a program for the Christmas season of plainchant, carols and polyphonic antiphons and settings of the Mass that might have been heard in England in the 1440s. Information is here.

Miranda Lawson’s “Quarter-Life Crisis” at 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $35. Through a blend of movement and stand-up, the Boston dancer and choreographer explores life’s great questions while recounting her ups and downs in young adulthood. Information is here.

Show Me Your Bits improv show from 8 to 9:30 at the Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10. Jonathan Anderson and friends from Union Comedy and Boston’s Improv Asylum do stand-up, characters, music and sketch comedy so “silly and thought-provoking” it prompts follow-up questions from the audience. Information is here.

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Saturday, Dec. 16

Holiday Tours of Longfellow House every half-hour from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free and all ages. Take a 30-minute guided tour of the Longfellow House first floor, decked out for the holidays in period style with special seasonal objects from the site’s museum that celebrate childhood and play. Information is here.

Harvard Square Holiday Fairs (continued) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 1 Brattle Place (at Brattle and Mount Auburn streets), Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

Mayor Siddiqui’s Community Skate Day from noon to 4 p.m. at Community Ice Skating at Kendall Square, 300 Athenaeum St., Cambridge. Free. Join Cambridge’s mayor for an afternoon of free ice skating rentals and hot chocolate. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $70 to $155. Information is here.

The Midwinter Revels: A Solstice Celebration (continued) at 3 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $105. Information is here.

“Christmas in Medieval England” (continued) at 3 and 8 p.m. at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 (low-income tickets) to $40 (general) and $87 (reserved). Information is here.

Solstice: “Reflections on the Winter Light” experience (continued) from 5 to 8:30 p.m. during timed entries every half-hour at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. $5 to $30. Information is here.

Illuminations Bike Tour at 5:45 p.m. at the main entrance of Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave., Central Hill (rain date: Dec. 17). Free. Don a bike helmet and follow the Somerville Bike Advisory Committee in merry measure as it leads a tour of the Somerville homes and businesses creatively transformed with lights, ornaments and shrines of devotion and fantasy. Information is here.

Circus Up 2023 Benefit at 7 p.m. at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 to $40. Live performance by the Boston-area circus troupe Kirkos, made up of young people from underserved communities, as well as local artists and dancers. Benefits the Circus Up nonprofit that has provided community-based social circus programs for youth for five years. Includes snacks, refreshments and a raffle. Information is here.

A Capella Jam at 7 p.m at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Fitzgerald Auditorium, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. $10. CRLS students in four a cappella groups spend all semester attending morning rehearsals and weekend practices to bring a setlist of hits (with a mashup or two), carefully balancing the unique voices within each group. Information is here.

For Nina: A Thank-You Letter to the Work of Nina Simone at 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $35. A celebration of the songs of Nina Simone through dance by Victoria Lynn Awkward, vocals by Desiré Graham, piano by Hua Ye (Jane), lighting design by Elmer Martinez, sets by Mikayla Williams and including guest youth dancers. Information is here.

Winter Bird Walks: Residents and Guests from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free and 14-plus. Join in for a walk around the park to observe wetlands, the river and tall trees, all while on the lookout for migrating ducks, resident and wintering songbirds, hawks and maybe the resident peregrine falcon. Information is here.

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Sunday, Dec. 17

Somerville Flea Holiday Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. Vintage collectors and artisan makers sell. Information is here.

Somerville Jingle Bell Run & Walk at 11 a.m. at Davis Square, Somerville. Free (to watch) or $45 (to run). This 5k race starts and ends in Davis Square, with post-race festivities at nine area pubs. Information is here.

Winter foraging from noon to 2 p.m. at The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Learn how to identify some edible and medicinal plants on a winter walk with Sage McTaggart, and bring along a mug to be able to enjoy some tasty teas. Information is here.

Harvard Square Holiday Fairs (continued) from noon to 6 p.m. at 1 Brattle Place (at Brattle and Mount Auburn streets), Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

The Midwinter Revels: A Solstice Celebration (continued) at 1 and 5:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $105. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $155. Information is here.

“Christmas in Harvard Square” with the Boys and Schola of Saint Paul’s Choir at 3 p.m. at St. Paul Parish, 29 Mount Auburn St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $35 to $70. The only all-boys Catholic choir school in the United States, which has collaborated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Pops, will perform music by Benjamin Britten, Franz Biebl, Herbert Howells and more. Information is here.

Cambridge Community Chorus performs Elaine Hagenberg’s “Illuminare” at 4 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. $15 to. $25. Pamela Mindell directs this Massachusetts debut with a setting of “Ave Maria” by Franz Biebl, the “Magnificat” by Baldassare Galuppi, Olatunji and Whalum’s “Betelehemu” (Nigerian Christmas Song) and the world premiere of “The Wind has Abated” by Stella G. Gitelman Willoughby. Information is here.

Solstice: “Reflections on the Winter Light” experience (continued) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. during timed entries every half-hour at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. $5 to $30. Information is here.

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Monday, Dec. 18

Winter Card Party! from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Cambridge Public Library Collins Branch, 64 Aberdeen Ave., West Cambridge. Free and all ages. Make cards for family, loved ones or neighbors and enjoy light refreshments. Card-making supplies will be available. Information is here.

The Independence Eve with performers from Qazaqstan from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $39 to $49. Hosted by Cambridge’s nonprofit Turkicstan Center, singers and musicians Meirambek Besbaev, Serikbol Sailaubek and Gazizkhan Shekerbekov perform with other invited guests. Information is here.

Chess hour at 6 p.m. at Cambridge Library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9, Cambridge (and continuing every other Monday). Free. Players of all skill levels and ages are welcome. Chess sets provided, or bring your own. Information is here.

