Sunday, Dec. 23, at 7:30 p.m.

The Tulsa Symphony Brass joins organist Casey Cantwell for a special concert of Christmas music in the beautiful candlelit nave of Trinity Episcopal Church. “Christmas Music for Brass and Organ” begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The concert features Christmas carols and other favorite music of the season. A reception will follow. Tickets are $20 each, and Trinity Episcopal is located at 501 S. Cincinnati Ave., Tulsa. For more, go to www.trinitytulsa.org.

Friday, Dec. 21

Cultures around the world and across time have marked the winter solstice – typically occurring on Dec. 21 or 22 – as a shift in the seasons and time for ritual and celebration. With the sun at its southernmost point in the sky, people knew where they stood in nature and the cycle of time. The Native American builders of the ancient Spiro Mounds in present-day LeFlore County were no exception. The Spiro Mounds Archaeology Center will offer three special tours around the state’s only prehistoric Native American archaeology site open to the public on Friday. Tours will be at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and are about a mile in length and last about two hours. Archaeologist Dennis Peterson will explain the mounds, the people who made them, excavations and how some mounds line evenly with the solstice and equinox sunsets. Admission to the center is $1-$4. Cost to participate on the walks is $2 for children and $3 for adults. Go to www.okhistory.org for more.
 

Friday and Saturday, Dec. 21-22

In seasons past, Developmental League teams battled quietly in the shadow of their NBA pro affiliates. Such was true for the Tulsa 66ers, D-League little brother to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s overachiever sib with all the popularity, grades, athleticism and good looks. But a new collective bargaining agreement has put a handful of players in the middle. Thunder players Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones III, Jeremy Lamb, Daniel Orton and DeAndre Liggins have seen assignments to the 66ers since season’s start, giving them time on court. Hey, it’s better than spending the next few months planted on the bench, and it makes play in Tulsa more interesting. The 66ers take on Iowa Energy at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, at the team’s home court at SpiritBank Event Center, 10441 S. Regal Blvd. The team takes on the Canton Charge at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, also at the event center. Tickets are $12-57. Go to www.spiritbankeventcenter.com to purchase online.

Continues thru Jan. 5

Santa’s Adventures on the Oklahoma River, actually, is not intended for the Red-Suited One. Families are invited to Oklahoma City’s Boathouse district near downtown for all kinds of activities. Children can join the Polar Paddle (ages 3-9) and kayak in the reflecting pool at the Chesapeake Boathouse or be part of the Holiday Bounce inflatables or hop aboard the SandRidge Santa Zip. Children (and brave adults) zip across a 200-foot zip line and drop a wrapped package into a chimney target along the way. There’s also the Candy Cane Rock Wall indoor rock wall climb, Rudolph’s Launch (a harnessed jump launcher that can send you up to 20 feet into the air) and snowfall at 6 p.m. every night. How’s that for a Christmas promise? Passes are $10 and $20, and can be purchased online at oklahomariverevents.org. The Boathouse District is located at 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., in the southwest corner of the junction of Interstates 40 and 235. Go online for more details.

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 22-23

Tulsa Ballet’s dazzling pageant of magic and splendor continues its run at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Chapman Music Hall, but not for long. The Nutcracker, set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved composition and set in Paris of the 1920s, is a vision of Christmas Eve envisioned by Marcello Angelini, the ballet’s artistic director. With fresh choreography, a larger children’s cast and the return of a favorite character from the past – Mother Ginger – Tulsa Ballet’s The Nutcracker is every bit the classical tale of a child’s dreamtime adventure with the added polish and glamour unique to the renowned dance company and Tulsa. Tulsa Symphony joins Tulsa Ballet at the PAC, 101 E. Third St., for the final weekend of performances – 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Go to www.myticketoffice.com
 for tickets.

Friday and Saturday, Dec. 21-22

Many people enjoy a good mystery, and it has to be true with sports fans, too. So, as columnists wonder how such an awesome team as the Oklahoma City Barons hockey team can pick up loss after loss, you suddenly envision rows of furrowed brows behind puck-proof glass. Ending a three-week road trip with two losses to San Antonio Rampage on Dec. 8-9 and feeling another tumble on Dec. 11 to the Peoria Rivermen at home, the Barons went into the weekend ready to hand back-to-back defeats to the Rampage on Dec. 14 and 15 in OKC and to the Houston Aeros on Dec. 16 away from home.
What they got was pressure to turn around the season. The Barons play the Texas Stars at the Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, Oklahoma City. Games are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $13.75-$42.25. For more, go to www.okcbarons.com.
 

Ends Saturday, Dec. 22

When Living Arts of Tulsa began its Four Elements art exhibit show four years ago, the vibrant emergence of downtown’s Brady Arts District was still a glint of hope in the collective eye of entrepreneurs, artists and community leaders with plans for an area then largely comprised of parking lots and forgotten brick buildings. Sprinkled with art galleries, restaurants, historic music venues and a handful of specialty shops, the Brady was cool already. Since Living Arts moved to the district from its East Village locale, it has helped shape the culture. The Four Elements – with its expression in natural materials of clay, fiber, metal and wood by well-known artists – invites visitors to Brady Arts District to explore the possibilities of art and make it a part of their lives. Look for pieces by Cathryn Thomas, Sharyl Landis, Nancy Hamill, Ron Fleming and Linda Stilley to admire or take home. The work in the exhibit is for sale. Check it out at Living Arts, 307 E. Brady St., and learn why art is the best thing to happen to the district. www.livingarts.org.
 

Concludes Sunday, Dec. 23

Cirque du Soleil: Dralion concludes its run in Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., on Sunday. With inspired sets, characters and music, the event blending Eastern acrobatics and beauty with Western theatrics and bravado brings a spectacle of stunts and entertainment to a breathtaking close. Tickets are $35-$145, available at www.chesapeakearena.com. Go online for times and other details.
 

The Week

We’re headed straight into the biggest holiday weekend of the year for many of us, and that means holiday vacation time and people on the road to see relatives. Whether you’re en route to your destination or plan to stick closer to home, you can’t help but notice the hundreds of lighting displays in towns big and small. Why not take a drive to some of the state’s biggest holiday lights displays? It’s a great way to spend an evening with family and loved ones, and you might even get in a carol or two.

Festival of Light in Chickasha: South of Oklahoma City, the city of Chickasha dazzles visitors with a giant Christmas tree that can be seen for miles as well as animated light shows synchronized to music. Take a carriage ride, buy some sweet roasted nuts and other goodies, and you’ll want to wander the Shannon Springs Park grounds for hours. www.chickashafestivaloflight.com

Crystal Christmas in Woodward: If you’re destination is the Oklahoma Panhandle, head to the town of Woodward for a light display x 2 – Crystal Christmas is located on Crystal Beach Lake where the waters reflect two million lights against the big sky over high plains country. Look for special activities on family nights and Santa visits. www.woodwardok.com

Garden of Lights in Muskogee: Honor Heights Park in Muskogee did the impossible with its light display – it took an already beautiful garden-flecked park and made it even prettier with thousands of lights temporarily replacing the azalea blooms lost to winter. More than 120 acres of parkland is decorated, and you can drive or walk through the experience. www.cityofmuskogee.com

Kingfisher in Lights: You’ll want to take a horse-drawn carriage for this one. Kingfisher in Lights not only cheers the heart with its welcoming, playful displays, it melts it, too. This small town stop on the Chisholm Trail plugs in Oklahoma Park illuminating history and culture as well as a 100-year-old swinging bridge drenched in glow. www.kingfisherinlights.com

Ardmore Festival of Lights:  If you’re southbound on Interstate 35, steer that car onto Exit 33 and make your way to Ardmore Regional Park for the popular drive-thru display that serves up the sights as well as hot cocoa. chamber.ardmore.org

Holiday Lights Spectacular in Midwest City: As one of the largest lights displays in Oklahoma, Midwest City’s Holiday Lights Spectacular is aptly named. The 118-foot Christmas tree, carriage rides, a “dancing forest” display – all set in a quiet woods at Joe B. Barnes Regional Park – makes this feature one to see whether it’s just the two of you or with the little ones in tow. midwestcityok.org/holiday-lights

Christmas in the Park in Yukon: You can never have too many lights. And if you saw the display at the fabulous winter wonderland in lights in Yukon’s city parks, you’d agree. Look for this elaborate arrangement of scenes at Yukon City Park Freedom Trail and at Chisholm Trail Parks. www.cityofyukonok.gov

Rhema Christmas Lights in Broken Arrow: Visitors new to Rhema Bible Church’s campus will soon learn what residents have known for three decades – two million lights in a variety of colors and arrangements have a tendency to attract attention. The ever-growing display features amazing attractions all set to music along with concessions and Santa on stand-by for photos. The attraction is free, but Rhema accepts donations to make next year’s event even better. www.rhemabiblechurch.com

Christmas in the Park in Elk City: Along Historic Route 66, the westward drive takes you to Elk City, about 40 miles away from the Texas border, and Ackley Park where the trees are outlined in thousands of twinkling lights against the winter sky. And, there’s more: Catch a ride on the candy cane express train, a carriage, the double-decker bus or the centennial carousel and enjoy everything this attraction has to offer. visitelkcity.com
 

Sunday, Dec. 23, at 2 p.m.

Everyone’s favorite psychedelic cowboys play a big show for a “small” audience. The Red Dirt Rangers Kids Christmas Show will take place Sunday afternoon at the Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley Ave. The Rangers get out the holiday songbook to play old Christmas favorites with a distinctive Okie twang and style that everybody in the family will enjoy. And because this one’s mainly for the kiddos, you can bet there will be plenty more fun and activities happening in OKC’s favorite listening room. Tickets are $5 each, available at www.bluedoorokc.com. Go online for more.