Breath and the Body yoga class from 6:15 to 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. This workshop for all bodies and abilities is led from the perspective of dancer Lonnie Anela O’kalani Neff Stanton, who’s had a varied and creative career in dance for almost 25 years and has a 200-hour yoga certification through YogaWorks. Information is here.

A/V Comedy Club from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free, but not kid-friendly (material runs PG-13 to R). Drop in to watch members of the local comedy community do interactive stand-up bits with PowerPoint slides and (occasionally) music. Information is here.

30’s Speed-Friending, Ugly Holiday Sweater Edition from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $30. Cambridge. $16.50. Meet a special someone IRL at this facilitated event using psychology-backed question prompts from Somerville-founded Skip the Small Talk. Information is here.

Ensemble Uncaged at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20, but register. Co-directed by Andy Kozar and Rachel Elliott, this new music group is dedicated to performing music by established composers as well as emerging and underrepresented voices, expressing multiple perspectives. Information is here.

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Tuesday, Dec. 19

Chamber Music Extravaganza class performances at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (also Dec. 20). Free to $20, but register. Longy student chamber ensembles perform. Information is here.

Solstice: “Reflections on the Winter Light” experience (continued) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. during timed entries every half-hour at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Pay-what-you-want night. Information is here.

Celebrate the Solstice from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Share songs, stories, hope and cheer in a warm communal gathering during one of the longest nights of the year, looking forward to the coming spring even in the dark of the season. Information is here.

This Music presents Cellist Glynis Lomon leading a special quartet from 7 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. An improv/free jazz performance by Loman (cello, aquasonic, voice), Dave Peck (clarinets, flutes, double-reeds), Eric Woods (analog synthesis) and Jared Seabrook (drums). Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $65 to $150. Information is here.

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Wednesday, Dec. 20

Cambridge Art Association Holiday Small Works Sale (continued) from noon to 4 p.m. at the CAA@Canal Gallery, 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

Chamber Music Extravaganza class performances (continued) at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20, but register. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $150. Information is here.

Solstice: “Reflections on the Winter Light” experience (continued) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. during timed entries every half-hour at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. $5 to $30. Information is here.

CRLS Winter Concert at 7 p.m at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Fitzgerald Auditorium, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. $10. Several ensembles of the CRLS music department perform. Information is here.

Poets Danielle Legros Georges, A.M. Juster and Cheryl Clark Vermeulen read from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10, but register. A special evening of readings, introduced by Kevin Gallagher, for the launch of the 10th issue of spoKe, collected poetry and poetics from Boston and beyond published by MadHat Press. Information is here.

Wintery Songs in Eleventy Part Harmony at 7:30 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (also Dec. 21). $28 to $30. A loose collaboration of Boston-based musicians organized by veteran singer/songwriter Jennifer Kimball celebrate the season with an annual program of sacred, secular and wintery pop music rearranged and reharmonized with fiddles, cellos, ukes, guitars and glockenspiels. Information is here.

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Thursday, Dec. 21

Cambridge Art Association Holiday Small Works Sale (continued) from noon to 4 p.m. at the CAA@Canal Gallery, 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

Harvard Square Holiday Fairs (continued) from noon to 7 p.m. at 1 Brattle Place at Brattle and Mount Auburn streets), Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

Solstice Celebration: A Farewell to Fall from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., meeting at the ranger station (under the clock tower) at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free, all ages. Join ranger Omar Mejia on this annual guided loop walk around Fresh Pond (2.25 to 2.5 miles) to welcome winter and explore and take part in the solstice traditions of nature and culture. Information is here.

Solstice: “Reflections on the Winter Light” experience (continued) from 5:30 to 8 p.m. during timed entries every half-hour at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. $5 to $30. Information is here.

Poly, bi and pan speed-dating from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge. $35 and 21-plus. Meet a special someone at this facilitated event using psychology-backed question prompts run by Somerville-founded Skip the Small Talk. Information is here.

“O Come Emmanuel” with Hanneke Cassel from 7 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $15 to $20. The innovative Scottish-American fiddler teams up for a night of holiday favorites and singing with Mike Block, Christopher Lewis, Maura Shawn Scanlin, Shannon Jacob and many more in a benefit concert for the International Justice Mission. Information is here.

Wintery Songs in Eleventy Part Harmony (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. Information is here.

The Midwinter Revels: A Solstice Celebration (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. $20 to $105. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $65 to $150. Information is here.

“Renaiddance”: Beyoncé Celebration at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $20 to $25 and 18-plus. Dance to every song on Queen B’s latest album and celebrate the ballroom, disco and techno scenes that inspired it. Drag performance by Kori King. Information is here.

Third Thursdays jazz with Dave Bryant and Friends at 8 p.m. at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. This month, keyboardist and composer Bryant includes in his harmolodic series a multimedia project from trumpeter/clarinetist Matt Lavelle (featuring his visual art and poetry), and dancer K.J. Holmes will perform with Bryant (keyboards), Fred Williams (bass) and James Kamal Jones (drums). Information is here.

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Friday, Dec. 22

Cambridge Art Association Holiday Small Works Sale (continued) from noon to 4 p.m. at the CAA@Canal Gallery, 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

Harvard Square Holiday Fairs (continued) from noon to 7 p.m. at 1 Brattle Place (at Brattle and Mount Auburn streets), Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

The Midwinter Revels: A Solstice Celebration (continued) at 3 and 7:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. $20 to $105. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $60 to $150. Information is here.

Night Visions, Colin Silver Band, Subpunch and Awnthay perform at 8 p.m. at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. $10 and 21-plus. Take a break from caroling and enjoy some “horror-gaze shoe-punk metal nightmare” music. Information is here.